Through Her Eyes
by Peroth
Summary: Ruby is born with an unusual and dangerous power: the power to summon Grimm. Sheltered, shy, and carefully watched, Ruby is suddenly invited to join Beacon Academy. With the awful potential her power carries and a disturbing deformity that could out her to her peers, Ruby is tested in protecting the humanity of Remnant while keeping a dangerous secret. - AU, sorta follows canon.
1. Through Her Eyes

_Young lady, have you ever considered the importance of your eyes?_

… _You haven't?_

 _But they say more about you than any one sentence can. Where you look, how they furrow, how they widen, and of course, eye-color! Indeed, whether it's a comforting autumn brown or a curious spring green, the color of your eyes tell people everything they need to know!_

 _However, some eyes are more important. Some eyes are quite special indeed. Some eyes are not those of a simple scholar or farmer, some eyes belong to warriors of ancient past and near future. Nobody is given the same gift at birth, and some are given a greater, more tragic gift than others._

 _Your eyes are some of the greatest in the world, and as a result, the most tragic._

* * *

Every semester seemed to be just as bothersome as the last. Every problem that plagued the previous school year, and the one before that had a solution in place only for an entirely new issue to spring up that had not been relevant for six years.

This semester was looking to be particularly trying. Attendance was at an all-time low. Not without good reason, the advancement of technology and civilization was mitigating the Grimm threat somewhat, so the inner city children had safer job opportunities opened up to them. While this would normally be cause for celebration, it was coming at a most inopportune time. While his students could take it easy, that woman was most certainly on the move.

Ozpin considered his assets. Several foreign students were entering Beacon as opposed to their local schools, including the highly decorated Pyrrha Nikos and the heiress of the Schnee dynasty. That alone was leaving the media clamoring for more information. Faunus attendance was up, making up for the loss of non-Faunus students, but old bias was still good and alive in many humans. The White Fang was operating ever closer to the city, desperately trying to prove they weren't cowards compared to who they used to be to the world at large, and they stole whatever goods they could get their hands on, including an entire train car full of educational program chips for Beacon student scrolls.

Not that Ozpin minded if the White Fang attempted to educate themselves, but the funds would need to be recouped. On the bright side, Weiss Schnee's attendance had the unintended side-effect of bringing in Dust at an improved discount, so their combat supplies wouldn't be hurting.

Ozpin shuffled the papers on his desk for what felt like the hundredth time as fought his boredom and tried to organize the mess this semester was trying its hardest to start on. He briefly considered calling in his right-hand woman but that only reminded him that she was in Vale, unable to help him. Though he was a man of energy, new ideas, and progress, the tedium of being an administrator and part-time bureaucrat was far harsher than that of a hunter protecting the world.

At least things were calm.

At least…

His scroll made a noise from its place on his desk, jarring his thoughts. Without looking at it, Ozpin tapped it with one finger and kept signing. "Ozpin speaking."

"Ozpin." Glynda's sharp, womanly voice stopped his pen instantly. Rarely did she address him so informally. Ozpin looked to his scroll with a mixture of relief and apprehension. "There's been an incident."

"Of course there has, Glynda." His tone was more playful than cruel, but he still stood, leaving aside his work to take the scroll and head for the door of his office. "Who, what, when, where, why?" He recited as he opened the elevator doors and entered.

"Ruby Rose." Glynda answered, and Ozpin felt his blood freeze. He squeezed the head of his cane tightly, suddenly begging the normally leisurely elevator to hurry downwards.

"Qrow's niece." Ozpin whispered gravely.

"Correct. She was involved with a robbery." Through the scroll, Ozpin could hear her footsteps as she paced. Glynda only paced when she was nervous.

"She _robbed_ somebody?" Ozpin pressured, the tip of his cane clattering as he subconsciously shook. No. No this was bad, if Ruby Rose was already slipping-

"No." Glynda's voice sounded relieved. "No, she _stopped_ a robbery." At the reassurance, Ozpin took a deep breath and put his scroll on speaker so he could quickly review recent news of robberies or Grimm in Vale. Nothing yet. There was no panic.

"Did she restrain herself?" Ozpin reasoned.

"No, she did not." Glynda's tone turned into a frigid hiss, and Ozpin hurried his digital search, looking for robberies, Grimm detection, a girl with interesting eyes… "She used her powers to fend off the criminals. No witnesses as far as the police can tell, but we'll have to confiscate the footage immediately."

"Agreed, use whatever resources you need, I don't even want the police involved in this, not until we're one-hundred percent sure." Ozpin suddenly felt the urgent need for coffee. He needed coffee, he wondered how Ruby would be feeling. "I'll be making a brief stop on the way over. Where is Miss Rose now?"

"She's being lead to a holding cell. Local authorities seem ignorant to what she has done, I am assuring them I am the cause of any oddities found at the scene. I'm in a private room while the police get her report of the incident." Glynda cited, then cut off Ozpin before he could speak up, "Ruby Rose has been instructed to remain silent on the exact details of the conflict. As far as the police know, the adrenaline overwhelmed her in the moment and she succeeded in fending off the attackers."

"Excellent. Yes, very good Glynda. I'm calling Qrow, he should be there for this." The lift slowed, stopped, and the doors opened. Ozpin hurried out, as fast as his limp would allow. Coffee, coffee and… cookies. Teenagers liked cookies. He needed her on his side after all. Cookies seemed like a good start.

"Qrow is currently on a mission somewhere in the wilds, he can't be reached. However, he has a detailed message awaiting him when he enters civilization again."

"Of course, of course, right when I need him in two places at once. Very well, Glynda, keep Ruby Rose company while she's waiting." Ozpin hurried towards his personal air skiff. He was in a hurry, it would take far too long to rouse his taxi. He made a note to stop by that nice coffee and bakery along the way as he ignited the dust-fueled turbines. "Oh, Glynda, one last thing?"

"Yes sir?"

"Her eyes?"

"Hidden."

"Good. Keep it that way." He hung up and pocketed his scroll.

His heart was hammering. He didn't even realize he was shaking until he took ahold of the wheel. The situation was not nearly as bad as he'd hoped, but _Ruby Rose_ was involved. Ozpin's unsteady fingers touched the throttle, but he stopped himself from taking it. He leaned forward and took a deep, meditative breath.

 _Relax. Take a few breaths. Calm your heart._

This needed go smoothly. Ruby Rose needed to be on his side. He piloted the skiff floated out over the lake between Beacon and Vale, then pushed the throttle to its limit and rocketed the small craft toward the heart of the city.

* * *

The guard escorting Ozpin to Ruby's holding room was remarkably calm. Of course he was, he didn't know better. Nobody here did. Just his trusted few. Even Ruby wasn't aware of the exact nature of what she was, which was more than likely for the best. Expectations turn kittens into tigers, and he absolutely did not need Ruby to know what she was.

"Here's the room, Professor Ozpin." The guard stood to the side, holding the door open for him. Ozpin bowed his head in thanks and stepped inside, immediately examining every detail in the room.

Small, sparsely furnished, other than one empty table, one filled chair, a powerful light hanging low enough to put the poor girl in the chair on edge, said girl, and Glynda pacing along the wall. Everything else was cast in shadow, and Ozpin instinctively reaffirmed his grip on the head of his cane. He needed to remain calm and refrain from scaring her. He looked to his other hand, holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and steadied. He needed her on his side. Take it slow, take it casual, don't let the three cups of coffee make him appear agitated.

With a gentle quirk of his jaw, he turned to look at Glynda. She had settled against the wall, and was watching them both. She was gripping her riding crop sternly in crossed arms, her eyes firmly on Ruby Rose until she noticed his focus shift to her. Both she and Ozpin shared a small, knowing look, and Ozpin considered the young girl before him.

He spoke. "Ruby Rose."

The girl flinched at her own name as Ozpin examined her. She was a small thing, only fifteen years old according to Qrow, but she seemed younger. She wasn't filling out like most girls her age, and quite short. She was wearing a baby-blue hoodie, with Orion the Hunter printed on the front, and more tellingly, she wore thick, black, opaque goggles over her eyes.

Ozpin took several steps towards her, moving into the light and leaning his head down to peer at her from over his glasses. She looked like any normal girl, other than her hidden eyes. He did not _like_ that. The eyes were an important part of expression, they told the truth during a lie, they burned with anger, they melted with sorrow, and they glinted with joy. More than anything else, they let him see what she was looking at.

Given the circumstances, he struggled to let this personal irritant go. Things could be worse than obstructive eyewear and his personal distaste for the unseen. Far, far worse...

"Ruby Rose," he said again, his tone softer as he examined the girl, "do you know who I am?"

Ruby sat with a nervous hunch. It was abysmal posture, but Ozpin decided to not comment. "Y-you're Professor Ozpin. The headmaster at Beacon Academy." She had a cute, high-pitched voice, befitting her height and age.

Ozpin considered her for a few moments longer. There was no hostility to her posture, her hands were on the table, twisting together, and there was nothing suspicious around her, aside from her choice in eyewear. He slid the plate of cookies onto the table in front of her. Ruby looked at the offerings, then up at him. Her brow knit. It was either in suspicion or she was asking permission, he couldn't tell without seeing her eyes, so Ozpin gently nodded. "They're for you, Ruby."

She watched him for a second more, her pale fingers twitching before she picked a cookie up. The whole treat was gone the moment it touched her lips, and Ozpin quietly wondered how she was able to bypass chewing and go straight to a loud, satisfied gulp. "They're really good." She stated weakly, and Ozpin nodded, wondering if she'd even tasted it.

"I'm glad to hear that." Ozpin began to pace in front of her slowly, his cane clicking against the stone floor every two steps as he recited from memory. "Ruby Rose, daughter of Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long. A resident of Patch Island." He turned to face her, noting the pile of cookies had lightened. "You're the niece of Qrow Branwen."

"Y-yeah, my Uncle Qrow." She confirmed, then ate another cookie. Ozpin continued to walk back and forth with a small nod.

"Qrow and I go a ways back. He's a friend of mine, an ally in fighting the Grimm and hunters who have gone down a dark path, as well as any other threats that may emerge. He's a dedicated and loyal friend, always watching out for you from the corner of his eye." Ozpin stated, keeping his eyes on Ruby.

"That sounds like him, sort of…" Ruby agreed. She adjusted the goggles on her face, and Ozpin thoughtfully examined them. They were tight, probably constrictive. It was to ensure a measure of privacy, but they must have been uncomfortable.

Ozpin suddenly smiled. "He's also quite the sarcastic grouch, isn't he?" He teased, and Ruby's shoulders shrugged, unable to resist an amused smile of her own. "Has he said anything about me?"

"He said he knew you, just never talked about it much." Ruby swallowed another cookie. "But he said he trusted you."

"Trust." Ozpin sampled the word as he rest both hands on his cane and turned towards Ruby, appraising her carefully. "He trusts me with a lot of information. He trusts I have the best intentions in mind when I get this information." Ozpin spoke slowly, his eyes boring into Ruby's goggles. "Including about you."

There was a thick cloud of apprehension brewing around Ruby. Her hands immediately pressed together and she squeezed her own fingers nervously. Ruby looked down at her hands, no longer interested in the plate of cookies.

"Ahem." Glynda stood straight and extended her hand, offering Ozpin a small data drive. He spoke his thanks and slid it into his scroll. He relaxed his shoulders and chewed his inner lips in anticipation as the action started.

It was a streetside view, just outside an inner city dust shop. The street was clear of cars and pedestrians, allowing the camera to focus on the robbers - a well-dressed group of thugs brandishing various weapons - and Ruby Rose. Ruby stood with one leg back, one leg forward, hands curled in a primal, claw-like position in front of her as her head whipped left and right, slowly moving in a circle to try and keep her eyes on everyone around her. She moved like a disarmed hunter, she did not appear nervous or frightened, rather, ready to fight and confident in her abilities.

One of the thugs moved in, holding a nightstick across his chest to attack Ruby's back, his first mistake. A well-trained hunter did not need their eyes to defend themselves, and Ozpin could tell that Ruby's training was well beyond a normal fifteen year old student. Those goggles must have dampened her peripheral vision, and since she had to wear them so often it made sense that she's trained to use her other senses to fill in the proverbial gaps.

Two steps forward and the man swung his weapon, but Ruby was already in motion. She leapt into the air, stylishly vaulting over the strike before landing behind the overextended thug. Ozpin narrowed his eyes. Her hand, the one hidden behind her body, did _something_ before she slammed it into his back and sent the man flying with a pained cry.

She twirled around, making another advancing thug hesitate in his approach, and again this proved to be a mistake. Ruby was far better trained than Qrow had implied, as the girl in the video slid underneath his sloppy strike. Her hand touched the ground, and Ozpin clenched his cane's head.

Where her fingertips touched the ground a black pool expanded, churning as something pushed out. A thin, black pole, which Ruby gripped and tore from the dark puddle to brandish a pitch black scythe. It was like no weapon Ozpin had seen before. It did not reflect light, and further details were impossible to make out through the video. It looked like very sloppy special effects, but proved to be _very_ real. The surrounding robbers recoiled out of fear as Ruby swept her scythe up, slashing her would-be attacker and sending him flying through the air, his aura flashing brightly as it hastily acted to defend him from the blow.

The rest of the thugs looked around at each other as Ruby gripped her scythe firmly at the ready. The frightened men, in a bid to use their numbers to overwhelm her, pressed forward with encouraging shouts and battle cries. Ruby… Ozpin watched with an impressed expression as Ruby seemed to _dance._ She slid underneath blades and bludgeoning mace heads with grace, she leapt over her attackers as they tried to pile onto her, she twirled on her toes and spun around her scythe, smacking the men aside, battering them with ease, preventing herself from being surrounded.

She looked like a true huntress in that moment, until one thug managed to grab her from behind, locking her in a full nelson. That moment _should_ have been bad for Ruby as the remaining robbers closed in, and Ozpin expected the girl to kick out, lash with her scythe, or leap over the man holding her or… anything but what happened next.

One of the attackers was rushing forward to strike Ruby while she was vulnerable, but on the ground, beneath her feet, the black pool appeared once more. It spread as fast as the eye could register, one moment ground; the next, darkness. The man faltered, stumbling when he noticed the pool, and a long black leg pushed out of the inky pool. A Nevermore's leg, long and bent in the middle, capped with sharp talons grabbed the attacker around the chest. He gasped, barely managing a cry for help, before the leg flung him into the rest of the gang members and sent them all sprawling.

The talons turned to face Ruby and, to his distress, the man holding her. He was stiff with terror, while Ruby was commendably relaxed. The thug held Ruby up between himself and the claw, but as the inky appendage lashed out it dissolved into black, roiling smoke that passed over Ruby harmlessly before surrounding the panicking man, releasing Ruby to protect his face. Ruby fell to her feet and rolled away as the black cloud sprouted dozens of wings, and the man fled, panicking and flailing in terror as a flock of tiny, enraged Nevermores, each the size of a common crow, pecked, clawed, and harassed the man to the ground. Ruby held up her hand and clenched her fist, signalling for their assault to end. They slammed themselves into the ground, turning into black splatters on impact before shrinking into coin-sized splotches that swelled into a bubble and popped, spewing a final puff of onyx dust into the air leaving behind nothing but perfectly normal asphalt.

Ruby stood alone on the street, the rest of her opponents having fled while their beaten allies laid about, and her black scythe fell to the ground and seemed to sink into the earth, creating an inky spot that coughed black dust before shrinking into itself and disappearing. No evidence of her unusual power was left behind. Ruby turned her head toward a building across the street, seemingly spotting something and focused. Ozpin touched his stiff jaw with his thumb as Ruby's back disappeared inside a black cloud to sprout large, powerful Nevermore wings.

She jumped, and the wings flapped, sending her out of frame in a blur of motion. The footage ended there, with Ruby gone and a handful of toughs cradling their wounds and broken egos on the ground.

This was no common student sitting at the table in front of him. Everything about that fight was, frankly, professional. She was fast, powerful, graceful, using her abilities in tandem with her momentum, dispersing crowds and keeping herself from getting boxed in. A little flashy, sure, but hunters threw a lot of flair into their dodging.

"Glynda, how are the thieves?" Ozpin asked, rewinding the video to watch again. In her seat, Ruby fidgeted, looking like she wanted to leave.

"In chains, babbling about fighting Grimm. The police can't get the same story out of any of them. Some fought the girl, some fought the Grimm, some fought both. The video evidence was, unfortunately, missing from the shop and the crime scene is messy. There are no lingering effects of a Grimm attack, just a common street brawl." She cited formally, a well-practiced lie that made Ozpin smile.

"Excellent. As for you." Ozpin whirled on Ruby, who stiffened in her seat. She was looking at him, but he still could not see her eyes. He let out a quiet sigh. There was a lot of ground to cover, and those goggles were steadily weighing on his nerves. "That was quite a fight. Are you alright?"

"Fine." Ruby answered hastily, her hands formed into nervous fists on the table.

"No need for a visit to the hospital?"

"No, they didn't touch me." Ruby's answer was clinical, not bragging. She was too worried to be confident.

"Good. Then we can cut to the chase." Ozpin leaned over the table, resting on one arm as he got eye level with Ruby. The girl recoiled an inch, trying to keep to her personal space as Ozpin studied her face. "Your Uncle Qrow and I keep close tabs on you. You're a very interesting girl, you know that?"

Ruby's expression darkened with remarkable visibility given how much her goggles blocked."You mean a scary one."

"Mm. Everybody has the potential to be frightening."

"Yeah, not like _me_ though." Ruby whispered. She had her head turned to the left now, looking at the corner of the table, though not really. Ozpin could have disagreed, but he decided against it. She didn't need to know yet.

"Ruby," he started again plainly, gently gesturing the hand he was resting against to try and catch her attention, "I want you to know you aren't in trouble." She turned her head a little towards him, and Ozpin put on his best smile. "Rather, I want to commend you for leaping into action and stopping those thieves. What you did tonight was very brave. Dangerous, perhaps even foolish, but brave. Without you, those men would have stolen that shopkeeper's livelihood and no doubt sunk him into a harsh debt. Because of your actions that man can continue living a comfortable, hopefully more secure life, and by putting those criminals behind bars you will have protected more lives in the future. Thank you Ruby, tonight, you are a hero."

The room was filled with a surprised pause as Ruby turned her head fully to stare at him, her mouth forming a small "o" from disbelief and bewilderment. The poor girl had probably never heard such praise, and Ozpin gave her a relaxed smile. "Thank you." She finally squeaked.

"No, Ruby, thank _you."_ Ozpin stood up straight, taking his cane again to steady himself. He watched Ruby thoughtfully. "Qrow has filled me in on your training. I'm sorry you weren't allowed to enter Signal."

Ruby hung her head, nodding. Qrow and Taiyang both made the decision that Ruby's power would cause too much of a stir. A young woman summoning _Grimm_ of all things would be nothing but trouble in the grand scheme of things. He could practically see the slack-jawed expressions of the Signal staff, the immense paranoia and fear that would end her career as a huntress before it started.

It seemed brutal and unfair towards a girl who showed so much promise.

"Your training has clearly paid off. I've only seen such skills with a scythe once in my life. It's a dangerous weapon in a novice's hands, but you and your uncle seem to have perfect control. Signal would be frothing at the mouth to get such a talented young lady in their ranks." He paused, watching Ruby's expression. Judging by her mouth and cheek bones she was somewhere between proud and depressed.

"Uncle Qrow said that I was a really good learner. Said I was as talented as a salted slug, but I worked like a starving dog." Ruby whispered with a hint of fondness in her voice. "I used to throw myself into practice every day, I always worked and worked and _worked_ to make sure I could do it in a moment, but I could never do what Uncle Qrow did. Uncle Qrow was amazing, he would be like _whoosh,"_ Ruby threw out a sudden series of karate chops, "and _hiyah_ and _watah_ and-" Ruby's arms fell to the table, "-and there I was, tripping over rocks or falling onto my scythe or getting stuck in tree branches. I just never seemed to catch up. Dad and Yang both have no trouble beating me whenever we spar."

"Well, I would argue otherwise. Your Uncle Qrow is a much different caliber of hunter than you, perhaps more than _me."_ Ozpin chuckled at the thought. "And your father is an experienced hunter, while your sister is two years ahead of you in formal training. I can't account for _Qrow's_ idea of training, but Signal's education is designed to propel a student to their full potential in little wasted time. Comparing yourself to two adults and an older student is unfair."

"But it's the _truth."_ Ruby stomped, rattling the table. "I'm not as good as you say I am. I got _lucky._ "

"And _luck_ is precisely what many a hunter needs in those crucial moments between attack and counterattack. The crunch of a twig behind you, a loosened screw falling out at the wrong moment, finding out you packed one extra bullet by accident after going through your normal reserve." Ozpin then gave Ruby a very quaint, curious smile. "Or, perhaps most lucky of all, a chance encounter with somebody who believes in you."

Ruby gave him a mystified frown, her gears turning but making no progress as Ozpin chuckled and continued. "Beacon has very strict requirements to enter. Normally, we'd take the top-of-the-line students from Signal, or any other hunter with high marks from an intermediate school. It's true even a drop-out may find some work as a freelance guard in an outpost out of our jurisdiction, but we truly do our best to refine students into something that's able to defend anyone from anything." Ozpin hummed and hawed thoughtfully. "Now, it _is_ possible for a potential huntress trained by a famous hunter to get accepted, though, unfortunately your Uncle Qrow isn't what I'd call famous…" Yet, Qrow knew Ozpin very well, and Ozpin was more than willing to trust Qrow's word...

"Th-that's not true." Ruby looked up at him with a sudden inspiration in her voice. "Not being able to enter a hunter academy I mean." She slid her hand into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a pamphlet for Shade. "Vacuo will accept any student that can pass a preliminary test, even a foreigner. I-I was thinking, if I used just my scythe skills, and I told them about my abilities beforehand..." She stopped, swallowing thickly.

"You think that would work? That a hunter academy would blindly accept someone who can summon the Grimm?" Ozpin asked gently. Ruby went quiet, and gently drummed the table with her thumbs.

"Maybe as target practice…" She snarled, more to herself than him.

"Ruby, I'm always happy to meet an ambitious student who wants to make the best out of a bad situation, but hunters are a superstitious and paranoid lot. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but what I saw in that video…" Ozpin trailed off and gave her a sympathetic look. "If your uncle hadn't been keeping me in the loop, I would have had you locked away for study. Vacuo's a tough place, and Shade is a tough academy. As the only source of authority in that desert, what do you think they would do with you?"

Ruby stayed silent. Ozpin resumed pacing back and forth in front of her, now trailing the edge of the table with his fingertips. Glynda watched them both with a frown, wondering what was going through her headmaster's mind as he looked up to the ceiling, and Ruby looked down at the floor.

"Ruby, can I ask you a favor?" Ozpin shifted his gaze to Ruby, Ruby stared back uncertainly. "May I see your eyes?" He pointed to her big black goggles. Ruby squirmed at the suggestion and quietly held the goggles in place.

"I-I don't think that would be a good idea. My own family doesn't like my eyes. Uncle Qrow can barely look at them." Her jaw tightened in frustration, and Ozpin gave her a calm, gentle smile.

"I know. He's told me about them. I'd like to see them anyways. To know for myself."

Ruby hesitated as she looked up at the professor. Slowly, shakily, she grasped the edges of her eyewear and pulled them off her face, then slid them up. Ozpin felt Glynda move to his side so they could both watch as her goggles slid up to her forehead, pinning her bangs above her eyes, and revealed herself.

It was breathless and quiet for what felt like a long time, and it was only the clatter of Ozpin's jittering cane that made him realize how hard he was shaking. Glynda was taking very slow, shallow breaths, and both of them forced themselves to stare. "Goodness." Glynda finally rasped.

Ruby's expression was full of deep sorrow, but Ozpin had difficulties seeing it for what it was.

Ruby had _her_ eyes. Glowing, blood-red irises amidst pitch-black sclera, her perfectly round pupils looking like holes into Grimm nothingness. Etched across her temples and reaching the tops of her cheeks and the bottom of her forehead were numerous black veins, which bulged under her skin and made her look deathly ill. Ozpin firmed himself, trying to cease his shaking as he looked into Salem's eyes.

Qrow had warned him that the girl's eyes seemed to make the fight or flight reflex shift to full throttle, and he had believed he could bare it, but he could not. Even if Ruby's face was slack with discomfort and fear, Ozpin could only see the malice and disgust Salem carried in her violent stare. It was so disturbingly wrong that his mind repeatedly struggled and failed to accept that they were a natural feature of Ruby's face. He looked into those eyes and saw something more dangerous than any predator. They were the eyes of a remorseless, uncaring god, one that would treat humans as food, experiments, and sacrifices with the same ambivalence a child might treat ants. It made the bitter reality that he would inevitably die so much more real.

With a painful shudder, Ozpin could take no more and closed his eyes, turning his head away as Glynda took a few steps backwards and broke eye contact. "Thank you Ruby." He sighed, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. Her black and red eyes seemed to bore right through him, and he acknowledged that Qrow's choice of goggles were a necessity. He forced his head to turn so he could look at her again.

"Should I put my goggles back on?" She asked in a very small, defeated voice.

"Are you more comfortable with them on?" Ozpin asked, trying to be clinical with his feelings, but he couldn't shake the feeling of death hanging over him.

"N-not really. They make me sweat and itch, and I can't really see out of the corners so-"

"Then please, leave them off." Ozpin interrupted her with a small, thin-lipped smile. Ruby touched her goggles, seemingly hesitant to remove them, but ultimately slid her them of her head and set them on the table, and judging by the thud they made they were quite heavy as well.

Ozpin leaned over the table again, his face looming closer despite his irrational instincts, and he reached out. Ruby flinched and made an offended squeak as his fingertips traced her black veins, but allowed him to be curious. Her skin was warm, but the veins were cool, weirdly tough, but he detected a faint pulsation of blood underneath. He pulled his hand back, and Ruby's shoulders drooped in relief.

He worked his jaw slowly and stood up straight, wearing a thoughtful expression as he rubbed his fingertips against the cloth of his pant leg. "Ruby, your skills with the scythe cannot be denied. I have to ask, even though you can't get into Signal, or any other academy, why do you train? Especially with such a difficult weapon."

Ruby took her time formulating an answer, and Ozpin took one of the cookies off the plate. He savored it quietly, letting her gather her thoughts. "More than _anything…_ More than being normal, I-I want to be a huntress." She spoke with more assuredness in her voice than she'd ever used before now, and Ozpin tilted his head to signal for her to continue. "When I was a little girl, when my mom was alive, she was a huntress. A really good one. My dad too, and my uncle. Yang, my sister, she's training to be a huntress, but when we were both little she would read to me. The ones all about hunters fighting evil, saving the innocent, helping those who couldn't help themselves. When I could read, I learned all about the towns and cities that failed because of bandits and Grimm. I always thought 'I want to do something to help them.' I-I want to help people." Ruby swallowed thickly. "And I thought that if I was good enough I wouldn't have to use my semblance. That maybe I could go my whole career fighting and protecting without… _this…"_ Ruby held a hand up over the table. Ozpin took a step back and watched.

A tiny black spot appeared on the table directly beneath her hand. It could have been mistaken for a tiny stain, except that it began to grow. It spread, like black water, writhing as if it was alive, growing until it was a foot across. With little warning a black claw lurched out of the puddle of darkness. The hand of a beowolf, furious and sharp, at the end of a long, elbowed arm, flailed in a silent rage. When Ruby squeezed her fist tightly it seemed to give up on its squirming and sink back into the pool. It shrunk, pouring back into itself and collapsing into a tiny black mote once more, which disappeared with a small puff of fading dust.

Ozpin ran his thumb along his jawbone. Ruby rested her hands on her lap as Glynda touched the table with her riding crop, then her hand curiously. Glynda found no oddities, while Ruby let out a sigh. "I know it's a stretch, but maybe, if I have to, I can go freelance. I know that's basically being a vigilante but out in the wild…" She trailed off.

"Out in the wild, nobody would have to see your semblance, or your eyes." Ozpin noted, then pointed to her the chest of her hoodie. Ruby looked down at the image of Orion on her hoodie. "In fables, Orion was a very reclusive hunter. He slayed the Grimm left and right, giving the early builders and squatters of Vale the peace they needed to form a functioning city. It is said he never showed his face, but they knew where he'd been by the arrows he'd left puncturing the trees." The headmaster was calm as he went paced in front of her, still stroking his chin. "But that's just a legend of course. However, nothing can stop _you_ from imitating it."

Ruby gave him a slow nod, her red irises sinking towards the table. Ozpin briefly entertained the notion that the table would fear her gaze and go running for safety, but no such silliness happened. "I could, I guess, but…"

Ozpin continued as Ruby struggled to find the words, "But you don't want to be alone." Ruby nodded her head, affirming his guess. "You want to be a modern huntress. You want to work with a team, you want to have people praise and reward you, you want to enjoy modern civilization and not go roughing it."

"I _really_ like cable." Ruby admitted with embarrassment, causing Ozpin to crack a smile.

"So you want to go to an academy, hoping your skills alone would carry you to graduation with a stable of friends to go into the world and slay the Grimm with. Correct?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow, and Ruby slowly bobbed her head.

Ozpin turned his head to look at Glynda. The blonde huntress met his eyes, and there was a very strong notion in them. She was disagreeing with him, she thought it was a mistake, but she was leaving the call to him. Ozpin cracked a small smile and held out his arms.

"I guess it can't be helped. Beacon has prided itself on its talented students, and we don't want to leave any teams short this semester." He stated while staring up at the ceiling, causing Ruby to give him a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" She watched him slowly turn to face her with a pleased smile.

"What I mean is that at Beacon Academy we have a bit of a shortage of entrants this year. We are one student short of having an entire wing of four person teams. And, luck be with me, sitting before me is a young woman brimming with talent and a dedication towards her fellow man that is both rare and comforting." Ozpin opened his scroll to open an application page. "What I mean, Ruby Rose, is that I would like you to come to Beacon Academy."

Ruby made a noise not unlike a confused baby elephant as she stared at Ozpin. Her damnable eyes were bug-eyed and only _looked_ furious, the rest of Ruby was entirely dumbfounded. "I-I- but- l-look I mean my eyes, my powers, a-and I haven't gone to Signal and I mean even if I had it's too early for me I wouldn't have graduated and I mean that's assuming I even get all passing grades because history is super duper hard because you know how many wars we've had and all the different dust theories and I'm _really_ bad at chemistry I mean I blew up Yang and my uncle and my dad and they don't even let me in the kitchen to _cook_ even though I wanna learn how and-"

Ozpin let her ramble on as he presented the application to Glynda, who quietly signed off in approval before leaning in to whisper. "We are already ankles deep in that woman's plot. Do we really want another potential issue?"

"Dear Glynda," Ozpin looked back at the babbling Ruby with a small smirk, "times of danger are also times of innovation. This is a great risk that may return a greater reward." He turned back towards Ruby, holding up a finger to silence her.

"- I keep mixing up blue raspberry juice with dish soap so- huh?" She stopped mid-rant and focused on Ozpin's finger.

"We are willing to overlook your lack of formal education in exchange for a greater commitment on your part. We provide learning materials for all students and have tutors on site for those struggling to get by. More importantly, we are willing to help you with your semblance."

"Like, repress it?" Ruby was squeezing her fists in nervous excitement, but Ozpin shook his head.

"We will never truly know just how dangerous or how incredible your semblance may be _unless_ we attempt to. However, in the meantime, two things will be required of you: you must never use your semblance except in very particular circumstances, and you must continue wearing those goggles. I am sure you are aware what your eyes do to people when they look into them."

"They usually try to call hunters…" Ruby muttered dryly.

"Indeed. It would be for the best that they remain covered unless you're in private." Ozpin looked over her face one more time. Those eyes, those utterly unbearable eyes. A curse for such an well-intentioned girl. She did not have that _woman's_ evil, yet she was a pariah nonetheless. "Is this acceptable?" Ozpin asked, extending a hand.

Ruby looked at his hand with apprehension, then delicately took it. Their hands clasped in a brief shake, and Ozpin smiled.

* * *

"In all my years working by your side, I have never doubted you more." Glynda spoke in a low, venomous voice as Ozpin walked her to her own airship. The click of his cane against the flagstones leading to the landing area was the only other noise in the empty night.

Ruby had been left behind at the police station. They had a little more questioning to do and were more than likely going to call her father. Her last, final look towards Ozpin had been one of worry, but also great hope. Ozpin smiled as he recalled that look.

"And I don't blame you." Ozpin paused at Glynda's small, tidy skiff, holding the door open for her. "But this is an opportunity I cannot pass up given what I suspect is coming. Even if Ruby Rose takes twenty years to master her semblance her presence in the battle between good and evil could make all the difference."

Glynda said nothing as she stepped into her skiff and settled into her seat. She buckled up and turned the key, causing the low, humming engines to activate. The airship lifted up an inch, and the landing gear was retracted. Ozpin was about to close the door when Glynda shot him a sharp look. "In all of human history, there has not been a single recorded encounter between man and Grimm that did not end in violence. They're monsters, and the people who associate with them are _worse_. That girl, Ruby Rose, what if you're wrong?"

"Then I'm wrong." Ozpin stated plainly, and Glynda gave him a very bemused look. "I understand your concerns, but that girl has talent, and more than talent she is _noble._ That girl has an open resolve towards doing good that few her generation can match. Even if she is explicitly forbidden from _ever_ using her semblance, her training alone may more than make up for it. I want to give her the chance to fulfill her dream and help further the goodwill of mankind. Locking her away and telling her she's a monster will only reassert her beliefs that she is cursed. Let's give her the chance."

Glynda was quiet. She crossed her arms under her bust and stared at her skiff console in quiet thought. "You never could resist the ambitious little heroes." Glynda snorted, closing her eyes. "She has her chance. I won't go out of my way to deny her, but I will be watching her. If she turns out too dangerous…"

Ozpin squeezed the head of his cane and nodded slowly. "Then we will decommission her, but who knows what the future might hold? Let's keep our hopes up."

Glynda shook her head at his optimism and took ahold of the wheel. "I will see you in the morning, headmaster. Try to avoid taking any more needless risks." Ozpin chuckled and shut the door. Glynda sped off towards Beacon, and Ozpin checked his scroll.

He felt a small headache brewing as he realized he'd missed an important staff meeting. Now he'd need to schedule another one to cover what he'd missed and discuss the training of Ruby Rose, and account for a new student in the school. That meant looking back over lunches, housing, armaments, and laundry. He walked back towards his skiff as he considered the changes they'd be undertaking.

Maybe that little coffee and bakery was still open...


	2. The Good News

It wasn't unusual for Yang to be up around two in the morning, but normally she was doing something. Reading, catching up on videos, chatting with friends, maybe going out and twisting some club owner's sack for information, but never just sitting in the living room channel surfing aimlessly while trying to reassure herself that this was just a pick-up call. Things would be fine. Things _had_ to be fine.

She glanced out the big window by the front door again, hoping-yet-dreading the appearance of approaching headlights.

Yang was a live-and-let-live sort whose fuse lit easily and her very presence exploded. She was the life of the party, the start and end of a fight, a problem solver with an attitude. She was an A-plus student who still managed to frustrate her teachers and was one of the reigning faces of Signal for her good looks, good grades, and no-holds-barred brawler fighting style that left many an opponent peeling themselves off the ground and sent plenty of Grimm to the grave.

Though she seemed like the too-cool sort, Yang's heart was as bright and beautiful as her hair, and she kept it wide open for the people she cared for, like her family.

Yang held a hand out shading her face as a bright light broke through the window and shone into her eyes. She idly tossed the remote aside as she stood swiftly and walked out the door. She was blasted with chilly night air, and she regretted not throwing on more than a tank top and pajama pants, but she weathered it as goosebumps rose on her arms and neck.

She watched the old blue truck park and the driver's side door opened and her father stepped out. Though nearing his midlife, Yang considered her father one of the most handsome men she knew, and any fresh-faced boy that tried to woo her was immediately compared to the strength and reliability of her father. Taiyang Xiao Long was no boyband darling, he was a man. Tall, broad, strong, tanned, covered in scars, unafraid to show his tattoo, with calloused fingers and a simple style of dress: leather jacket, orange button up, faded blue jeans, and thick brown boots. Despite this, he was an openly emotional man whose sheer warmth drew people in, even with bags under his eyes and a slight frown on his face.

Taiyang opened the passenger side door and extended his hand. Small, pale fingers wrapped around his thick tanned ones and squeezed, and Ruby slid out and landed on her feet with Taiyang's help. Ruby and Taiyang had a very short, private discussion, and despite both of them looking tired, neither of them seemed terribly anxious. Yang's heartbeat began to slow, relief flooding her.

Yang observed Ruby's face from a distance. She was holding her goggles, her eyes visible, which was normal when she was around the house without company. Yang read around them. The crinkling of her nose, how her cheekbones and jaw rest, the wrinkles on her brow, all far more telling of Ruby's mood than those ever damning eyes.

Fatigued bags under her eyes, brows higher than normal with adrenaline, but her face was slack and smooth, which told Yang that Ruby wasn't harmed, or in trouble. It was quite the far cry from her own first pick-up from the police station. That ended in one hell of a punishment at home.

Taiyang lead Ruby to her sister with one hand comfortingly squeezing her shoulder. Yang jumped off the top of their deck's three steps to meet them, ignoring the dirt and rocks underneath her bare feet.

" _Ruby."_ Was Yang's first word, racing forward to embrace her sister tightly. Ruby returned the hug, and the two girls leaned against each other briefly before letting go. Yang looked down at her sister, directly at her mouth, plucking her goggles from her hand to relieve her of that constant burden. "Okay, so your big sis needs the rundown. What did you do?"

Ruby smiled earnestly. Yang had learned long ago how to focus on Ruby's face and not her eyes. "Well, there was a robbery…" Ruby trailed off.

"Sweet, what did you score?" Yang snickered. Her father gave her a friendly, though daring punch to the upper arm.

"Not like _that,_ Yang." Taiyang put his hands on each of his girls' shoulders and lead them inside. "And don't encourage her to make trouble, it was bad enough _you_ got caught sneaking booze."

"You wouldn't have been mad if I hadn't gotten _caught."_ Yang retorted.

"Of course I'd be mad, last thing I need is you turning into Qrow 2.0." Taiyang smacked Yang's back. Yang laughed, but her eyes were on Ruby, whom had a secretive little smile going on.

"Okay, for real though." Yang shut the door behind the three of them, the warm air in the house prompting Taiyang and Ruby to shed their overclothing as Yang stretched, enjoying the embrace of warmth once again. Ruby kicked off her flats and Taiyang went to the kitchen to brew some coffee.

Yang followed Ruby to the couch and they both flopped down, Ruby doing so with a relieved sigh. She was quiet for a few seconds before turning her head to look at her sister and flashed a smile befitting a Xiao Long girl. "Yang, I'm going to Beacon."

Yang stared at Ruby with a confused smile, trying to break down the possibilities that led from Ruby going shopping to Ruby getting admitted to Beacon Academy. She finally gave up and tilted her head, the exact same smile still in place. "What?"

* * *

The hot coffee in her hands was exactly what Ruby needed after everything that had happened, though it had cooled by the time she'd finished her story. Taiyang was chewing a coffee biscuit, and Zwei was resting at his feet. Yang…

Yang pulled Ruby to her chest and let out a happy laugh. "This- this is _real,_ right? Nobody's punking you?" Yang pat down Ruby, as if looking for a planted wire before squeezing her close again. "Ruby!"

" _Yes_ Yang?" Ruby grunted, trying to figure out how to sip her coffee around her sister's iron-tight grip. Escape wasn't an option, no one got away from cuddle time with Yang.

"You're really going to Beacon?" Yang whimpered, and Ruby looked at her sister's shoulders with a small smile.

"Yeah. Professor Ozpin already has my application, and we're even going to be talking about making use of my semblance." Ruby's voice was relaxed, but Yang could tell it was due to fatigue. This news would normally send Ruby through the roof.

Yang let Ruby go, wishing she hadn't finished her coffee so fast so she could do something with her shaking hands. Yang shot to her feet with a joyous hop, shaking her fists with excitement. "You're going to be a _huntress!"_

"With a _team!"_ Ruby bobbed her head, twitching in tired delight. "I'll be going with you!"

"Ah! My baby sister's coming with me to Beacon! Crap, I _have_ to be a model student." Yang mock sighed, and Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. "This is- like, I can't even _begin_ to tell you how happy I am for you, Ruby." Yang set her hand on her sister's head and smiled. "I know it's been hard."

"Not that hard." Ruby insisted softly from behind her mug.

Yang nodded, but knew otherwise. She'd argued with her father and uncle over their decision to keep Ruby from Signal. Ruby's childhood dream had been to follow in her family's footsteps and become a Huntress, all because the little girl - now young lady - wanted to help people. Yang couldn't make the same claim. She had the training, a craving for a good thrill, and a blazing fighting spirit that demanded a life of action. It just so happened she could help people at the same time as living life on her own terms by becoming a Huntress.

Ruby never even got the opportunity to try. Qrow and their father trained her, Yang sparred with her, but it was never to the same degree Signal could offer. She would have to do a lot of catching up for Beacon, but if she _did..._

"We should celebrate." Yang offered, looking from her father to her sister with eyes brimming with ideas. Ruby looked to her father hopefully, and Taiyang groaned in defeat.

"Sure. We'll get another cake and another feast going. Qrow's gunna be out for a few days, so it's probably just gunna be us three." He offered, scratching his scalp. Even if he wasn't one-hundred percent sure this was a good idea, far from it even, he wasn't going to deny Ruby again. Not when she was doing so good with her control.

"That's fine! More cake for all of us, and we can get presents and- _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_ Yang's scream made her family members reel in shock, and Yang held her cheeks with sudden excitement. " _School. Shopping."_ Yang gasped, grasping Ruby's arms. "I'm going to make my little sis look _hot!"_ Yang ruffled her hair, and Ruby squeaked in distress.

"Yang!" Taiyang stood up, his hands held out defensively. "I know you're excited, but you're _not_ running up another clothes bill like _that_ again."

"Ruby doesn't have any good school clothes! How can you expect her to be herself when all she has is T-shirts and hand-me-downs?! They don't even fit!" Yang smacked Ruby's chest, causing the girl to yelp.

"Hey!" Ruby wrapped her arms around her chest and fired Yang a pout unintentionally but unavoidably accompanied by a horrific death glare. Her family pretended not to notice.

Taiyang pinched the bridge of his nose. "They have a uniform at Beacon…"

"Not on days off!"

"It's two days out of the week!"

"And no way is Ruby wearing the same two things every week!"

" _... No underwear shopping."_

"S'cool, she doesn't have much to show off anyways."

"HEY!" The glare was far more intentional this time.

"Young lady, you said those were for support, _not_ for boys!"

"They _are_ for support, not for boys! I never said anything about girls though."

"Oooooh, Yang, you are- I can and _will_ go up there and return them!"

"Already worn." Yang planted her hands on her hips triumphantly. "And I'll have you know, mama Yang looks _fii~iine."_ The serpentine swaying of her hips and smug grin made it clear she meant it.

Taiyang buried his face in his hands, trying to suppress a massive smile as Ruby swatted her sister's backside in revenge.

* * *

"I have had it up to here," Qrow held a hand just above his head as he fixed Ozpin with an unhappy frown, "with you interfering on my behalf."

Ozpin sat at his desk and said nothing as the booze-soaked hunter slapped his hand down on his chair's armrest. Ozpin steepled his fingers as Qrow slouched low in his seat, his other hand idly sloshing a flask full of something that smelled like paint thinner. "Qrow, this is the best decision."

"The _best_ decision he says." Qrow's head rolled on his shoulders to face Glynda, who stood by Ozpin's desk with a ladylike non-hostility, even as her middle finger rubbed against her riding crop. Qrow's gaze snapped back towards Ozpin. "Tell me Ozpin, has Beacon really started slipping so much the past half a year that you're gunna push an uneducated, underage girl into your fancy little slaughterhouse?"

Ozpin let out a small, tired sigh, and turned towards the holographic figure dominating the right half of his desk. "For once, I agree with Qrow." Ironwood spoke, arms crossed behind his back, eyes closed as the fresh information mulled in his head. "Disregarding her age - and that is a very strong thing to disregard in training a developing hunter - her skill is two years too short."

"Respectfully, James, I disagree. We both saw the video." Ozpin looked to Qrow, who was sipping at his flask thirstily. "Ruby _is_ Qrow's niece and, left unsaid, his apprentice. What she showed was no middle school kata performance, she fought, she dominated, she remained cool and calm and all for the very goals we are striving for."

"Heh." Qrow picked himself up just enough to look at both Ozpin and Ironwood, his smirk bleeding a cruel humor. "What you _saw_ in that video was Ruby whupping the pants off a bunch of ego-bloated dumbasses who assumed she was easy-pickings. You remember when Summer 'n I became a team in my first semester? Me 'n the Ursa? I would bet you two ta one that if you put Ruby - my ' _apprentice'_ \- in that same cave she'da been left a cold smear on the ground."

"A little _harsh_ , don't you think?" Ozpin asked dryly. Glynda's left eyebrow quirked upwards slightly at the rather blase description of Ruby's likely demise.

"Harsh? I'm being realistic." Qrow leaned forward, resting both arms on his knees and he leveled a low glare at Ozpin. "That girl's got spunk and a lotta skill in the making, but I haven't even scratched the limits of what she can learn to do and I never intend to. Her best bet for living a happy, comfy life is staying on Patch and meeting a boy who can keep his mouth shut. If I had a heart of stone, I wouldn't have even let her hold a scythe, much less swing one." Qrow stretched, his back popping, before settling back in the chair with a frown. "Girl's got moxie though. Lotsa moxie. Was hoping she'd never step foot off the island and just help Taiyang 'round the house. Figures she'd somehow make it into _your_ good graces." Qrow levelled a much more personal glare at Ozpin as he tipped the flask against his lips once more, and Ironwood gave a small cough.

"Your optimism and trust in the youth of today is endearing, Ozpin, but I still agree with Qrow. Young, inexperienced, and lacking standardized training, Ruby Rose may show promise but she still has to undergo the basic curriculum we all agreed to." Ironwood turned to study Qrow with an appraising look. "Though we're all sidestepping the real Goliath in the room: her powers."

"Oh, oh!" Qrow shot up, eyes wide with excitement. "You mean we're _finally_ going to talk about how she can summon _Grimm?!_ The very monsters every kid in this school is being trained to kill?!" He held his fists up like an excited child and grinned from ear to ear. "'Cuz I was afraid if I said that was the worst idea since sideways-sliced bread _I'd_ be the crazy one!" Qrow fell back into his chair with a disapproving snort.

"... Indeed." Ironwood turned towards Ozpin and held his scroll out. Ironwood's holographic figure shrunk to half its size and shifted to the left to make room for a much larger figure: the standard, run of the mill Nevermore. The hologram grew to give an extremely close view of the Nevermore's feathers. "Standard student training, at least in Atlas, includes identifying Grimm traits. The Nevermore's feathers, sometimes shed in an attack, sometimes used _in_ an attack, only disappear on its death. The vein is dry and rough while the downy barbs are sharpened. The shaft is sharp enough to pierce solid wood in a standard shower, and brittle enough to snap with a slight tug near the middle." Ironwood's hologram grew, the Nevermore and its feathers disappearing. "Should Ruby Rose follow the same properties, any attack during her summonings could have left damning evidence of Grimm presence during that fight. I can only assume your students will learn to identify Nevermore feathers and more as well. Do you intend to tell the student body at large that Ruby Rose can summon Grimm?" He arched a thin eyebrow.

Ozpin clasped his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes in thought. The others patiently waited for an answer, and Ozpin finally sucked in a calming breath. "No." He set his hands on his desk and looked Ironwood in the eye. "For all of the reasons you have mentioned, I am not telling my students about Ruby. Singling her out would lead to consequences that would isolate her and possibly make her a target for vigilante justice."

"Then _why?"_ Qrow demanded, squeezing his armrest with one hand while the other waved in agitation. The padded steel squealed softly under the displeased Hunter's fingertips. "You think they won't find out? You think they'll be forgiving? You think the parents will be fine and dandy with you bringing her in? All it takes is one scroll message back home saying 'by the way, there's a girl here who set a flock of Nevermores on me, please send help' to not just ruin you, but ruin _her."_ Qrow stood, holding his chair for balance as he pointed to Ozpin furiously. "May I remind you this isn't one of your precious pet projects you're wanting to raise, this is my niece. I trained her because I didn't want her to have to rely on those powers to save herself in this dog-eat-dog world. I only filled you in because, damnit, if I needed somebody I could trust to hide her there's nobody better than you. But now you- _you_ want to put her in the firing line because- w-wait, how did you put it?" Qrow pressed his palm to his forehead and spoke with airy mocking, "'We'd be _one_ person short of a _full four person team!'"_

"Qrow, please sit down." Ozpin ordered, his hands pressed together as he closed his eyes again. Qrow stared him down a few seconds longer, but slowly sat with a heavy thud. His eyes never moved from Ozpin, though he was still aware of Glynda shifting slightly, probably uncomfortable with listening to Qrow admit actual affection for someone or something other than an aged scotch. "I had a good long talk with her about her powers, her skills, and most importantly, _her._ Miss Rose is an honest, thoughtful young lady who has told me that, without a shadow of a doubt, her dream is to protect people. You must have had this talk with her Qrow, and I know you. You may be a bitter, sarcastic _ass_ but you want what's best for the world too."

"I-" Qrow raised a finger, biting his tongue in restraint, "I want what's best for my family. My _new_ family, my _good_ family. Everything else I save-"

"- is mere collateral, yes, I know. But Ruby is a part of this precious family of yours. She one day looked up at you and asked you to train her, and somehow, someway, you said yes." Ozpin stared at Qrow, daring him to refute. The drunken hunter opened his mouth to say nothing, and realizing this, sat back and stayed silent. "I didn't make the decision immediately, I spoke to Miss Rose for some time, as I said. She is _ashamed_ of herself because she was born with a power she had no choice in getting. She is _afraid_ of people because she was born with eyes that could very well get her lynched. She is a lonely girl with big dreams who has shown enough skill to convince me that she is not only worthy of training, but perhaps _empowering_ her to believe that even the evils forced upon her can be used for good."

The room went silent. Qrow was staring at his lap, Ironwood was watching Ozpin, and Glynda took a deep breath. Ozpin gently ran his thumb down his chin, eyes closed, when Glynda made a small "ahem." Three heads snapped in her direction and she laid out a series of files on the desk. "I have gone over some lesson plans for Miss Rose in regards to her lack of education and I believe she can be caught up to a Beacon level in just under a month, should we cut out minor details and chaff. This _will_ mean she will have to work at an accelerated pace in her schoolwork in addition to her fieldwork, and that's not counting her semblance lessons _nor_ her off days."

Qrow let out an amused grunt. "Please. You told her she has the chance to be a huntress. This is gunna be nothing to her. That little niece of mine puts more effort into building herself up to fight than anyone I've met. You've got no clue what this means to her."

"So you approve of her coming here?" Glynda sounded surprised, but Qrow let out a mocking laugh.

"I'd sooner kiss my sister than tell you this was a good idea, this is a tragedy in the making." His face contorted oddly before resting his forehead against his thumb and pointer finger. "But I'll be damned before I tell the shrimp no. Crushing her like that, man, even I'm not that harsh. Maybe this _will_ be good for her, and maybe I'll teach a beowolf to play fetch." Qrow shook his head. "Either way, Ozpin. This is on you. We're allies in this whole mess, but if you give my elder niece and brother-in-law a reason to cry?" Qrow's expression went dark. "Salem's going to be the last thing you'll have to worry about."

Ozpin let out an amused, if nervous chuckle. "I'll be sure it doesn't come to that. Ruby's going to be well taken care of here, and her training will be thoroughly planned out to ensure the best growth possible." Qrow simply shook his head at Ozpin's reassurance and lounged in his chair.

"Since it's clear you won't be talked out of this decision, I expect reports on young Miss Rose's progress." Ironwood said, examining his watch. "While I don't expect incredible results early on, should her powers prove more stable and useful than expected I may request a brief transfer to Atlas for a better study of the Grimm, provided they are identical to those in the wild."

"We'll see when the time comes, James." Ozpin noted his expression as he lowered his watch. "Are we keeping you?"

"Yes. Is there anything else we need to discuss?" He turned his head towards the other three, but was given a negative. "Then I will be in contact again at 1700 hours. Stay safe. Stay vigilant." Ironwood nodded his respect towards his allies before his hologram disappeared.

Qrow examined his empty flask while the room went quiet, then stood with an exaggerated stretch. "Welp, this has been a thoroughly unfulfilling and downright pain-in-the-ass talk. Ozpin, you'd better be dead serious about this." Qrow leaned forward, hands on his knees, stretching and staring the headmaster in the eyes at the same time. "I'm gunna make sure the twerp writes to me and lets me know what you're putting her up to. But if somehow, someway you get those powers under control, those eyes under wraps, and sharpen her into the hero she _wants_ to be…" He touched his thin, pale lips. "I'll kiss-ss…" He pointed to Ozpin, drawing out the "ss" before turning towards the only other person in the room. "Glynda."

"Do so, and the Salem will be the last thing you have to worry about." Glynda parroted dryly, hiding her mouth behind her hand in disgust.

"Hey, that's the sort of faith I have in this whole gig. You two try not to get a papercut." Qrow turned, hands in his pockets, and walked towards the exit.

Ozpin watched him until the lift doors closed, then turned towards Glynda. "You know, you _could_ stand to take a break from work and find a date."

She gave him her dirtiest look.

* * *

Yang had failed to account for how pale her sister's legs were.

Yang had a hand over her smile as Ruby uncomfortably shuffled around in a pair of black leather hotpants. Ruby was skinny, but not so noodle thin that she couldn't fill out some tight pants. The only issue was Ruby's lack of sun, as her pale legs seemed to glow under the dressing room's artificial lighting.

"Yang, I feel stupid." Ruby admitted as she stared down at her legs, hands on her hips since they wouldn't fit into the pockets. "It's so _showy."_

"You don't look that bad." Yang walked around her sister. Ruby had a girly figure but it was a _girly_ figure. Other than her thighs she didn't have much meat on her, so Yang's typical method of shopping was floundering. "What about the skinny jeans?" Yang asked.

Ruby sighed and slipped into the dressing room again. When she came out, it was with rigid steps in a pair of pants that compressed Ruby's legs. She looked even more defeated if possible. "I can't _move_ with these!" She whined, wriggling a leg in annoyance. Yang giggled before spinning Ruby around and marching her back into the changing room.

"Okay, so, my favorite store didn't work out." Yang stroked Ruby's back as they walked out of Club QT a bit later, arms visibly lacking in bags.

Vale was active today, as the energy of the city had grown with the heat. The weekend was a wonderful time to get things done, and Yang had dragged Ruby out of the house to shop.

Ruby was in a dark tank top and a knee-length black skirt. It was fairly normal, day-to-day clothing that, while comfortable, didn't _scream_ "hunter." There was a sense of style associated with fighting the Grimm, a flair, a flaunting, an unspoken dress code to stand out. It was part of the legend. Ancient hunters often came from communities where the fashions were simple, but the proven protectors wore bright and unusual outfits so the people would know who to run to for protection.

These days, it meant dressing was a fashion contest. After all, hunters who gained fame were put on cereal boxes and posters, they were inspirations to the next generation and treated like celebrities. Having a signature fashion allowed normal people to show their loyalty, favor, and respect by imitating it. Hunters, the primary defenders against humanity against an inarguable evil, liked to be recognized for their efforts.

Yang enjoyed showing off. She wanted to be recognized for her full figure and assertive, sexy looks. People would see wild blonde and leather one day and they would think of _her_. Ruby wasn't a showy girl at all, but she'd never had the opportunity to get out. It took a week of Yang's dropping suggestions and discussing with her dad to convince Ruby to go out to Vale for one eventful afternoon...

"I know a few more places near the docks. They're a _little…_ err, hum." Yang handed Ruby a helmet while trailing off in search of a proper euphemism. Ruby popped it on and took her place behind Yang on her motorcycle as Yang tied her hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes. "They're _exotic."_

"Don't you mean 'erotic?'" Ruby corrected, hands on Yang's shoulders as Yang grinned, sliding her riding goggles on.

"Ya caught me. They're sexy but not _gross,_ it's where I found that dress for prom." Yang and Ruby coordinated to back the motorcycle out of its parking spot and Yang checked her surroundings before revving her beloved ride's engine up.

"The one dad hated?" Ruby called over the vehicle's roar. Yang tossed a thumb's up rather than trying to shout over the bike's noise. "It was a _really_ nice dress!" Yang smiled at that and gunned it.

The ride through the hot Vale air was addicting. The city was lively and so fun to explore from the streets. Yang got to admire all the sights from atop her growling ride, enjoy the sweet smells of the marketplace when they rode by, and get a thrilled shiver when the scent of gas and oil hit her. It smelled like a challenge, a thrill to be surmounted. She loved it. Her bike thrummed beneath her and her arms trembled just so on the handles, the passing air and warm sun whispering that she could go much faster than this...

The only thing taking away from the feeling of infinite freedom was the arms wrapped around her middle, and the gentle breathing of her sister against her back. A little reminder to her that she had responsibilities on top of her independence. She secretly enjoyed the trust Ruby put into her when they rode, since she was so hesitant to climb on behind her when she first got her bike. Without a life of challenge, isolated and stuck inside the house, her sister was meek and gentle. Yang took it on herself to try and show her how fun the world could be when you pulled the throttle. Still, as much as Ruby seemed to share Yang's love of speed, the presence of her sibling always served to keep her under the speed limit. The call to adrenaline was strong, but some things were stronger.

They rode along the road by the pier, able to stare out over the water, at all the ships and dock workers, and beyond that the little speck on the liquid horizon that was Patch Island. It seemed so strange that it was so far away, yet the trip here and back wasn't even fifteen minutes on the ferries. It gave Yang a strong sense of security.

On the other side of the bay they turned to go into a seedier part of town. It wasn't a hive of scum and villainy like the northeast quarter, but it was where people went if they wanted a little under-the-cover fun, and Yang had gotten dragged there on several occasions by her less than responsible friends. She wasn't a fan of the place, but it _did_ have Redlite/Greenlite.

Yang pulled up to the red and green store, parking in an open space. She stopped the motorcycle, kicked up the stand, and hung Ruby's helmet on one of the handlebars. Ruby looked up at the store with some trepidation, but followed Yang to the door.

"Okay, so, first thing's first, stay up near the front. Sneak around towards the back and you'll find the weird stuff." Yang explained before she opened the door for Ruby and they both walked inside. The lighting was a low red. There was a stench of pumpkin air freshener in the air mixing with leather and metal, and Ruby instantly felt out of her element. "The outfits here are pretty high-class, and we can even accessorize."

"Okay." Ruby shifted from leg to leg as she looked around. Behind the checkout desk was a tall, older woman in dark clothing reading a magazine. She was extremely pleased when Yang approached, and the two chatted conspiratorially while Ruby walked into the aisles. Some of the stuff looked like it belonged in a teen store, like the leather wristbands with studs, the only thing giving them away as the _adult_ version were the odd hooks and clips here and there where something was clearly meant to attach.

Every now and then Yang would turn to direct Ruby to a different aisle, but let her explore on her own. Ruby ran her hand along the nearly sheer pencil-thin white dress she'd found, blushing. She was an isolated girl but she had access to the Vale Network. She understood things meant for adults, and Yang was delicate in helping her understand the intricacies of physical relationships. It was all very weird and gross, but she could sort of see the appeal and a part of Ruby was afraid she'd never get to experience it and make up her mind.

She stopped in front of a full-length mirror on the wall and stared at herself. She ignored her plain clothing and petiteness, and focused on her goggles. Yang assured her that boys and girls would look past the goggles if they were truly interested, but Ruby's fear came from what was underneath. There was always suspicion and curiosity, which would give away to terror when they found out. Ruby touched her reflection, feeling the cool surface of the mirror on her fingertip, and frowned.

She tore herself away from the mirror. She wanted to become a huntress. That's all that mattered, anything else was a tertiary goal and not worth focusing on. That's what she kept reminding herself as she wandered the store aimlessly, lost in her turbulent thoughts as she handled fabrics and flicked at metal rings. It wasn't until Yang found her absentmindedly sticking her hand up a pair of assless chaps that Ruby remembered why she was here.

"I-it wasn't that funny." Ruby muttered as Yang hugged her tightly, almost hiccuping from giggling so hard. She'd been at it for almost a minute! "I was thinking of something else! I swear it-it was nothing!" She was blushing hard, and Yang began rubbing her cheeks affectionately.

"Sure, Ruby. Did you find anything?" Yang asked with a mischievous smile. Ruby shuffled awkwardly away from her sister's hugging range and shook her head, making Yang sigh. "C'mon, let's see if I can help."

After about twenty minutes, the dressing room door clicked open and Ruby shuffled out, red from her cheeks to her shoulders. Yang stared, a small smile blooming on her face as the girl working the register turned to look in curiosity. The red, knee-length dress was kept tight around the belly by a wide, black ribbon that tied off into a cute hip bow. The dress cupped her small breasts, but her shoulders and meager cleavage were exposed by black fishnetting with purely decorative corset-like ties down the middle.

Yang cocked her head. The dark fishnets, the red and black color-scheme, it worked nicely with Ruby's pale complexion and similarly colored hair. She was quite pretty, and Yang beamed. "Nailed it."

"No." Ruby countered, resting a hand on the opening to her breasts.

"It looks great!" Yang insisted, walking over for a better look. She was surprisingly attractive in it. Maybe not sexy, maybe not cute, but she went from a sweet little young girl to a beautiful young woman. A little blush, some eye… shadow. Right. "We should take it."

"No! I feel _weird."_ Ruby huffed, tugging at the little black bow nervously.

"C'mon, a pair of heels and you'll look like you're going out for a night on the town!" Yang insisted, and Ruby shook her head.

"But I'm _not,_ we're shopping for my hunter's outfit!" Ruby stomped, frowning. Yang hummed in thought, then sighed. She was correct. Not that Yang ever let the details get between herself and a good thing.

"Okay, we'll keep looking." Yang turned Ruby back towards the dressing room. "But I want to buy the dress."

"Dad will be mad." Ruby pouted, and Yang grinned.

"Until he sees you in it."

Yang and Ruby stepped out of the shop with a bag just a few minutes later. Ruby clutched it in slight embarrassment and set it down next to the bike to pick up her helmet. She felt so foolish all of a sudden. She hadn't gone shopping for clothes like the dress ever, and it was so different from what she always wore.

As she pulled her helmet on, Yang stopped her with a touch and pointed across the street. "One more place?" She asked. Ruby looked. Pier-View Costuming.

"A costuming store?" She asked, and Yang bobbed her head insistently. "... It's not even near the pier. There's two whole buildings in front of it! It doesn't have a pier view at _all."_

"Quit griping! It's just a name!" Yang grabbed Ruby's bag in one hand and dragged Ruby across the street with the other. Ruby pouted loudly.

"It's a _lie!_ Can't we just go home? Dad's making Hunter's Pie." She rubbed her tummy while Yang snorted.

"Dad's casserole can wait." They stopped in front of the store window. Yang rubbed her hands together with a grin. "I've heard good things about this place. Marigold found her boots here." On display was a long-robed, hooded, leathery outfit that looked like it was out of the Vacuo fairy tales of the Dune Guards. Aside from looking like it'd offer genuine protection from the sandstorms, it had plenty of pockets and strategic areas to keep smaller weapons. Ruby fluttered her eyelids behind her lenses as she stared. It looked like an actual _hunter's_ outfit. "See? It's the real deal, Ruby."

"Okay." Ruby nodded, idly hopeful as they walked inside. The store was small, but packed with outfits of all shapes and colors, with styles imitating iconic outfits from across the world and from history. Ruby recognized the signature green-and-gold woven cloak of Onsen, Mistral's Fury on one of the racks.

"Hello, and welcome!" A portly gentleman waved from the back. "If you're interested, we just got Pyrrha Nikos' tiaras in!"

"Thanks, we'll check them out!" Yang called. She slipped into the rows of clothing by herself. Ruby went to the racks of cloaks. She touched the materials, recognizing the heroes they represented with a comforted smile. Sonder the Bard, Arialis the Slayer Queen of Mantle, Nicholas Schnee's famous red-and-white fur coat, but… all of them were things she recognized.

They were not befitting a young, up-and-coming huntress, they were for costumes. Imitations of the great. While Ruby appreciated the stories and what each cloak represented, she didn't feel… worthy. She walked down the rack towards the variety capes and cloaks that had no historical significance. Standard, plain, ignorable… except…

She pulled out a red cape. It came with a hood, and was vibrant and well-woven, but it was in the exact same style as…

"Find anything?" Yang asked, walking into the aisle. She froze. Ruby stood by the cloaks in silence, the cape hanging near her ankles as the hood hid her face. She turned, broken from her thoughts to look at her sister. Yang's face was slack from shock, and her boisterous stance lightened. Totally free of self restraint, her eyes pinched, her lips quivered, and she smiled. "That looks really nice Ruby." Her voice was trembling and thick with emotion, but was no less genuine for it.

"It feels nice too." Ruby twirled in place, the cloak trailing behind her nicely. "It's like…"

"Yeah. It's like mom's." Yang rested her hands on Ruby's shoulders before she slid the hood back, showing Ruby's face. Idly she ran her fingers through black and red locks, clearing them from Ruby's face and examining her. "Do you want it?" Yang asked, smiling in fondness.

"Yeah." Ruby said, giving Yang a somewhat sorrowful smile.

"Okay. Then we'll find the right outfit to go with it." Yang squeezed Ruby's shoulder and lead her to the rest of the clothing.

* * *

" _Yang!"_ A voice cried out, causing the blonde to dog-ear her magazine and sit up. "Yang, c'mere!" The voice yelled again. With a sigh, Yang slid off her bed and tossed her impressive mane of yellow-gold curls into a quick ponytail. She didn't bother with shoes inside her house, but rocked a pair of pajama pants and a casual tank top with "I burn!" inscribed over an explosion. " _Yang?!"_

"I'm coming dad!" Yang finally called back, taking the stairs two at a time before striding into the kitchen. "Wassup, doc?" Yang asked while leaning against the doorframe.

Taiyang shot her a self-pleased grin before he pulled open one side of the box. "Get this sweetheart, I've got a couple new gadgets to play with in the kitchen." He stepped aside for Yang to come look. The big box was packed with smaller boxes, and Yang slid one out to read.

"The Atlas Kitchen and Hardware Corporation special deluxe peeler, from potatoes to pineapples, peels fast, clean, and easy." She read, then set the box on the counter.

"And get this," Her father set his hand on the box, his smile still strong and sunny, "It's designed to detect bare skin and stop so your pop doesn't end up degloving himself." He grabbed the next box. "Robo slap-chop! I just toss it onto the conveyor and it does all the work while I prep the next set of ingredients." Yang watched him pull the next box out, and a slow frown formed on her face. "And look at this! This blender can do rough, smooth, super smooth, and puree! I can replace the old clunker you always complain about. And this is a plastic clamshell remover! Once I open up the plastic clamshell it comes in, opening everything else will be a breeze, and- and-"

A hand rest on his. Taiyang paused, looking to Yang's quiet, if sad smile. "I'll miss you too, dad." Taiyang looked into her eyes for a long while, then let out a long, tired breath. "You don't have to cook quite as much with us gone. You can work on _you_ things!"

"Heh, yeah." Taiyang slid his hand off the box and took Yang's at the same time, stroking the top of her hand with his thumb. "I can renovate your rooms, have my own personal den upstairs. Laundry'll be easier too, no panties to sort through." He _deserved_ that punch to the arm, and the both of them laughed. "Damn, you're hitting like a huntress these days. That or I'm getting too soft. Am I getting soft, Yang?"

"You cried like a baby when we went luggage shopping, so I'd say about the same as when you saw me in a prom dress." Yang hid her mischievous smile behind her hand.

"Oh _man,_ don't remind me my beautiful blonde baby's all grown up." Taiyang hugged his daughter, rubbing her back with a small sigh. "It's gunna be so quiet without you and Ruby around. _Especially_ you. Ruby isn't even half the trouble-maker you are."

"Oh, she'll _learn_." Yang assured her father with a snicker, breaking the hug to help him unpack all the goods. She slid out a new cheese grater and let out a low sigh. She did all the peeling, chopping, and grating while her dad prepped and cooked the meat and watched the pots. It was nightly tradition. Ruby was allowed to watch as long as nothing exploded. "You'll be fine too, dad. Without me around, maybe the girls'll look your direction." She wiggled her eyebrows at her father, who let out a quick guffaw.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm ready for that just yet. Thanks for the show of confidence sweetie." Boxes were opened and new kitchen equipment was put together. Taiyang perked his ears between the moments of tearing and clinking, and looked up at the ceiling. "Your sister's pretty quiet."

"She's been tearing through those textbooks since we bought them. Didn't even put them down for cake." Yang pursed her lips in worry. "For _cake."_

"Well, this whole prospect's lit a fire under her ass, and she needs to be ready for it." Taiyang smiled. He looked up at the ceiling again. Ruby was a hard worker. It was a trait she'd gained from him, in that if something didn't work, you practiced until it _did,_ then practice more until it worked _perfectly,_ then practiced more until it was engraved in your mind for the rest of your life. Her training with Qrow carried over to her private training in the backyard, and she had _sucked_ with her scythe early on, but failure did not deter her. She worked and worked and _worked,_ and Taiyang watched her go from stumbling around and falling on her face to swirling around like a little whirlwind of decapitations. Somedays, Taiyang would watch her and a painful pit of nostalgia would open as he remembered Summer…

"Hey." Yang nudged him, making Taiyang snap to. "You got that look on your face."

"Yeah." Taiyang nodded, rubbing his face until his muscles relaxed. "Just thinking about your mom again."

"She was the best mom." Yang smirked. They were both talking about Summer. Raven was a touchy subject between the two of them and Taiyang didn't know how to talk about what had happened, but Summer had earned the official title of "mom" around the house, despite her absence.

"She was. She helped bring up two really fantastic kids too." Taiyang gave Yang a look of fatherly pride, and Yang held her hands up like a hostage.

"Alright, we are officially turning into nostalgic saps and I'm not even twenty. I'm going upstairs to be a teenager. I'll find something to rebel against or whatever." Yang turned, hands still held up, but she smiled to herself. She idly wondered how things would have been different if their mother was still around, how Ruby would be treated, if she herself would be a little less outgoing. She knew her dad would spend fewer nights staring out at the backyard swirling a glass of something strong, lost in thought.

Yang stepped into her room and frowned. Her dad would be lonely. The man was already in a weird state without either of his loves, but now she and Ruby were going. If Ruby was staying, that would be one thing, but no…

Yang rubbed her upper arm and opened her scroll. She sent a text to somebody who was honestly terrible at giving advice but still managed to make his drunken self useful from time to time. _-Hey dude.-_

 _-Too early for you to need picking up. What's up?-_

 _-Ruby got into Beacon.-_

 _-I heard.-_

 _-Dad's going to be lonely.-_

 _-Yeah, and?-_

 _-You could move in with him.-_

 _-I could also take ballet. Not happening.-_

 _-I'm worried about dad, can't you try?-_

 _-No. I don't stick around for a few reasons, and he understands completely. You need to trust us.-_

 _-Then what do we do?-_

 _-How about your red-headed friend?-_

 _-Rees?-_

 _-Her mom's hot. Set them up! :D-_

 _\- :( Gross, no. She's married.-_

 _-I tried!-_

 _-Asshole.-_

 _-Love you too, Firecracker.-_

Yang laid back on her bed with a sigh. She rolled onto her side to stare out the window at the sky, thinking on the matter. She worked her jaw. Her father was a hunter, he made his money keeping Patch safe, but his expertise was rarely needed unlike Qrow. Qrow found all sorts of work doing jobs away from Patch, but her dad liked to keep it close to home. Qrow did some work at Signal too, though, when he wasn't on a mission so-

Yang grabbed her scroll again.

 _-Can you get him a job at Signal?-_

 _-Nope.-_

 _-Why?!-_

 _-Your dad's a jock. Every dad on Patch is a jock. All of them went into teaching at Signal. See where I'm going with this?-_

 _-He needs something to keep himself busy.-_

 _-He's got Zwei.-_

 _-Zwei's not good enough.-_

 _-Ouch. Pup puts in so much work for that sort of response? :( -_

 _-I'm being serious!-_

 _-Me too! Dogs are great.-_

 _-Qrow, I'm really worried about dad. Isn't there something you can do? You work for Ozpin, right? Maybe he has a few jobs dad could take.-_

 _-You think I have that kind of pull?-_

 _-I think he wouldn't put up with you if you didn't do something he couldn't outsource to Zwei.-_

 _-I'll ask, but I'm making no promises. Ozpin runs a tight ship and he likes his crew a particular way.-_

 _-So he went out of his way to hire a soggy old drunk?-_

 _-Ouch! Right in the heart, Yang. Yeah, but he has a special place for us all. I'll see if there's some cozy perimeter control job that your dad can take.-_

 _-Thanks Qrow.-_

 _-You owe me.-_

 _-Next round's on me.-_

 _-Top shelf?-_

 _-I'll figure it out.-_

 _-Legally.-_

 _-Don't trust me?-_

 _-Like I'd trust a wildfire to not burn the bar down. Don't break the law, kiddo. Not until you got a permit.-_

 _-Fine.-_

 _-Good girl. Go find me a good brand while I brown nose.-_

Yang closed her scroll and set it on the windowsill. Maybe she was overthinking this. Her dad was a strong man, he could probably handle being lonely. Maybe the only thing holding him back was herself and Ruby? He was fairly responsible around them, but when he had some time to himself he could be rowdy.

She rolled over and picked up her magazine. Either way, if Qrow got the Headmaster to give her dad a job to keep him busy, it'd be her dad's choice to take it or not. She would of course take credit for the idea if he loved it, and knew how to be his perfect little girl to ease him if he didn't like it. She smirked.

As long as her family was happy, she could live her life without worry.

* * *

The warehouse activity seemed to stall as three familiar figures sauntered towards the back.

Dozens of masked, uniformed men saw the woman and her gang and opted to give them a wide berth, avoiding barbed remarks and potential pain if they took offense to their presence.

In the back, hovering over a wooden table dominated by a large map covered in smartass marks made in red marker, Roman Torchwick chewed the butt of his cigar. He was speaking to two of the White Fang operatives, their mutterings and ravings covering a plethora of topics from the amount of Dust their last haul brought them to their future plans of action.

This all came to a stop when they noticed the silence now dominating the room.

"Okay," Roman patted the two White Fang members' shoulders, "why don't you two go grab a snack. Papa Roman's got some bizz-ness to discuss with our 'benefactors.'" The air quotes did little to relieve the tension as the two members fled the scene.

Roman held his arms up in a thoughtless shrug, and turned to face Cinder and her companions. Cinder's expression was dark, her body language tense. Behind her, a green-haired woman and a gray-haired man smirked, but their posture was nervous. Roman wasn't used to seeing Cinder so wound up.

"Sooooo…" Roman rolled his tongue as if he was tasting the word, "To answer the question you _obviously_ want to ask, I have no clue where the little Grimm girl went." He beamed optimistically, even as Cinder stormed forward and forced him to confront her angered gaze. "Look, I don't know what you want from me." Roman shrugged, his smile shifting to a petty glare. "I'm in the business of thievery, drug-racketeering, and busting up shops that don't pay their security. I don't do human trafficking, so what do you want?"

"I want that girl found." Cinder's lips peeled back to show her perfect white teeth. "And I want her found, _now."_

"Hey hey hey, calm down missy, you look like you had a rough day." Roman edged out from between Cinder and the table and walked over to a fridge shoved into the corner. He pulled out a quartet of beer bottles from it and grinned. "You need to _relax,_ so we got jumped by a little girl who can summon the stuff of death and nightmares, how were we supposed to know she was just _so_ important to your little scheme?"

Cinder slapped a bottle out of his hand and snarled. "She _isn't._ But my mentor has a keen interest in her, and my mentor is not somebody to cross or deny. I want this girl found _before_ she finds out she's here."

"I got a pair of eyes on every corner of Vale looking for this little Grimm girl." Roman lied. Mercury and Emerald both grabbed the spare bottles out of his hands and watched as Roman tried to defend himself. "I don't exactly see you sparing me any time yourself, y'know. You want her found, maybe _you_ should complain less and _help."_ He accused.

Cinder's slap was intercepted by Roman's cane, and the two of them stared each other down. Cinder closed her hand around his cane and tugged it away, squeezing it angrily as she examined its make thoughtlessly. "I am busy ensuring other operations are running smoothly elsewhere. You are the only person in this entire scheme that has been failing me."

" _Failing_ you?" Roman asked in surprise, his arms extended towards the piles of boxes, crates, and containers lying everywhere in the warehouse. "Cinder, baby, do I need to remind you that I have more than enough dust to keep this little operation going for the next eight months? I've looted every store, robbed every tanker, stopped every truck, I've done everything short of tear the sparklers out of babies' hands and you're accusing _me_ of failure? It sounds like the only person who cares about pursuing that Grimm girl is _you,_ so I'd say the only failure right now is _you."_

Cinder whirled around to stare at Roman. Emerald and Mercury both stood in silent awe and terror, watching Roman's bluster fall flaccid as Cinder, far too calm, far too gentle, walked to Roman and held out his cane. He took it nervously, trying to meet Cinder's suddenly calm gaze. "Whether or not the girl is found will not affect the endgame." She spoke, her voice gentle and measured as she finally took the remaining beer in his hand and popped the cap with a flick of her thumb. "No, the only reason I care about her is because if my mentor were to find out, then she would send somebody that neither of us would want to deal with."

Roman let out a single, disbelieving laugh as Cinder cradled the drink in idle thought. "And who could that be? Sweetheart, I've dealt with killers and thieves, I've seen the worst humanity has to offer. That one-eyed freak you saw me drop into the drink a few weeks back? Sex trafficker, I've seen what he does to pretty girls."

"And believe me, I know just how deep humanity will sink if it means getting stronger and richer." Cinder narrowed her eyes as she looked to Roman, the bottle in her hands beginning to warp, the beer boiling as she heated it. "My mentor has somebody very precious with her. Somebody who craves violence and murder more than some ignorant salaryman with a knife and a chip on his shoulder. I'm not worried about some simplistic _human_ coming to check on my progress."

Cinder watched Roman squirm as the glass in her hands began to melt, the beer inside evaporating into a thick, pungent cloud as Cinder's hands tensed, resembling angered claws as the mixture of alcohol and glass dripped from her fingers. She frowned, her eyes closing.

"My mentor will send _it._ Something who looks gentle and human, who you will mistake for an ordinary person, but believe me," Cinder began to glare, her teeth showing again, "it has the heart of the Grimm, and it would love nothing more than to show up and skin this town alive. So," Cinder hissed, "if we want to continue our mission in peace and avoid unnecessary casualties and distress, we will find this girl before word gets out and ensure we never have to be visited by _it."_

Roman stared after Cinder as she approached her two companions, and let out a nervous giggle. "Oh c'mon, it's just another grumpy little serial killer with way more talent than the police, right? Nothing I haven't shot in the back of the head before."

Cinder paused, examining her nails briefly, before answering. "If only shooting it _worked._ Find this girl, Roman. Dead or alive, I want her in chains and ready to be shipped. Understood?"

Cinder waited, back turned to Roman, and the man flailed his hands in annoyance. "Fine! I'll get your little damsel." He grunted, walking back to the map.

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury walked towards the exit of the warehouse. Though Cinder had won that exchange, Emerald couldn't help but notice how tense her leader was. She wasn't sure what was worse, a girl that could summon the Grimm, or whatever it was that could make Cinder… afraid.


	3. Welcome to Beacon

"Good morning students of Beacon." A chipper woman's voice spoke to the crowd gathered at the waiting area for Terminal 3A. Ruby popped an earbud out and cocked that ear towards the ceiling. "The airship is experiencing a minor delay in unboarding, but we should remain on schedule. We'll be loading in just a couple of minutes so please gather your things. When you are called form an orderly line so the attendant can check your tickets and go to your assigned seat. This will be a low-turbulence flight, so the viewing lounge will be open. Thank you for flying Air Vale, and we hope to see you again future hunters and huntresses!"

"Are you sure you don't want to at least come say hi? Maybe give us a little clout with the higher ups!" Yang was gently ribbing Qrow, whose drinking hand was drumming his armrest.

"Yang, your uncle's not toasted enough to get on one of _those_ things. If I have to come by, I'll take a boat." Qrow grumbled. He instinctively pulled his flask and tipped it towards his lips, but the contents had been "confiscated" by security before reaching the terminal. Needless to say, the old hunter was none-too-pleased.

"I don't get how you can be a world-class hunter if you won't even fly." Yang snickered, and Taiyang let out a short laugh.

"I got my ways kiddo. I got my ways." Qrow looked past Yang and right at Ruby. "Hey." Ruby turned her head to look at him, and he offered a small, tight smile. "Doin' alright pipsqueak?"

"Fine." Ruby answered calmly. She was tugging at her skirt and wouldn't leave her music player alone. Qrow continued to examine her, and now Taiyang was watching her too. "What?" She finally asked, her nervousness cracking her voice.

"You look like you need a drink, Ruby." Her father answered her, leaving his seat to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I can't get you anything alcoholic, but I can grab you some water, or milk? How about coffee?"

"No, I drank a lot this morning. Too much more and I'll pee myself." Ruby was visibly paling around her thick goggles. "Just, it's all a little much I think." Ruby stared out the huge, wall-to-wall windows that showed the airships arriving and departing. The ship she'd be riding in was already docked, but getting checked over and refueled.

"Well, I'll tell you, it's been a shock for all of us." Taiyang ruffled her hair, making Ruby puffed her cheeks in indignation. "But Professor Ozpin's a good guy, and I'll tell you, not sending you to Signal was a hard decision to make, but I think all that training at home has helped. You haven't had an outburst in a few years."

Ruby puffed up her cheeks harder.

"I still don't like this." Qrow was leaning back in his chair, watching the ceiling with a frown as his family turned to look at him. "But it's not my call. Pipsqueak, _you_ gotta keep control, and _you_ gotta clean up your own messes."

"I know!" Ruby huffed, letting all the air in her mouth out. "I just- I'm not worried about _that,_ I'm _fine_ with my semblance. Just…" She rested a hand on her forehead as if feeling for a headache. "Professor Goodwitch sent me an eMail this morning with my out-of-class catch-up plan. I'm not going to have a day off for a _month_ at this rate."

"Aww, c'mon." Yang held a hand out. "Lemme see!" Ruby passed Yang her scroll and Yang sat back to read. "Hah, history of Vale is easy. Okay, history of Remnant isn't too bad. Dust mixing is fun! Well, for me, _I_ might mix for you. Y'know…"

"Yeah yeah, I know, everything I touch blows up…"

"Just in case! Okay, combat classes are all relative, just do your best, kick some butt, leave your opponent crumpled and keep your eyes and ears open! Not too bad." Ruby reached over and scrolled down. Yang stared. "Um, hm. Equipment management, history and laws of hunter organizations across Remnant, basic day-to-day elementary classes including mathematics, linguistics, and the sciences, basic business sense for wanderers and hunters, Grimm anatomy and theoretical practices against them, and," Yang leaned forward, brown scrunched, eyebrows knit together, "additional classes may follow depending on your performance in class. Wow."

"Yeah."

"We went over most of that in Signal, maybe they'll sum it all up in one night." Yang shrugged, handing the scroll back over.

"Yeah, but you had five years to learn all of that. I get a semester to do this _and_ classwork! And combat training, which will probably be the best part." Ruby crossed her arms with a huff. "Yang, will you help me?"

"Well _duh,_ and we'll have teammates! Even if we don't end up on the same team, all of us can work together to get you up to speed." Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders and crushed her to her side, making her sister wheeze. "So don't worry, sis. We'll make sure you get through this."

"Thanks." Ruby wheezed.

"And I still have that surprise for you when you two get settled in at Beacon." Taiyang smiled brightly. He glanced to Qrow, who shot him a limp thumbs up and a smirk. "So look forward to it, will ya?"

"Attention." The soothing female voice announced. "Boarding for terminal 3A is starting. Repeat, boarding for terminal 3A is starting."

Taiyang stepped back as Ruby and Yang both stood, taking a moment to size his daughters up. Yang's outfit was rather expected, something that would show off, make everyone think she was a daredevil. Though he didn't necessarily approve of all the leather it looked _good_ on her... He just wished she was a little more conservative.

Ruby though… His youngest had always been a daydreamer, a lover of fantasy and stories, and rarely had an eye for fashion. Her older sister knew her strengths, and Ruby looked… Taiyang stared at her outfit with a bit of wonder. Her mother would have approved, he knew that much. She looked like a young, dark maiden fresh out of a storybook. A modern interpretation of a classic tale of heroism and darkness protecting those in the light. Her ruffled skirt, her dark stockings, her tall black boots… even the corset tied the outfit together and lifted up what meager sexuality she had. She was a young woman, no longer his little girl, she was, to his horror, growing curves and looked amazing in dark colors.

And that cloak… she was her mother's daughter.

"Okay girls." Taiyang smiled sadly. He opened his arms and the two rushed in, squeezing him tight. There were no words as they held one another, and Taiyang buried his face into their hair. He planted a kiss on each of their foreheads and stood back, his face bright with a sunny smile, but his eyes were watering. "I'm proud of you both. Give 'em hell, my little huntresses."

Both girls smiled, Yang keeping an arm around Ruby's shoulder, and Qrow finally stood. "Welp, I won't see you two 'round the house anymore. Dunno when I'll see you again, so, I'm gunna be a little dramatic." He stood up straight and opened his arms. Both girls stared at him like he'd grown a second head, and he shuffled awkwardly. The girls charged. " _OKAY."_ Qrow glared from his back on the floor, both girls laughing wildly as they clutched their uncle. "Tai, call them off!" Taiyang was cackling in glee as he tugged his daughters off of the grumpy man. Qrow stood up, stretched, and coughed in embarrassment. "I really need a drink. You two stay out of trouble and don't make me or your father worry. Bye!" He threw his hands up and walked off. It was a little hard to see, but Yang swore his hands were shaking as he slid them into his pockets.

Taiyang picked up his girls' carry-on luggage and handed it over, giving one last kiss and hug to each of them. "Don't worry about your uncle. I'll see you two soon enough, but I still want letters! Pass your classes, don't give your teachers trouble, and if either of you come out of school pregnant," His gaze darkened, and he cracked his knuckles, "the child's gunna come out a bastard. Got it?"

There were quick nods before a frantic dash to get into line to board the ship. Taiyang watched his girls board by themselves with a proud smile, but the moment they were out of sight his smile slipped. He went to catch up to Qrow for a few drinks.

* * *

The tip of Ruby's nose pressed against the window as she looked over the vast, sprawling city of Vale. She had been on an airship only one other time in her entire life, and on a boat only a few more times when given permission to go to Vale. She never had the opportunity to take in the city from up above, and the airship viewing lounge offered her a particularly stunning sight.

Vale, compared to the climbing vistas of Mistral or the billowing tent towns of Vacuo, was a plain if efficient city. Dominated primarily by pyramid-roofed, square buildings in varying pleasant colors, the city of Vale was a lot like its people: simple, homey, and ergonomic. If Atlas was progress, Vacuo was freedom, and Mistral was beauty, then Vale was comfort. Nothing moved too fast, business thrived, and though there was a clear class divide in the more rich districts compared to the more run down areas, the discrepancy wasn't as vivid as Mistral.

Ruby's recalled her father telling her all about how Vale was a diverse place where human, faunus, white collar, blue collar, rich, and poor could find a place to settle and make a life of comfort. According to her dad, Vale could be quite lively, but after spending a few years in Mistral, could also be quite boring. He apparently liked it that way. " _Get the shopping done without worrying about the crooked types, or coming across a parade!"_ he'd joke.

However, despite being told it was simple and boring, Ruby was thrilled to see the city from on high. She quietly wished she could get a better view, one not through the tinted lenses she had to wear, but she didn't want to get in trouble. She sighed, touching her thick goggles as she watched the world slide past below.

A tiny water bottle knocked against the side of her goggles and Ruby took it, sipping at it while she turned to face Yang. "You've got a look on your face like dad gets. Miss home already?" Yang asked teasingly, but her hand stroked Ruby's shoulder and squeezed.

"No. Yes. Kind of." Ruby looked out the window again. "The world's so much bigger up here. I feel so much smaller."

"Wanna go back to the cabin?" Yang offered, turning to look out the window with her sister. She spent more time studying Ruby's ghostly reflection in the glass than the majestic sprawl of the city.

"No." Ruby worked her jaw, trying to find the words to describe her emotions as she stared out at the city. "Back home, with all those trees, I felt safe and alone. But, like, it always felt that I was hidden away from people, y'know? Now I'm surrounded by hunters," she gestured to the dozens of strangers mingling, "and I feel…" Ruby spun her hand in a circle. "And I feel _loose,_ but my heart's pounding. Does that make sense?"

"Sure. You're excited to be away from the house. You're gonna be a _huntress,_ but it's a big world, right?" Yang pulled Ruby close, and Ruby instinctively rest her cheek against Yang's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. Beacon's going to be good for you! We just have to be a li'l bit secretive."

Ruby nodded. Her goggles felt heavier on her head all of a sudden. They became a real bother whenever she was feeling wistful. "Yeah. A li'l bit secretive." She agreed.

"But, more importantly, you're surrounded by people who have no clue who you are." Yang flicked the side of Ruby's goggles. "You can meet new people, sis. You can make friends!"

Ruby felt a pit form in her stomach.

Yang's smile turned to a frown as Ruby seemed to retreat inside of herself, and Yang ran her fingers through her sister's hair. "Hey, c'mon, don't be like that. It's not that bad, people don't know. It won't be like last time."

"Can't I just be friends with you? On your team?" Ruby muttered, suddenly looking around in worry. Nobody was really staring at her, but their mutterings began to sound accusing and malicious, making Ruby clutch her hands in paranoia.

"That's, er, not really healthy." Yang winced as Ruby quickly turned to face her, her face pinched with worry. "You're going to be dealing with a lot of people, Ruby. You need to be confident you can make friends. If you don't, I mean, how can you expect to be on a team with a bunch of people you don't talk to?"

"Well, you could do the talking…"

Yang sighed. "Ruby, what if we're not on the same team?" Ruby immediately clung to her with a tiny whimper. Yang stroked her head with a suppressed sigh.

Ruby had a difficult time on Patch, so it was understandable she had some trepidation, but Yang really wanted to see Ruby interact with new people. Ruby had gone out to make friends only once before, and it ended in disaster. She didn't wear her big goggles back then, she had a smaller pair, and kids were curious. It ended in predictable misery.

Yang rubbed her sister's back as she tried to think of the right way to tackle this problem.

She turned her head, looking through the crowds of students. Many of them were in their own little groups, talking among each other, laughing and being excited. Only one person was sitting alone.

Ruby looked up at her sister as she was guided away from the window through the crowd to a boy sitting down in a chair. He had a nervous expression, legs apart, hunched over, hands together. He eventually looked up to the two girls curiously when Yang tapped her boot and made it clear they weren't just passing by.

"Hi there, Yang Xiao Long!" She bumped her thumb against her breastbone and pushed Ruby in front of her. "This is my sister, Ruby."

Ruby felt her stomach do a flip in terror, and she glanced back at Yang in shock. Yang pushed at her cheek to focus her back on the boy in front of them, whose eyes had widened as his cheeks went pale. "Uuuh…"

"Just introduce yourself Ruby. C'mon, he seems friendly. Just say hi!" Yang encouraged softly.

Ruby looked to the boy. He looked so nervous. Afraid. Just like her. He was a handsome boy though, broad-shouldered, blonde hair, blue eyes, but kind of a small waist. He wore basic white chest armor over a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. He seemed like somebody from out in the country, where armor and costuming wasn't all that popular. Ruby meekly held out a hand. She could sympathize with his obvious discomfort and apparent freshness to everything going on around him. "Hi, I'm Ruby Rose." She added a weak but hopeful little smile to the gesture.

The boy took a look at her, then her hand, then tensed up painfully. Ruby blinked behind her goggles as his arms curled around his middle while he folded almost in half to vomit all over her shoes.

* * *

Yang had one arm around Ruby's shoulder, her posture stiff and alert while trying to guide her through the crowd when the boarding ramp was lowered. Ruby's hood was pulled over her head and she was staring straight down, whimpering pathetically.

"I'm sorry." Yang whispered as she lead the way, her body language subconsciously informing most of the other Hunters in training to cut her a wide berth. She blamed herself for Ruby's… situation, but would gladly vent herself all over anyone stupid enough to get too close while her sister was still in distress.

Once on the landing pad the students began to fan out, gathering in groups throughout the docking courtyard. Yang scanned the area around them with a small frown.

"Look, I'm sure as soon as we get inside we can get your shoes all washed up." Yang assured her sister, but Ruby tugged her hood tighter around her head.

"I'm not going into Beacon with vomit on my shoes!" Ruby's harsh whisper was accompanied by a frown that made her cheeks droop dramatically, and she hesitantly took a few steps forward. "It's my first day here, I can't- I _won't_ let my first impression be my gross shoes squishing all over the floor! I just- can't I get some towels or something? Please tell me you have towels!"

"Y-yeah, of course, they're in my bags though." She lifted and twisted her head, failing to see anyone unloading luggage from the airship. She let out a small noise of annoyance. "Maybe we can talk to somebody inside and get our luggage early. Or maybe Beacon can spare some towels too! The place has to have laundry and-"

" _Yang I really don't want to go in like this."_ Ruby hissed, her eyes downcast as her fists trembled. She metaphorically reeked of embarrassment and people were giving her a wide berth. Vomit Boy had a _volatile_ lunch.

Yang muttered something under her breath and glanced around again. "I can go in and get a towel for you." She finally said. Ruby lifted her head and looked up at her almost fearfully, but she looked back down at her shoes…

"O-okay, but go fast, okay?" Ruby pulled her cloak tighter around herself, trying to become invisible to the surrounding students. "I don't want to be alone!"

"Ruby." Yang held her sister's shoulders and made sure her younger sister was looking up at her before she continued. "You aren't alone. All these people want to be hunters like you. You don't know them, but that doesn't make them bad people. If you need anything, ask one of them, okay? I'll be just a few minutes, I promise."

Ruby shifted her stance, unsure, but nodded at her older sister. Yang rubbed her head and sped off towards Beacon, throwing one last glance towards Ruby before lowering her head and shoulders as she shifted into a full sprint, bellowing at people to get out of her way. Not really necessary but getting a rise out of people always cheered her up.

Ruby stood alone amidst the crowd of passing students, watching her sister disappear into the grand double doors of the main building. Ruby carefully looked around, seeing the dozens upon dozens of her new classmates. Yang was right, they were trying to be hunters like her. By default, she had at least one thing in common with everyone here. So why was her heart still hammering?

Ruby was never very good with crowds. All her memories of being surrounded by strangers were poor ones, and dwelling on those thoughts was beginning to make her feel claustrophobic. She slid away from the main walkway between the dock to the building and stood off to the side, shaking nervously. She was so glad her red cloak hid most of her poorly controlled trembling even though she was aware she smelled, and every now and then somebody would look her way and her heart rate would spike and she'd tense for an insult or a hostile glare.

She wished Yang hadn't left her alone, but looking at her grungy shoes made her cringe, especially thinking of ruining the floors or if somebody were to notice. She imagined someone walking in behind her and slipping on one of her nasty boot-prints and crashing into the floor and everyone would stare and-

She suddenly felt a hand land on her shoulder. An icy pit formed in her tummy and she whirled around with a loud gasp, pulling away from the touch, her hand moving to the compact red bundle tucked against the small of her back. She stared at the surprised blonde boy, the very same who had thrown up on her. Her fingertips moved away from the cool touch of smooth metal as she instinctively pulled her cloak tighter and backed away. Her head motioned from his face to her own feet and his ears turned red as he guessed at what she was worried about.

"Whoa whoa, hold up!" The boy held his hands up, looking just as worried as her as Ruby unsteadily eyed him up. "I'm just trying to apologize." He held a hand out. "I, ah… sorta didn't make it to this part last time." he coughed a bit, waiting for her to respond. Ruby stared, sizing his hand and the boy up. He looked significantly less green, and certainly not quite as pained.

However, there was this unshakable anxiety in her, and she barely managed to sum up the courage to reach out and limply take his hand.

"Look, I- ugh, that was _super_ uncool of me. I mean, as far as introductions go, you really can't get much lamer." The boy was delicate as he shook her hand, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I've never been on an airship, I didn't know I could get airsick! There has to be some sort of medicine for that, but, like, I didn't know and your shoes are all yucky and _man_ you smell-"

Ruby made an audible whine of embarrassment, making the boy stutter to a stop.

"L-l-look, I'm going to make it up to you! For real, I don't have anything to clean it off, but I saw a place just around the side of the building. Follow me, okay?" He pulled his hand back, beckoning her with it. Ruby watched the boy, unsure of what to do or say…

She glanced to the building, took a moment of thought, and pouted. She bobbed her head at the boy. She was tired of the smell, the way her shoes squished with each step. Silently praying this would end better than her last encounter with him, she followed him.

* * *

"I-I'm not sure this is allowed." Ruby whispered, staring down at the little man-made pond resting just outside the building. It was full of lilly pads and had a few fish swimming about in it, and the boy shrugged.

"I guess we could find a bathroom or ask a teach-"

"This is fine." Ruby said promptly, but even then, _this poor pond._ The grossness she'd be washing off, not to mention if somebody was watching, or found out… She could get in trouble. What if this got her expelled?! Her bottom lip quivered, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when the boy knelt down next to her.

She felt childish as he delicately pulled the red strings of her tall boots, trying to avoid the aftermath of his airsickness as he loosened them. Ruby felt like a toddler as she lifted her foot and let him pull her shoes off, showing her bright red socks. She vowed to tell Yang and watch her crush him if he dared to try and look up her skirt, not that he'd be able to see anything, but that wasn't really the point. To his credit, he never moved his gaze above her knees.

He knelt by the pond and delicately dipped her shoes into the water. She watched with shame as the vomit floated away, and then he pulled out a handkerchief. He scrubbed what he could off the black leather and red string, soaking the handkerchief to help him along. Ruby slowly lowered herself to sit next to him, legs crossed as she watched.

She felt ashamed as they dirtied the little pond. She hated the idea of tainting something so beautiful and relaxing, but she didn't want to bring a similar shame to Beacon. This was something she had envisioned for a long time. Beacon, the shining academy of Vale, the school of some of the greatest heroes in and out of war Ruby had read about.

She had this idea of the school in her mind, so shiny and clean, she pictured echoing footsteps as she wandered the grand halls, she imagined high-class obstacle courses and combat dummies to whet her blade against, she figured she would enter school with all the answers, proud to raise her hand for the teachers to call on her so she could impress them with her knowledge… but...

Her textbooks were difficult. Vale's history couldn't be summed up in a few sentences, it was a long, drawn out affair involving mountainous trade acts, port cities, and malicious kings. Grimm weren't just claws, teeth, and blind spots, they had genuine anatomy. Various bone-plates and their shapings could mean the difference between a yearling Beowolf and a more experienced killer of the same pack. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas each had different hunter regulations to be memorized to avoid conflict with local authorities and hunter guilds.

The boy handed one boot back to her, soaked but clean, no longer smelling like like a septic tank. She offered him a quiet smile of thanks and set the boot aside upside down, letting it dry. He seemed quiet unsure what to make of her. His eyes focused on her every now and then, specifically her goggles, but he didn't ask questions about them. Instead…

"I'm really sorry, Ruby." He sighed, washing her second boot.

"It's okay." She answered in a small voice.

"It's _really_ not." He corrected, looking down at the water. "Y'know, I came here to try and be a hero, to try and, I dunno, impress girls. First thing I do is throw up on a girl's shoes."

"You couldn't help it. Being sick is the worst." Ruby's voice was barely a whisper, but she was looking at him. As he wiped the last of the grime off her second boot, he passed it to her to stand next to its twin. He eyed his handkerchief with distaste then soaked and wrung it out repeatedly.

"But Hunters aren't supposed to get sick by things like air travel…" He grumbled, continuing his nearly futile quest to clean the cloth without hot water and soap. "I hope they have laundry machines here."

"Probably. I don't think you can have a school full of teenagers and pointy weapons filled with explosives without some way to clean clothes. And perform first aid." Ruby shrugged. That got a little smirk out of the blonde boy, and he finally sat back, plopping the wet handkerchief onto the ground to dry. "And that's not totally true, my uncle hates flying and he's an awesome hunter."

"I guess there's always two sides." He stared up at the sky, leaning back in a casual stretch. "There's what the books record and there's what the family remembers."

Ruby nodded, smiling a tiny bit. "You know my older sister, the blonde girl who shoved me at you?"

"She's your older sister, 'cuz _wow."_ His eyebrows rose silently as he quickly compared Ruby to his brief memory of the much… taller blonde girl.

"Uh huh." Ruby cupped her hand infront of her modest chest. "She used to pad her bra before she got top heavy."

He barked out a laugh as he imagined a Yang shaped like Ruby, scowling into a mirror as wad after wad of tissue was crammed under that bomber jacket. They both smiled, he at the sky, Ruby at her feet. She peeled off her socks and set them next to her boots. She stretched her toes and curled up, pulled her knees to her chin. "Don't think she'd appreciate that one in her biography." He finally admitted once he was done giggling internally.

"Nah. As far as she's concerned, she's had amazing boobs since she was born. Her friends used to tease her. They still _do_ but now she's proud of it, so…" Ruby rolled one shoulder in a lazy shrug. He nodded in understanding.

"Eh, yeah, my sisters did the same to each other. Except Lydia, _nobody_ made fun of her."

"Scary?"

" _Scary."_ He shuddered. They both laughed, and Ruby allowed herself to smile more. He really wasn't all that bad, once you wiped away all the vomit. They were quiet for a few seconds, but the boy suddenly soaked his hand and dried it. He presented it to Ruby with a lopsided smile. "Jaune Arc by the way. _Yes_ that is my real name, admire all you like." His smile grew, and Ruby giggled.

"Cute name." She smiled back at him, prompting him to inflate in joy. "Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" She stared at her red-wrapped toes, wiggling them quietly. Jaune laid flat out onto his back, beaming as he gazed up at the clear sky.

"No problem, Ruby." He answered with an easy warmth Ruby rarely heard outside of her family.

Ruby nodded quietly. She watched her drying shoes, every now and then looking over to Jaune laid out by her side. She tried to recall the last time she'd done something like this, and she realized she truly hadn't. Sure she and her father went fishing every now and then, allowing for a moment like this, but this was different. This was with somebody she didn't know. This was with a _boy,_ actually.

She blushed, but it was well hidden under her goggles. He also hadn't asked about those, and she couldn't have been more grateful about that. This was nice. A different voice, a different look, somebody filled with new and different ideas and stories…

She glanced over as he waved his hand for her attention.

"So, the blonde girl, you said she's your older sister?"

"Yeah, her name's Yang Xiao Long." He quirked a brow in silent question and she clarified. "Different moms."

"Oh, okay. How much older?" Jaune asked, and Ruby held up two fingers. "Cool, cool. She give you any advice on coming here? Like combat tips, or classes you should study for?"

"Oh, no, this is her first year here too." Ruby looked to him. Like most people, his eyes didn't really focus on her face. Without her eyes being visible, his eyes wandered, looking at her mouths, cheeks, and forehead, before settling on her goggles in the vague hope their gazes were meeting.

"Her first year too? Isn't she two years older than you?" Ruby nodded. "So, she's nineteen coming in late?" Ruby pouted and shook her head. "... You're fifteen coming in early?" Ruby nodded. "Huh." Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Congratulations! I think. That's impressive! I think."

"I don't know either." Ruby giggled a tiny bit, resting a hand on her knee. "I was kind of lucky about getting in." Jaune nodded at that. They were both vaguely aware of a slight rumbling and squeak coming from down the path behind them. Jaune leaned forward, Ruby leaned back.

"Oh no!" They both heard. Both focused on an older, well-dressed gentlemen, but Ruby received a faceful of briefcase before she could note anything past age and gender.

With a frightened shriek Ruby was knocked on the head, the man's trolley tipping over as he desperately tried to pull it back onto its wheels, and it discarded eight brown cases onto Ruby. The girl yelped as she was pushed into the water, and Jaune scrambled to grab her arm while shoving the luggage off of her.

Ruby felt the weight of the luggage on her back, one arm being pulled at her to keep her from sinking, and stared down at the bottom of the artificial pond wondering if this was an acceptable level of embarrassment to excuse herself to drown.

She was finally pulled above water with a cough and a spit. She was up to her chest in the pond, and all around her were her attackers. The luggage was sinking quickly, bubbles leaking out as if they were feebly calling for help, and the older gentleman was frantically splashing around and grabbing them two at a time. Jaune was tossing any he could reach onto the grass in addition to pulling Ruby out of the pond. He may have been a country boy, but Ruby could admit he had some decent strength if he could toss her soaked body clear of the water with just one arm.

Ruby flopped onto her knees on the grass, coughing the last of the liquid out of her lungs. She was soaked through her clothes and a feeling of revulsion ran through her as she remembered what they had just added to that pond not fifteen minutes ago, but then a towel was pressing to her face. "Young lady," the older man was kneeling in front of her, stricken with worry and embarrassment as he dried her cheeks and hair, "I cannot apologize enough for this! I wasn't paying any attention to where my wheels were going, this is- oh and these clothes, how can I possibly-"

"Archibald!" Came a sharp, feminine bark. All eyes turned towards a girl who was, with no sense of irony, absolutely princess-like. She was almost entirely white, her hair, her clothes, her boots, she was even paler than Ruby, with only a slight pinkness keeping her from looking like a ghost. Ruby was briefly dumbfounded. Those icy blue eyes, her long, thin limbs, her impressive clothes and fashion, the pride and grace of her every motion, it made Ruby forget she was drenched.

She was gorgeous. Heart-stoppingly feminine, with a youthful girlishness in her dress, height, and face that Ruby almost felt like she was meeting her own kin and she was tempted to say as much. However, the very _non_ -friendly grimace on her face forced Ruby to reconsider commenting on her appraisal out loud.

"L-lady Schnee, I apologize for this sorry display, I wasn't paying attention and-" The man, Archibald apparently, stumbled over his words.

The girl walked forward with a powerful, authoritative strut before digging one skinny finger into the gentleman's chest, making him shut up and sweat profusely. "How many got in the water?"

"A-all eight, ma'am." He gulped loudly, and the girl smacked her own face with an aggravated growl. "We're gathering them now, they will be dry before you reach your room, this I promise you!"

"I don't care about the cases, Archie, what about what's inside?!" She grabbed a case from an awestruck Jaune, who barely made a move to stop her from hoisting and opening the case. The girl's eyes narrowed as she eyed the contents, her nose crinkling. "You're lucky these are sealed. _All_ day, Archie!"

"A-hundred apologies miss Schnee, I-I have butter fingers today-" The man wrung his hands, his soaked white gloves squelching.

"Well you either need to _focus_ or get _out!_ I can't tolerate another mistake!" Her eyes narrowed into icy slits. The man paled so dramatically that Jaune and Ruby were suddenly worried for his safety.

"Pl-please, I'm trying, don't tell your father he-" The girl straightened her spine, somehow looming over her aid despite being a fraction of the grown man's size.

"He isn't hearing a _word_ about this Archie, if anyone's punishing you it's _me!"_ The girl silently counted the cases laying on the ground and spat out a hiss. "There's one missing!"

Archibald frantically moved his eyes over all the cases around them as Jaune stared at the girl, head slightly tilted. Ruby sat numbly, unsure of how to react before she realized she should help. She glanced into the pond and just barely saw the missing case sitting at the bottom, noticing the light reflecting off the flawless silver latches. She pouted, but she _was_ already soaked.

Three heads jerked towards her as she slipped back into the pond with a noisy splash. She grabbed ahold of the case, grunting as she lifted it up against the resistance of the water and turned to 'Miss Schnee' to hand it over when she heard a faint hissing. She cocked her ear towards the case, and the hissing was steadily rising, a low thrum of a rumble adding to the noise. She recognized the sound…

A dust reaction.

Frantically she opened her mouth as Schnee grabbed the case. Ruby clutched it, spreading her feet for balance to keep the other girl from pulling it out of her hands. "Wait!" Ruby blurted, and Schnee grit her teeth angrily.

"Give it you little brat! That is Schnee Dust Company property-" She began, but Ruby shook her head vehemently, having no time for a monologue.

"No, you don't want it!" Ruby squeaked in a panic, trying to pull it away from the girl. Schnee lurched forward at Ruby's pull, then latched on with both hands and pulled _back._

"Listen here you thief, I am going to count to three and if you don't let go-!"

Ruby ignored Schnee's threat, focusing on the sound of the hissing growing higher in pitch. She felt a tug on the case and pulled harder, snapping her attention back to Schnee's furious glare and forcing the other girl to inch closer to the water. "Don't!"

"One!" Schnee snapped, the delicate heels of her boots biting into the soil as she strained. Ruby looked like a half-drowned rat of a girl, but she was shockingly strong for her size.

Jaune and Archibald stood off to the side, watching the briefcase pull one way and then the other. "Uh," Jaune raised a hand as if trying to get their attention, "maybe just- Ruby you really should-" Jaune began to stutter incoherently as he lost his vocabulary. He nudged Archibald. "She's your boss, shouldn't you…?" He whispered.

Archibald seemed hesitant to approach, but as he nervously placed himself at Schnee's side, she jerked back and slammed her elbow into his stomach. He crumpled over like wet cardboard, making a loud wheeze as Schnee failed to notice he was ever there. Jaune opened his mouth, taking a step forward with the hope that he could resolve the conflict by himself, but for his own health he decided to take the coward's path and grab the old butler to beat a hasty retreat.

Ruby pulled the briefcase back, and the toes of Schnee's boots hung over the water's edge. "I'm serious!" Ruby pressed a foot against the pond wall. "You'll hurt yourself!"

Schnee stared down at her delicate, manicured fingers forming twin fists around the briefcase handle, then her hands turned an angry red as she clenched _harder._ " _Two!"_ Schnee snarled, teeth clenched, glaring right into Ruby's eyes as Ruby began to shake.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby heaved as hard as she could. Schnee screamed as she tumbled head first into the water with a graceless flailing of her limbs, the briefcase temporarily forgotten. Ruby clung to the case in terror as the girl rose, her eyes wide and perfect teeth bared with utter fury, her hair and clothes hanging limply or sticking to her wetly as she held up her shaking fists. She stomped her foot, causing another splash and flipping a lily pad over.

"You unbelievable little _bitch!_ What in the world is _wrong with you?!_ My clothes! _My hair!_ My luggage! What could- how _dare you!_ How dare you _how dare you HOW DARE YOU!"_ Schnee was screeching into Ruby's pale, terrified face. Shivering in fright, fumbling for words, Ruby heard the hiss turn into a warning wail.

Both girls turned down to stare at the case as it began to vibrate violently in Ruby's arms. Schnee's face drooped into an expression of growing comprehension, and Ruby hurled the case back into the water. The pond bubbled loudly, and Ruby and Schnee barely managed to cover their faces before the case detonated.

Water rained all over the little garden pond and the sidewalk bordering it. Jaune lowered his arms to stare at Ruby, laying on her back in the water with an unhappy groan. Archibald was hauling Schnee out of the water and gently checking her, only to get swatted away with a furious scream.

Jaune ran over to Ruby and pulled her ashore, quickly examining her for injury. "Jaune?" Ruby mumbled in quiet shock.

"Yeah, I'm here Ruby. Holy crap you two _blew up."_ Jaune lifted her, making her whimper, so he dropped her, making her whimper louder.

"Jaune?" Ruby muttered again.

"What- what is it, Ruby?" Jaune lifted her head, rolling it to face him.

"I-I don't think I'm cut out for Beacon." She admitted in defeat. Jaune was about to answer when he heard footsteps. He turned his head and flinched.

A lower, sharper woman's voice startled all of them. "I am inclined to agree, Miss Rose." Ruby and Jaune stared up at Glynda Goodwitch, who was glowering down at the four them. In the chaos of their little struggle and the ensuing explosion, no one had seen the woman approaching. "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, the three of you are to follow me to the nurse's office _immediately._ Then we will find you fresh clothing, get your outfits cleaned, and _discuss today's events."_ She spoke with the authority only a teacher could carry.

"Oh, great…" Weiss and Ruby groaned at the same time as they hauled themselves to their feet. The two girls turned to look at one another… and Weiss lurched at Ruby before being restrained by Archibald while Ruby hid behind Jaune.

This was not going well and deep down inside, Ruby wondered if this was all a really stupid idea after all.


	4. First Impressions

Ruby was well aware of the sort of terror her eyes could inspire. She had seen the faces of family and strangers alike recoil and twist in fear. She was used to her family avoiding meeting her gaze to maintain a pleasant conversation, but she herself had never experienced the terror her eyes inspired. When she looked into a mirror she saw her eyes without emotion.

Other than finding them extremely ugly, Ruby was immune to any other effects of her own gaze.

However, she began to sympathize with her family a little more as she did everything in her power to not look at Weiss Schnee. Both were wearing a pair of old, gray pajamas that the school medical staff provided its patients, yet while Ruby felt small, silly, and downright kiddy in her pajamas, Weiss managed to maintain an air of frigid rage that was weaponized through a glare of such intensity that Ruby didn't know whether to freeze in place or flee.

So she did both, allowing her gaze to wander the room and take in the many medical posters advertising safety advice while scooting as far away from the other girl as the rail-lined medical bed allowed. It was a very big room, longer than it was wide, with around twelve beds surrounded by monitoring devices and privacy curtains. This was just one of four rooms, with more serious cases flown into Vale.

Someone had thought it a good idea to ignore all the other beds available and put Weiss and Ruby right next to each other. Ruby felt this person must be truly twisted and Weiss was splitting her time between plotting against Ruby and plotting against whoever had decided their medical arrangements.

On the far wall, windows with wound blinders were above each bed, allowing natural light to pour into the building. It was quite a pleasant room, and Ruby could imagine enjoying a stay in here if she needed tending to, but that was, hopefully, without the silent storm of arctic fury currently brewing next to her.

The door to the nurse's office opened and Ruby was more than happy for the distraction. Professor Goodwitch walked in with an authoritative strut, then Jaune in his normal clothing following like a kicked dog, and behind Jaune was Nurse Nightingale, a short woman with a face full of wrinkles and a petite figure, with curly, bubblegum pink hair and a pleasant smile.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Alchemilla." Professor Goodwitch told the other woman warmly as she stopped her walk at the foot of Ruby and Weiss' beds. Weiss turned away from Ruby with a brooding, ashamed pout, but the Professor's stare was firmly on Ruby alone. "I didn't expect an incident _before_ orientation." Her tone was decidedly less warm, making Ruby squeak unhappily and the old nurse crack a wry smile.

"Perfectly fine, Glynda. Always happy to help." Nurse Nightingale curtsied and wandered over to a small desk to review the results of Ruby and Weiss' examination and sign her approval of their release as Professor Goodwitch turned towards Jaune. She pointed to the door and he shot a mildly relieved look at the two girls before he meekly complied, shuffling out with his hands buried into his pants pockets. "As for you two," Professor Goodwitch's disappointment was palpable as she focused in on the two remaining teenagers, "aside from detonating a pond, killing the fish Haven gifted us, and ruining your own clothing, you've managed to make complete fools of yourself. Explain yourselves. Now."

" _Her."_ Weiss announced, pointing at a cringing Ruby. "If she hadn't made such a fuss about giving me my suitcase- or- or told me what was _wrong_ with it we wouldn't be here!" Weiss turned to glare at Ruby, and Ruby hung her head.

"I-I just panicked. I didn't want you to blow up." Ruby's defense was delivered more like an upset whine than a heartfelt objection.

"And I did anyways because of _you!_ Not to mention ruining my clothes for the day!" Weiss' lip curled just thinking of the ruined remains of her uniform. She'd just broken it in, too!

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch had her riding crop brandished, the head resting in her other hand, her hands squeezing tightly enough to make the compact leather creak ominously. Both girls turned their attention to her immediately, and she sized them both up in a stern anger. "If I may remind you, Miss Schnee, Ruby was indeed only trying to help, in the most uncoordinated way possible." Her steely gaze darted between the two, daring them to argue. They wisely decided against it. "Lack of communication, poor equipment management, unauthorized usage of school property, and extremely immature responses from the both of you. May I remind you two that you are _huntresses."_ The crop's head smacked the steel railing on Weiss' right, leaving a visible dent in the textured metal and making both girls flinch. "You are both defenders and protectors to-be, and here you are being examined by a medical professional over an asinine round of Dust-fueled hot potato." Her teeth clicked shut after the sharp rebuke and both teens winced, subtly twitching under Glynda's barely checked outrage. Finally, Ruby swallowed a few times and found her voice.

"Wh-what about the butler guy?" Ruby asked in a quiet little tone bordering on a whisper.

" _He_ has been reprimanded by his employer, _me."_ Weiss glared at Ruby again, though she could stand to learn a few things from the deputy headmistress. "I am responsible for his mistakes." She added in a tone that brooked no argument. The professor crossed her arms under her chest and subtly raised one eyebrow as she peered down at the Schnee heiress.

"Then you are willing to take responsibility for the luggage-based assault on Miss Rose?" Professor Goodwitch asked accusingly, and Weiss chewed her lower lip a moment before she swallowed loudly, and replied in an unhappy growl.

"Yes. Yes, I am responsible for her getting soaked and any damage she's suffered recovering my belongings." Weiss glared down at her knees, her cheeks glowing a hot red as Ruby sniffled happily. "Oh quit _blubbering."_ Weiss snapped, making Ruby jump with a tiny squeak.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to blow you… us... up." Ruby whimpered, getting nothing more than a sarcastic roll of the eyes from Weiss.

"And that is not in particular your _fault,_ Miss Rose." Glynda interjected. "The packaging of the dust was to blame." Ruby perked up a bit and Weiss visibly deflated. Professor Goodwitch, however, was more than happy to spear Ruby with an icy look and drain the spark of joy right out of her. "You did, however, fail to properly articulate danger to a fellow huntress, and as she was so keen to point out, ruined her clothing in the process. If not for the water diluting and absorbing some of the blast, and your auras reacting to protect you, both of you would doubtlessly be in here much, much longer. If you two had been in the field, handling an actual high-yield explosive, or surrounded by Grimm, and had attempted the same base communication you would both most assuredly be dead."

Ruby curled up on the bed, holding her knees and trying to hold back tears as Weiss muttered bitterly beside her, wrapping her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill. Glynda allowed them a moment to dwell on her analysis before pressing on.

"I will expect drastic improvements in the near future from you both. Miss Schnee, please leave the room and wait outside the door, I will be escorting you all to the Headmaster's office so that he can _repeat_ his introduction for you two and Mister Arc. I need to speak to Miss Rose alone before we depart."

Weiss nodded crisply and slid off the bed and into the pair of slippers she was provided, instantly making her miss her custom-made boots. She threw Ruby one final dirty look and stormed out with all the dignity she could muster in grey, shapeless clothing and without the heels she was accustomed to moving in. Nurse Nightingale had heard the order and snuck away to the back room to give the teacher and student their privacy. Ruby looked up to Glynda slowly, and Glynda focused intently on her. "Miss Rose."

"P-Professor?" Ruby felt her skin crawling as the professor sighed at her.

"I know that, more than anything, you wanted to come here and learn how to protect people. Professor Ozpin was generous enough to give you that opportunity, and you were bold enough to accept, but may I offer you some advice?"

"Y-yes ma'am." Ruby replied hoarsely and resisted the impulse to stare down at her own feet. She didn't want Professor Goodwitch to become any angrier at her than she already was.

"Hunters need to be aware of their surroundings at all times. We are already providing you with more than enough material to elevate you to Beacon-ready status, we are overlooking many standard requirements for entrance on your behalf. I understand your lack of education and relative youth puts you out of touch with other students but this tomfoolery will not stand. If you keep making more mistakes…"

"I-I won't!" Ruby insisted, trying to relax her tense body as Professor Goodwitch studied her closely, frowning slightly at the interruption. "I'll communicate better, and be more aware, and catch up with classes, and-"

"Miss Rose, do you know how many people here have been victimized by the Grimm?" Professor Goodwitch cut in with a stern look. Ruby froze, her lips trembling slightly as her mind scrambled for something to say before ordering her jaw shut. Glynda subtly lifted her chin, satisfied with Ruby's reaction before continuing. "When I was eight years old an Ursa destroyed my family home and mutilated my father's arm, leaving us homeless and without money for months." She began to pace, her heels clicking with nearly mechanical rhythm, and Ruby watched on with dismay. "I spent that time sustaining myself on scraps, assuring myself that through good grades, relentless practice and tireless vigilance I'd put myself in a position where I could prevent that from ever happening to another family." Professor Goodwitch halted her motion and gently pushed her glasses up her nose to refocus her gaze on Ruby, the grit in her voice disappearing. "I hold no resentment towards you for that. That was not your doing, obviously, it happened before you were even born. Numerous students are here, however, for some measure of vengeance towards the Creatures of Grimm, and being children, they often lack the wisdom and perspective to disregard coincidence. How do you think the student body would react to your abilities?" Glynda raised a thin, golden eyebrow. "You, more than anybody else, are being tested here. Your restraint, your prudence, your intelligence, and your cunning. You have been invited here under the assumption that you are both trained and mature enough to entrust with the lives of the innocent and defenseless." Ruby bit her lower lip as Glynda's expression sharpened. "Do not, I repeat, _do not_ let incidents like today become commonplace. You were flirting with expulsion the moment you stepped into this school. You must earn faith, Miss Rose, before you can ask us to expend it on your behalf."

Professor Goodwitch let out a breath, too softly to be a sigh, before she turned heel and began to walk towards the door, beckoning Ruby to follow with her riding crop. Ruby watched after her, her face pinched with dread, and a quiet realization came to her. "Professor Goodwitch?" The woman stopped walking, turning her head just enough as to point her left ear towards Ruby. "You don't want me here at all, do you?" She asked in a tight voice, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, letting them wave idly as she waited for an answer.

The blonde woman was still and quiet. Ruby couldn't see her face, and couldn't figure out how she was taking the accusation. Professor Goodwitch gently pinched the bridge of her nose, and turned to face Ruby with as calm an expression as she could manage. "You are breaking numerous conventions in being here. Ignoring your powers entirely, your lack of grades, socialization-"

"But it _is_ my powers, right? It's why I wasn't allowed in Signal. It's…" Ruby was squeezing the hem of her shirt tightly. "It's why I don't get to go anywhere, or meet anyone…" She trailed off, her voice shaking.

"Miss Rose… Ruby." Professor Goodwitch corrected herself and walked back over to the student, leaning down to get eye-level with her. Her golden eyebrows knit together gently as she took a moment to articulate herself. "I was against your entrance since the very beginning. In my opinion, the risks associated with your semblance outweigh any potential rewards that may come from training you. However, Headmaster Ozpin made a choice, and I trust him. He believes in your capabilities and capacity for goodness over the innate stigma of evil everyone, including myself, will associate with what you can do." She reached out to lift Ruby's chin, and seemed to try to stare through the goggles. Her voice became softer and almost… pleading, in a way Ruby had never really heard before. "Don't ruin this opportunity, Ruby. I am not an idealistic sort but I _want_ to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Grimm can be used for the betterment of mankind through you. I want your dream to come true too, understand?"

Professor Goodwitch stood and let out a quiet, tired sigh as Ruby looked up at her in minor awe. She straightened her skirt, adjusted her glasses, and focused her teacher's gaze on Ruby, the look at the woman behind the role of educator officially over. Ruby stiffened to something like attention and nodded at the woman firmly in answer to her question, who just barely inclined her head in return.

"You will be meeting with your professors after you three hear your welcome speech. Convince them of your potential as you did the Headmaster and your tenure here will run much smoother for the both of us." Professor Goodwitch's eyes lingered on Ruby a few seconds longer, her face an unreadable mask as she searched Ruby's limited expression and abundant body language. The moment passed and she turned away, walking towards the door at the brisk pace of a professional with somewhere to be. Ruby slid off the bed and into her own Beacon-branded pair of slippers, rushing to follow and, for the time being, stay in Glynda's good graces.

* * *

"So, _I'm_ Jaune. Jaune Arc." He swore he could feel the attention of everyone else in the elevator settle in his head like some mysterious, ethereal hat.

"Charmed." Weiss answered in a tone implying that she was anything but. Her foot tapped the floor of the rising transport as she firmly squeezed her hips. For a fleeting moment, Weiss dared to believe he had taken the hint and would stop talking. She quickly realized that was foolishly optimistic of her.

"Cool! So, I like long walks on the beach, hot dinners after a hard day of work, the smell of the rain after a storm…" Jaune counted off on his fingers. "Also hot dogs, hot dogs are great."

"They're disgusting." Weiss sneered. She refused to look at the boy, her shoulders hunched sharply in annoyance.

"Well, I mean, sure, they're nothing compared to a good steak, and they're kinda unhealthy, but-" He was motioning his hands, about to launch into his personal theory on the uplifting benefits of condiments when Weiss' eye spasmed and Ruby silently pressed her back against the rear of the elevator just to be safe.

"Are you _going anywhere_ with this?!" Weiss finally snapped, glaring directly at Jaune now. He paled in surprise, and rubbed the back of his head. Ruby stared at the floor, listening to every ding of the elevator while Professor Goodwitch stared straight ahead, lost in thought and blocking out the sound of squabbling teenagers with masterful skill.

"W-well, see, I know it's early in the semester but we get some free days every week! Right? So I was thinking, mm, picture this…" Jaune waved his hand, but Weiss's cold stare was firmly locked onto his face, possibly in an attempt to freeze his head. He wiped his forehead, starting to sweat. "A nice table and two chairs by the coast, you and me, dining on lobster-"

" _Shellfish allergy."_ Weiss rebuked harshly, whirling away with a more furious stance. Jaune babbled and grappled with words for a few moments before the elevator slowed, stopped, and the doors opened. The three students stared into the spacious office and its singular desk. Multiple chairs sat around the desk, and there was a small table tucked away to the right with a chessboard.

Professor Ozpin stood over the chessboard, stroking his bald chin thoughtfully as he stared at the mixture of black and white pieces. The entire board looked like a mess as the differing pieces intermingled on opposing sides. As the three students stepped in, Professor Goodwitch walked straight to the desk to stand at attention, clearing her throat loudly for the headmaster's attention. He did not look over right away.

His fingers delicately ran over the rounded heads of the black pawns, then he touched his remaining black knight. He seemed to reconsider and touched the nearby black rook. As he thought, Ruby took in his situation. She wasn't much of a chess player, but she recognized the pieces. He had taken four of the white pieces, two pawns, a knight, and a rook. He was missing three of his pieces, both his bishops and one knight.

Everybody was silent, even Weiss had stopped tapping her foot to watch as he moved his rook four squares forward and paused in the space in front of a white pawn. Almost immediately, a white bishop moved on its own, crossing the board and pressing into the square of the rook, pushing it aside. Ozpin took the rook and set it on the white side, among its captured kin, then took the black queen and moved it to where the white bishop had occupied.

Ozpin cracked a self-pleased smile and pressed a button on the side of the board, causing the white tiles to shine a soft yellow. His game successfully paused, Ozpin walked straight over to his desk, leaned his cane against the side of it, and plopped into his winged seat unceremoniously. "Hello students. Despite being clearly stated on your schedules to be in attendance for the welcoming speech, it seems each of you managed to land a trip to the nurse's wing in its place! That's quite the drastic change in plans." His tone was warm, amused even as he watched the three young hunters.

Ruby was barely able to look up at his eyes, and was shuffling her feet. To her side, Jaune managed a forced smile and wiped some hair out of his eyes. On his other side, a few feet away, Weiss was looking at the headmaster, trying to remain emotionless but her eyes were too soft, the edges of her lips quivering.

"Don't look so glum. I understand the situation, and Professor Goodwitch has been kind enough to administer disappointment for me, so I'm going to move straight to the congratulations." The three students gave him mystified looks as he leaned on his arms against the table, looking over each of them carefully. "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, welcome to Beacon Academy. Each of you have made it here through your own unique merits, but don't mistake your entrance here as the end-goal of your lives. It is, quite frankly, delusional to assume that in this safe, controlled world we built within Vale we will be able to fully prepare you for the world of hunting. Our goal here at Beacon Academy is to give you the skills to survive, but it is your job as students to strive to _succeed."_ He looked into each of their eyes, evaluating their timid, unsure responses before he gave Professor Goodwitch a nod.

"Mr. Arc, Miss Schnee, help will be waiting on the first floor to escort you to the banquet hall for the night. You may socialize, explore the public areas of the school, or catch up on your rest. You will not be given your weaponry until tomorrow morning when the first test begins." Professor Goodwitch told them, gesturing towards the elevator. "You are dismissed."

"Wait." Jaune looked between Professor Goodwitch and the headmaster. "That's it? That's the speech?" He asked. Ruby shuffled a bit, silently relieved she wasn't the only confused one.

Ozpin gave a small, throaty chuckle before answering. "Brevity is a gift only given to few, Mr. Arc. Please, enjoy your stay and education at Beacon, and try not to make it to this office too often." Professor Ozpin winked at him.

Weiss and Jaune both stared at the professor, then Ruby. Weiss shot Ruby one more sharp look before turning, trying to strut while her slippers clopped against the floor noisily. Jaune looked down at Ruby, then to Professor Ozpin with suspicion. "Is Ruby going to be okay?" He asked, eyes locking onto Ozpin's. There was no hostility to his gaze, but Ozpin did note that it was the first time their eyes had met.

"Perfectly fine, Mr. Arc, but due to unique circumstances regarding her admittance we need to hold her for a few minutes longer. Thank you for your concern, however, a Huntsman should always be ready to watch out for the wellbeing of his allies." Ozpin inclined his head, hiding a small grin behind his hands.

Jaune hesitated, but ultimately joined Weiss in the elevator after nodding at Ozpin's words and sharing a small, silent goodbye with Ruby. Ruby shifted nervously as the headmaster and Professor Goodwitch talked briefly, then Professor Goodwitch picked up the papers on the desk to review them as Ozpin stood. He took his cane and stepped out from behind his desk, beckoning Ruby. "Follow me, please."

Ruby wandered after him, confused as he went back to the small table with the chessboard. Professor Ozpin touched a button on the board, turning the yellow light off. Immediately the white king shifted into an open space away from the black queen's line of sight. The headmaster chuckled, gesturing to a nearby chair and Ruby sat down, turning her head to focus on the board. "Who are you playing with?" She asked in quiet curiosity, while Ozpin clicked his tongue in thought.

"A friend of mine in Mistral. With any luck, you may get to meet him someday." Ozpin pinched his chin, and reached out to touched one of his pieces, but he hesitated. He worked his jaw as he considered the near dozen moves he could make, then inspiration seemed to strike. He looked to Ruby. "What do you think, Ruby?" He gestured to the chess board. Ruby immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, err, I'm not all that good at chess. My family doesn't really play." She had only played with her dad a few times out of boredom and found the game to be counterproductive as far as entertainment went, and equally frustrating due to her short-sighted decision-making. Despite this, she leaned over the board to examine its contents. The white king was comfortably covered in all directions but two. One was at a diagonal, where the black queen would swoop in and take the opposing king if it dared move there, and the other was straight across from one of the black knights' positions. Ruby chewed her lip nervously and reached out, pausing to look to Ozpin. He gave her a quiet nod to go ahead.

"In the long run, it doesn't matter how good you are at a game." He reassured, while Ruby moved a black rook in a space that would allow her to remove a pawn protecting the white king on her next turn. "You have all the opportunities in the world to get better at a game. Thankfully, chess is a mere brain teaser, we can't expect practical chess application on the battlefield." The remaining white knight shifted from its place behind the black pawn line and knocked out the black rook. Ozpin picked up the defeated piece and set it on the white side's captured zone as Ruby stared dismally.

"I messed up." She pouted, and Ozpin let out a soft, comforting chuckle.

"Come now Ruby, don't be so down on yourself. One lost piece is nothing to fret over, the game will continue until the most important piece is forced to surrender." Ozpin touched the black king, nestled behind two black pawns but out of the range of any white pieces. "It's the heart of the army. When this piece is captured, no matter how many other pieces remain, the army is forced to surrender. One must always protect the heart, the king, while carefully aiming for your opponent's. It's near impossible to play this game without losing one piece, and many players believe there is no other way to succeed other than to sacrifice any pieces necessary to open their opponents up and win. The two armies will decimate each other until one side wins, or all that's left is the two kings, unable to continue. However, I always find it an invigorating challenge to play the game and try to keep all my pieces."

"That sounds hard." Ruby watched the board carefully, while Ozpin lifted a black pawn to inspect fondly. "You'd have to capture a lot of the white pieces first, wouldn't you?"

"Not necessarily." Ozpin eyed the pawn, cradling it in his palm like a precious treasure. "Sometimes your opponent will create an opening for you to exploit early in the game. As time wears on, it becomes impossible to protect every piece as capturing and sacrificing pieces becomes necessary, but if you move quickly enough and catch on to your opponent's mistakes early, all it takes is one versatile knight or queen in the right position to ensure victory while keeping every piece on the board."

Ruby nodded slowly as Ozpin placed the pawn back on the board and leaned over to read it closely. He worked his jaw, touched one pawn, then the next, then seemed to consider one of his rooks before turning to face Ruby. He gave her a little smile.

"Your move, Ruby Rose." He stepped aside. Ruby paled at the offer, and stared back at the board.

Black and white pieces, black and white squares, there were a dozen moves that could be made and many of them could be fatal. She risked opening her heart- err, king up to the white side's forces, and she was afraid that all the easy moves would fall into a trap she did not foresee. So many options, so many pieces to lose and take, she could easily fail this game here and now…

 _ **Snap.**_

Ruby came to, her eyes focusing on the crossed fingers in front of her eyes, and Ozpin gave her a serious expression. "Don't space out. I know it looks intimidating, but it's far more simple than you think. Remember, this is a game. Expand your awareness, use your brain. What can your opponent do, what can you do?"

Ruby looked at the board again. There were so many routes to failure and she perceived few to victory, but Ozpin had stepped back. What can her opponent do? By the spacing of all their pieces, they were set to threaten most spaces on the board, but they could hardly move without losing a piece to the headmaster. She couldn't _not_ make a move, or the game wouldn't continue. It would essentially be the same as forfeiting with both sides at a loss. She had to strike the enemy's king.

Four of her pawns would lose immediately to opposing pawns and the white knight. Without bishops only her queen had any diagonal movement. Her remaining knight was safe, but only one space wouldn't lead to instant capturing. Her rooks could capture pawns and pawns alone, but then get trapped with nowhere to go. There were a dozen moves and a dozen captures, but nothing would benefit the headmaster's efforts except for short term captures in a war of attrition. She considered it for a few moments longer.

There was the option to take a move with no immediate benefit for herself or her opponent. There would be no grand plans, no bold moves, simply unsettling the waters and forcing her opponent to make the next move. That was a distinct possibility, much like feinting in combat, making a move and seeing if your opponent would react to create an opening. She didn't know if the professor had an idea in mind of what she should do, if there was some grand, end-all, be-all move she could make that would end this game in three moves flat, but what she saw was an opportunity to force her opponent to make a move while she stayed safe. She took ahold of the one black pawn to the king's left that had yet to move and slid it forward. She let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked up to Professor Ozpin, who simply smiled.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders weakly. "Well, it wasn't much…"

"No, but you considered your options and made a move." The opposing player took around a minute to move a white pawn towards Ruby. Ozpin, without a word, moved his remaining knight into the open space. "All we can do, sometimes, is cover our bases and hope for the best. There are moments you cannot plan for, but that does not mean you shouldn't try to predict every outcome you can. In _all_ situations, you must acclimate immediately and act decisively." Ozpin settled a calm, expectant gaze on her. She slowly turned away to look over the board as she connected the dots.

"Like when I realized that briefcase was going to explode." Ruby deflated at the realization, and a hand gently rest on her back.

"Correct. I understand that it can be difficult to raise your voice in a tense situation, but when emotions run high, _somebody_ must serve as the voice of reason." Ozpin leaned over, keeping himself propped up on his cane as he gave Ruby a smile. "Don't lose focus. You have a rare opportunity, and I'd like nothing more than for you to succeed."

Ruby quietly nodded, a small frown on her face as she considered the lesson. "They took your rook." She noticed, and Ozpin immediately glanced to the board.

"Well then." Ozpin pouted. The elevator dinged, and three heads turned to look as three new people walked in. The headmaster turned on the chessboard's yellow light again and turned to greet the new arrivals. "Professor Port, Dr. Oobleck, Professor Peach, welcome."

" _Ab_ solutely, headmaster!" An average-sized, silver haired man with a particularly bushy moustache and a rounded belly said with a dramatic enthusiasm. "Thank you for having us, today is _truly_ a day of excitement, curiosity, _revelry!"_ His hands moved as he spoke, emphasizing his words with sweeping motions while the tall, green-haired stick-of-a-man chugged a cup of coffee.

"Indeed, many _many_ things to cover before classes start in two days. Coffee machine in the third floor faculty room is broken _yet again_ and my order of Vale Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday has yet to come in." The tall professor spoke rapidly, hands gesticulating almost randomly compared to his silver-haired companion.

Ozpin turned to look at the one lady of the group. "I'm good." The shortest of them spoke, a brown-skinned woman with a head full of dreadlocks. Unlike her formally dressed fellow-professors, this woman wore a grease stained tank top underneath a loosely tied apron and long gray slacks with a utility belt with a few standard tools. Her heavy duty brown boots were the best fitting thing on her, other than, as Ruby noted, a reddish-brown mechanical right arm. "Though I'll need a little help installing the forge ya ordered for me."

"Of course, we'll be sure to have everything ready and on time for the start of classes." Professor Ozpin moved towards the three, Professor Goodwitch putting her papers down to join them. The five created a brief social circle in which they chatted and laughed. Ruby sat quietly in her seat and watched, feeling a mixture of amusement and envy as she watched the five adults prattle on to each other. Even the headmaster joined in on some friendly ribbing and was the target of a joke or two. They seemed so equal, and friendly. Despite being professionals, each no doubt an excellent hunter on their own, they were friendly, social people.

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up a little. It was calming and fun to watch them socialize. They were friends, their own little family, with lives. She liked that, it reminded her of home, and reminded her that the lonesome legends of old truly did miss out on something special.

Then she caught sight of the taller professor watching her. His glasses seemed as opaque as her goggles, but he lowered them down the bridge of his nose to show his brown eyes. The more portly professor elbowed him good-naturedly, but the man didn't lower his gaze. It was only when he didn't answer a question did the rest of them turn to see what he was looking at, and those warm and fuzzy feelings quickly turned to tight apprehension.

She clutched the edges of her seat and stopped herself from rocking back and forth. It was a very bad habit of hers as a child, and every now and then when people surrounded her she had to physically restrain herself from regressing.

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch extended her hand towards Ruby. "As I explained in the memo this morning, you will be meeting a special-case student. This is Ruby Rose."

The three new professors did not speak as they evaluated her from a distance. The atmosphere of easy camaraderie was gone as curiosity and measured looks took over. Professor Goodwitch gestured to each of the three teachers.

"Miss Rose, this is Professor Port," the silver-mustachioed man seemed tense as he watched her, "Professor Peach," the dark-skinned woman had her head tilted, mystified, "and Dr. Oobleck."

Ruby nearly lept out of her skin, the green-haired man had moved so quickly she barely had time to react as he got close to an inch of touching her nose with his. He was holding his chin, his glasses hiding his eyes in a way that made Ruby squirm. "Thompson model." He suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Ruby squeaked as Oobleck, without permission, rest his fingertips on the straps of her goggles. She momentarily feared he was going to remove them, and her hands reached up to touch his wrists, but then he moved aside her hair and turned her head so he could stare at the strap. Ruby was too nervous to defend herself.

"I was correct! Exploration wear, for the sands of Vacuo. Perfect, absolutely perfect model, I've never met an eyewear developer with such fine quality and taste in all my years." Oobleck radiated genuine pride as he turned Ruby's head the other way. "Ah, the Sumusarian line too. Expensive, _most_ expensive, but I've seen a pair get stepped on by a Goliath and the only thing that needed to be replaced was one lens. Truly an excellent set of headgear! For a young huntress, these will last you well into your career!"

Oobleck stepped back, and Ruby sat in quiet stillness, unsure whether to feel complimented or violated as the older man seemed satisfied with his findings. Professor Port and Peach seemed less sure, however, while the headmaster cleared his throat. "Focusing on the task at hand…" He walked over to Ruby and extended a friendly hand. Ruby took it, sliding out of her seat and onto her feet as Professor Ozpin walked her closer to the professors.

He let her hand go, and Ruby looked up at both Professor Port and Professor Peach with a small, bewildered frown. Professor Port had his arms crossed as he looked her over, while Professor Peach stuck out her remaining hand. Ruby flinched, but took it, getting a firm, strong shake. "Hello Ruby, welcome to Beacon. Headmaster's made a bit of a hubbub bringing you here." Her smile was thin and pinched, but wide.

Ruby tried to match it. "Th-thank you. Sorry if I caused any problems, I really didn't mean to." She balled her hands together once they were free, wrestling one another nervously as Professor Peach chuckled.

"Ah, don't worry too much. We've had a few special cases come through here before, though certainly none quite as, mm…" Professor Peach rolled her jaw as she hunted for the right word.

"... Dangerous?" Ruby offered. The professor's eyes widened, and she waved her hands casually while letting out a little laugh.

"No, no honey, not _dangerous,_ I was thinking more along the lines of, uh, y'know…" Peach seemed at a loss for words, and Ruby wilted the slightest bit. A large, stubby hand extended towards her, and Ruby looked to Port, then his hand curiously.

She took it, and rather than shake, he firmly squeezed her smaller hand while his dark brown eyes searched her face. "Welcome, Miss Rose. I'm the professor in charge of Grimm Studies here at Beacon, and qualified as I am, I have never heard of anybody quite like you."

Ruby nodded meekly, keeping her hand relaxed, not wanting to possibly offend the man as Professor Peach offered an awkward smile. "Professor in charge of Dust Chemistry and Mixing, also have a hand in the forge if something were to happen to your weapon." She explained. Oobleck immediately seemed to appear to Ruby's side, taking her free hand and shaking it with both of his vigorously.

"Professor of History, Oobleck!" He let go of her hand just as quickly, and Ruby balled both her hands back together as they watched over her.

A hand rest on her shoulder and Ruby flinched violently. Professor Ozpin lifted his hand in response and let it hang by his side. Ruby frowned guiltily. "These people, along with Professor Goodwitch and your Physical Fitness coach, will be your teachers here at Beacon Academy, Ruby." He gave her a pleasant smile, and Ruby nodded, calm and slow as she tried to relax. "They each teach very important skills, and are each very qualified for their positions. I want you to pay attention in their classes, your catch-up studies will directly feed into their lessons and propel you to graduation faster than you would expect."

"Indeed." Dr. Oobleck raised a finger thoughtfully. "The keystones of being a hunter aren't just skill, strength, and speed, but intelligence and understanding _._ What we teach here won't just prepare you to fight, but to anticipate, adapt and protect!"

Professor Port nodded, his furrowed brow lightening as he clasped his hands casually behind his back. "The key to victory is understanding your foe, but also the world around you."

"Knowing about people may not help you in battle, but will help you understand why your job is so important." Peach chimed in. "Knowing the right ingredients to get the best results will ensure your success and safety."

"And," Professor Goodwitch spoke up, "of course, we will be teaching you advanced combat against Grimm and Hunter both. The world is full of dangers, human and inhuman, and our students shall be ready to deal with either."

"Speaking of both," Professor Port refocused on Ruby, hands still behind his back, "may we see your eyes, young lady?" His tone was respectful and polite, though Ruby still felt it carried the slightest edge of a command.

The whole office went completely quiet. While Ruby had been enjoying their collective speech, her blood went ice cold, and she immediately back-pedaled away from the group. Her attempt was cut short when a hand pressed against the small of her back. She glanced to Professor Ozpin, who quietly bowed his head.

"Don't be afraid, Ruby. These are your professors, each one will have a hand in training your mind, your weapon, _and_ your power." He spoke in a very calming voice, not forcing her back into the circle. Ruby was still, her skin itched and she had a small frown on her face, but Ozpin gave her a smile. "Everyone, Ruby here is on the shy side. We should try and make her feel welcome before we pressure her."

The five professors looked amongst themselves for some form of idea or suggestion, then all of them focused on Dr. Oobleck. He tightened his lips, creating a rather dramatic pout. "If I _must_ share." He huffed.

Ruby watched the tall man unscrew his thermos and fill the plastic lid with a goodly amount of coffee. Her mouth immediately felt dry, and she realized she hadn't had a drink since leaving the airship. The scent of the coffee was alluring…

"One lump or two?" Professor Oobleck asked, opening a little belt pouch.

"Oh, err, I-I guess two's okay, I usually take four." Ruby blushed, watching shyly as he popped four cubes of sugar out of his belt pouch and dropped them into the hot coffee to dissolve. He passed the drink to Ruby.

The warm cup immediately relaxed her hands. It felt natural and comforting, relieving that ugly, clammy feeling. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a long drink, shuddering in delight as she savored the flavors. "Oh _wow,_ this is really really good!" She stared into the cup in surprise, prompting a somewhat proud smile from Professor Oobleck.

"Specially bred coffee beans grown in a perfect artificial climate in an Atlas coffee shop I visited some fifteen years ago." He sipped the coffee straight from the thermos and sighed in comfort. "Small then, but steady progress allowed them to expand their business and sell their coffee overseas at _wallet-gouging prices!"_ He huffed, then looked into the drink. "The price we pay for perfection sometimes." His next sip seemed much more somber.

Ruby squeaked as Professor Port moved to her side and gently nudged her with his elbow. "Young lady, do you like _fairy tales?"_ He asked with a dramatic raise of his left eyebrow.

"Oh, here we go." Professor Peach mumbled.

"Yeah. Fairy tales and legends are why I want to become a huntress." Ruby gave a small blush, and tensed as the man wrapped his arm around her back and held her close, his other hand extended in front of him to cast Ruby into the world of fantasy.

"Picture, then, yours truly, standing at the forefront of a hunting party searching for one of Mistral's most fierce Grimm predators!" Professor Port turned, moving Ruby with him to stare out the window. "It was me, my companions Yugo, Agate, and Solomon, searching for the dreaded Razorswine, the largest, angriest boarbatusk Mistral had ever known…"

Ruby stared at his hand, then out the window, her jaw dropped. The other four teachers behind them collectively groaned in silence at Ruby's interjection. "Wow, really? W-what happened?"

'Chairs.' Ozpin mouthed to his companions, and they spread out to find seats.

Ruby wasn't terribly sure when the cheese crackers had showed up or who had found them, nor when she had found herself a seat. She sipped the last of her coffee and nibbled a cracker, watching Port stalk against the window, his head turning sharply like a cornered animal. "The beast had smelled my blood, and cruel and primitive as it was, it sought only my death. My companions, lost in the caves of Kailos, would be of no help, so when the dreaded pig showed its face, I used my _ultimate weapon!"_

"Your semblance?!" Ruby asked, on the edge of her seat.

"No!" Professor Port whirled to face her, his eyes wide. "I used my raw charisma to frighten it into submission with my signature warface!" His whole face flexed, skin drawn taut, eyebrows raised, lips pulled back to show his teeth, eyes wide open as his nostrils flared, and he let out a beastly roar that left Ruby giggling in her seat. "The beast _fled_ in horror, unable to comprehend such a magnificent foe as myself!"

Ruby grinned quietly as the rounded professor conducted himself, his cheekbones risen with delight. "Of course, there is much more to this story, but I'm saving the grand climax for the students who pass my midterm!"

"Aww." Ruby pouted. She turned as Professor Oobleck approached her, handing him the thermos lid to wash out. Professor Port stood by her side, a hand on her shoulder in a friendly fashion. "So, you really do go out and fight these big, legendary Grimm?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Well, once upon a time, of course. Alas, though it may not look it, I have grown slower, and cannot pursue the beasts of great like I once did. Tis such a bittersweet pleasure to work at Beacon, to train my students how to find and fight these mighty monsters, but knowing I will rarely be able to add to the legend of Peter Port." He stared down at the floor, though even Ruby could tell there was a very real difference between actual sadness and Professor Port being melodramatic.

"But, don't a lot a fairy tails talk about the legends being mentored under some great, wise hermit? Simba of Vacuo tutored under the honorable Rafiki, Seras of Mantle under the dreaded Vladimir, they always mention the teachers who slayed great beasts before them." Ruby gently nudged the older man with her shoulder, flashing him a tiny grin.

Professor Port visibly perked up and gave Ruby a comforted look. "That's quite true, young lady. In that case, when you give interviews in the future, remember to give due credit your teachers!" He pat her back, and Ruby bobbed her head in agreement.

"Allllllllllright then." Professor Peach spoke up behind them. Port and Ruby both turned to look at the other four Professors. Goodwitch and Ozpin each sat at the headmaster's desk, while Peach nudged Oobleck to get off his scroll. "Well, now that the show is over, I think we should move on to why we're here."

"Absolutely!" Oobleck stood up quickly. Professors Peach, Ozpin, and Goodwitch each stood to move back with the group. Ruby felt surrounded again, and though uncomfortable, significantly less intimidated as she stood up to face the five of them.

"Let's start small, Ruby. Please, show us your eyes." Professor Ozpin smiled at her, and gestured for her to present herself. Ruby nodded quietly and gripped her goggles. "You may remove them completely if it would make you more comfortable." Ozpin offered.

Port, Oobleck, and Peach each watched, Oobleck leaning forward in anticipation. Ruby slid her goggles over her forehead and off her face, holding them in her hands in front of her chest in quasi-self defense. When she opened her eyes, her three professors were in varying states of shock and horrified awe.

Professor Port had reared back, one hand over his heart, his entire face completely slack and his eyes wide open now. His free hand hung limply at his side, though his fingers twitched at his hip as if searching for a gun.

Professor Oobleck had turned to face the wall, chancing several looks, but always turning back after he gave the most visible shudder of them all. He straightened his tie and cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders before very firmly forcing himself to watch Ruby from the corner of his eyes.

Professor Peach had her metallic hand over her mouth, the other hand squeezing a wrench on her utility belt in a white-knuckled death grip as she took deep, stressed breaths. Her dark skin seemed much more pale, and sweat was visible on her upper arms.

Ozpin and Goodwitch both did their best to not look directly at her while still watching her face, but both gave an inevitable cringe whenever their eyes wandered above her little button nose. Ruby stood still, arms tight to her sides while she clutched the goggles closer to her chest. She felt very small, very exposed. She did what she could to not focus on anybody, but curiosity and nervousness made her search their faces for reactions and any possible hints of a threat.

Her big red eyes carefully went from adult to adult, and her heart began to beat faster as they stiffly began to move. The three professors tried to stand still, arms in relaxed positions, but with little success as they stared at the floor, ceiling, or around Ruby rather than at her.

"Ahem." Professor Port spoke up. "Well, your findings were true enough Professor Ozpin. She is quite difficult to look in the eye."

"Indeed. Indeed indeed. Difficult indeed. Very difficult." Professor Oobleck muttered, his eyes moving up to meet hers.

Each of the professors had experienced their own brushes with death in their days. Some on the battlefield, some in the workshop, some in exploration. Few hunters had cushy enough positions to never encounter something that made them feel the grave calling, but Ruby's eyes did something different.

Oobleck noted Ruby's expression was one of fear and worry, nothing terribly intimidating about her in and of herself, but his heart palpitations went through the roof regardless. The clammy feeling along his skin and the sweat beading on his brow, he concluded that yes, he was _afraid._ An illogical, but primal part of him feared those eyes. This young girl, who giggled at Port's stories and who sipped his coffee with a delighted smile terrified him. A moment of fury passed through him, an inevitable thought.

 _Destroy her._

He shook his head. He was, deep down, furious at his utter terror and irrationality. What good was it to be frightened of her eyes alone? Yet he couldn't help himself. No matter how many times he glanced, from which side of his eyes he stared, the clarity of his logic to the contrary, the niggling negativity wouldn't lessen.

Professor Oobleck took a deep, steadying breath. His head lowered, eyes firmly on Ruby in a stare that was nothing short of intimidating, and walked towards her. She began to back away nervously, with clear hesitation in each step. Experience, he noted. She'd been in this position before. He had no words for the hypotheses he was rapidly forming for Ruby Rose's childhood, and he liked none of them, allowing only a tight-lipped little frown to express his anger the possible perpetrators, but was ashamed to admit he wasn't much better than them. Yet, as he stood over her, his eyes now locked onto hers, he could see them sharpen. She was trying to be brave and have faith that he would not over-react. Good.

Yes, the ice sliding down his spine was very much real. The involuntary shivers, the hairs across his body standing on end, all of it was the product of unkempt emotion. This was _terror,_ he couldn't just dismiss it like some amateur fear semblance he'd encountered a few times, it gnawed at him and clung, taunting and mocking his attempts to overcome or contain it. Logic alone wouldn't protect him from her gaze.

He reached behind his back. Ruby began to shrink, her expression begging for his mercy as he handled something small. He struck without warning, arm extended, Ruby recoiling, but his fingers stopped a few inches short of her face. In his hand was a small make-up compact, lid popped open to reveal the dark-toned blush and a little hand mirror. Ruby stared at herself, then up to Oobleck with confusion.

"Ah-hah!" Oobleck turned, holding the compact up for the other professors to see. "She is _immune_ to her own fear effect! Somebody write that down, the gears of progress whir to life in this very moment, and it must be _recorded!"_

"Bart, did you for real steal my makeup?" Professor Peach all but snarled as she walked forward with an angry gait. "Give!" She held her hand out, and Oobleck complied without protest.

"The very first step to semblance management is knowing whether or not you are affected by it as well! Imagine, if you will, young miss Rose fighting a dastardly opponent who decided to employ mirrors! There is a defeat no more humiliating than one at your own hands!"

Professor Port walked to Ruby, looking thoroughly emasculated as he examined her eyes. "The Grimm have a gaze far more forgiving. Please, pardon my shyness Ruby, I am merely adjusting." His tone was far more reserved than normal.

Professor Peach appeared by his side, and both watched her like she was a never-ending trainwreck. The spectacle and horror on their faces were genuine, but they weren't attempting anything violent. Ruby hung her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels as she tried to calm herself.

"Sorry. Th-they're always like this. It took my family a while to adjust to them, and even then, not _really._ If you'd like me to keep my goggles on-"

"Preposterous!" Professor Oobleck called from Ozpin's desk, holding a pen and a pad of paper. "We are hunters, we will not be intimidated by one of our own students, _even if she has the very eyes of evil itself!_ Now do you wear contacts or glasses?" He asked, writing rapidly. Ruby blinked, not sure how she should feel about that… she shook her head, realizing she'd been asked a question.

"Oh, um, no. I have 20/20 vision." She answered, earning an excited nod from Oobleck.

Professor Goodwitch took a few silent steps closer, making herself known by her presence alone. Oobleck paused, and Ruby, Peach, and Port all looked to her as she telekinetically sent the chairs back to their places with an elegant sweep of her riding crop. "Professors, if you will stand aside, I believe it's time for a demonstration of her abilities."

Professor Ozpin walked to Ruby's side, pointedly keeping his gaze on his fellow teachers rather than Ruby herself. "As I've told you all, Ruby has a power both incredible and dangerous. In our busy schedules, I'd like for each of us to lend her the time she needs to bring it under her control."

Port, Oobleck, and Peach each nodded, their body language changing as they stood to the side and watched Ruby's feet. Ruby looked to Ozpin worriedly, but his gentle nod made her take a deep, calming breath. "W-well, okay. Um, I can summon Grimm." She watched their reactions, but other than a single nod from Port, there were none. "O-o-okay. Okay. So, I can summon Grimm, and it's a little… iffy."

"Iffy?" Oobleck repeated, causing Ruby to nod.

"See, um, usually I can summon like an arm, or a wing. Small flocks of Nevermores aren't too bad, but the more of a Grimm I summon, the harder it is to control." She extended a hand, and every eye was on the floor beneath her. A pitch black pool seemed to spread from her feet, creating a wide circle of darkness that Ozpin moved away from.

Contrary to a shadow, the pool stirred as if alive, ignoring the angle of light or absence of obstructions as it spread and began producing black bubbles, all while the edges expanded and regressed as if it was breathing. Every now and then a small wave seemed to form, almost creating a claw or a wing, sometimes a serpentine tail before falling flat. Oobleck dropped to his knees and laid on his stomach, cheek pressed to the stone floor while eyeing the darkness, noting that though it seemed flat, it had a barely notable height that was in constant fluctuation. He wrote from his place on the floor while Professor Port walked over.

Ruby stayed still and watched the portly man kneel, his hand over the black pool, though he seemed hesitant. "How is it, like this? Your control, the feel of it, Ruby?" He asked, looking up at her for just a moment before he caught her eyes. He settled for examining the pool with a cold shiver.

"Um, well, nothing comes out unless I allow it…" At his curious glance, she tapped her fingertips together. "I can, um, feel them like this. Like, they know I've made a hole they can come out of. Sometimes…" She swallowed. "Sometimes, when my control's not so great, I can feel them trying to push through. I-I haven't had an incident in a long time, though, not for three years." Her jaw quivered as she focused on the ceiling and collected her thoughts. "They really want out, but I make sure they're trapped."

"Trapped." Professor Goodwitch repeated, her tone a mixture of disbelief and accusation. "What do you mean by trapped?"

"W-well, see, it's like..." Ruby took a deep breath. "I can feel them in there. It varies how many, sometimes I can feel a lot of Grimm. I don't know what they are until they come out, or until I want one out. If I ask for a beowolf arm, I get a beowolf arm, but sometimes a whole beowolf wants _out._ I can feel it trying to-to form I guess? I can feel it trying to form and I stop it. They try a lot harder when I'm like _this."_ She stared down at the pool. Port watched as the shifting puddle of pitch black formed another wave, and what he recognized as a malformed, gooey creeps' foot poked out, its claws not formed and the leg itself recognizable purely by size and shape.

"Hmm." Professor Port knelt down lower. " _YOU THERE!"_ He suddenly bellowed, making Ruby leap in surprise as he continued. "Yes, _you!_ Damn Grimm, I know you can hear me! I am Professor Port, _you_ have been my prey for years! You don't like that, do you?! Your slayer is right here, what will you do, Grimm?!" He roared at the puddle. The room was silent, and Ruby stared down at the professor as he watched the darkness like he was a madman. He glanced up at Ruby curiously. "Any change to how it feels?"

"They're not happy, I can tell you that." Ruby murmured, making the professor smirk. "I think they knew you were talking to them? It went still all of a sudden. Wait _what are you doing?!"_ Ruby nearly screamed as Professor Port plunged his hand into the darkness.

His arm went deep, and Oobleck, Peach, and Goodwitch instinctively ran forward to grab the back of his collar and his arm. His brow knit, his upper lip curled as he resisted. Without a word, his arm sunk deeper, well into the floor. The pool began to shrink as Ruby recalled it, with the darkness clinging up to the professor's elbow. The pool shrunk under Ruby's feet, and she reached down and grabbed his arm, pushing it out of the shadow still attached to him. The retreating darkness snarled furiously, half-formed teeth clicking together inside a clay-like maw before it shrunk back into nothingness beneath Ruby's feet. Professor Port examined his hand.

" _Peter."_ Professor Goodwitch was staring furiously at the man, her teeth grit. "Of all the stupid things you could have done! We have materials to test this- this _madness_ and you could have lost a _hand!_ What were you thinking?!"

Ruby had her hands over her mouth as Professor Port looked at his hand. A pinprick of blood was dribbling down his thumb, and he looked to Oobleck. "Bart, note the consistency: like a living sludge. Smooth, constantly moving, immediately latched onto my hand and tried to keep hold. I felt the point of a fang in my thumb, meaning there is most certainly a malevolent, Grimm-like presence in there. Unformed, angry, but weak."

"Very good information, Peter." Oobleck smacked the back of the man's head, making him yelp and give the assaulter an offended look. " _Mighty_ stupid of you. Good information though." He began to write as Professor Peach beat on Port's back and ranted at his idiocy.

Ozpin gave a little frown and touched Ruby's shoulder, getting her attention. She looked worried, her eyes forming perfectly normal, clear tears of frustration that Ozpin delicately wiped away with the back of his fingers. "Very good Ruby, I think you've roused their curiosities. Their questionable decisions aside, I think we will yet make progress in figuring out what you can do and how to control it." His tone was pleasant and comforting, and Ruby's fright dissipated as he pet her head. "Thank you for the demonstration. Would you like me to walk you to the banquet hall?"

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch approached, looking firm. "You still have work to do, headmaster. I will escort her."

Ozpin gave a soft chuckle at her insistence, but ultimately stepped away. "Very well. We'll schedule our next session sometime after you settle in, Ruby. Enjoy your rest, and remember: progress begins at step one."

Ruby considered his words as she was lead to the elevator, and the headmaster and three professors gathered at the desk to talk. When the lift's doors closed she slid her goggles on with a soft, resigned little sigh. Ruby stood quietly, chancing a look at Professor Goodwitch. The woman had her eyes firmly forward, arms crossed over her chest tightly, her spine straight and legs together. Ruby thought to ask Professor Goodwitch if she was okay, but the teacher shot her a suspicious look.

Ruby clamped her mouth shut and stared forward again, her tummy full of agitated butterflies.

* * *

" _YOU DISAPPEARED!"_ Was the last thing Ruby heard before she was knocked onto her ass by a flying towel. She was quite suddenly hoisted up by the armpits and shaken violently until the towel fell off, giving Ruby a good look at a _very_ angry Yang. "I went looking all over the place for you outside! Do you know how many people I shook down trying to get them to talk?! I had to bump into some sad old butler guy to figure out where the crap you went! Ooooh, I'm so _mad_ I could- I could-" Yang's rant ended in an inarticulate roar-howl before she crushed Ruby into a hug, burying the smaller girl's face into the valley of her cleavage as she sniffled. " _Idiot._ Stupid! Making me _worry."_

"S-sorry Yang." Ruby gasped, tearing her face out of Yang Canyon for air. Yang didn't let Ruby go, and she frankly didn't want her to. She was quietly enjoying the warm embrace even as her ribs protested. After a long while of tearful reunion, Ruby whimpered out, " _So_ much happened."

Yang finally let Ruby go and worriedly brushed the hair out of her face as Ruby took in her surroundings. The banquet hall was a well decorated room with high windows and low-lighting, though contrary to the name there didn't seem to be any food, or for that matter, tables. Everything had been cleared out to make room for the new students to lay out their sleeping bags and, judging by the gathering of students in varying states of casual dress, socialize. Ruby suddenly felt much less like a sore thumb in her plain gray pajamas.

"Yeah, the butler guy told me you and and a _Schnee_ blew up." Yang lightly bopped Ruby's forehead as she frowned. "What in the world are you doing getting into arguments with a Schnee?!" Yang was familiar with their product and services, but from all the rumors, the comparisons to dictators, and the pictures from her magazines, she was fairly sure they didn't actually exist.

"We didn't argue!" Ruby groaned in a defeated tone, feeling pale just from thinking about it. "I accidentally got her wet."

Yang stared at Ruby with a wide-eyed, but otherwise emotionless expression that made Ruby facepalm. "Wow. Uh, way to go, killer. Save some for the-"

" _Shut up Yang."_ Ruby slumped. "I got attacked by her luggage, and I pulled her into some little pond by accident so we both ended up soaked, and then a briefcase exploded and Professor Goodwitch was mad at me and now my clothes are who knows where and I have to wear this and I'm _really_ sorry." Ruby covered her eyes in shame, and Yang opened her mouth, closed it, considered for a moment…

"Um." Was all she managed.

The silence between them was oppressive, so Ruby finally broke it with a mutter. "The professors are nice though." She rubbed the back of her head. Yang cocked her head to the side like a confused Zwei.

"I thought _I_ was going to have a story to tell with breaking into the room they kept all our luggage. Yours…" Yang let out a small, relieved chuckle. "Yours sounds more interesting. I saved you a spot next to me on the floor, let's just sit down and chill, okay?"

Ruby nodded, looking past Yang to quickly freeze in place. Yang raised an eyebrow and turned around to look at an approaching girl. White hair, blue eyes, lithe and lovely, and currently glaring at her scroll.

Yang recognized her instantly. Weiss Schnee. _Weiss Schnee._ The heiress to the Schnee dynasty, an Atlus celebrity who set trends in fashion by accident and whose graceful dancing and beautiful singing was digitally sold for far more than they were actually worth. Every picture and video showed Weiss nobly, beautifully, her lithe, limber form tightly contained in top-of-the-line clothing.

Wearing ratty gray pajamas and a prideful scowl, she looked nothing like her PR had Yang believe. Wordlessly she brushed past Yang and stood near the silently shivering Ruby, waving a plastic lien card over her scroll's scanner. She held it out to Ruby with a frown.

"For your wet clothes." She stated, her expression stiff. Though she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from the short, dark-haired troublemaker as realistically possible, her sense of duty won out.

"Oh, uh…" Ruby took the card, and Weiss whirled around. She took two steps away, then stopped. She looked down, seemingly in thought, then turned on her heels to give Ruby a dramatic, angry point and matching scowl.

"Don't take this as some sort of apology!" She ordered, furiously shaking her pointer finger at the wilted girl. "I will pay what I owe, but that doesn't mean you're forgiven for your- your idiocy!" Weiss snapped, tearing her eyes off of Ruby and storming off without another word. Yang looked from Ruby to Weiss, then back again. Her eyes flashed red, making Ruby wince even as Yang stomped after the much… MUCH smaller girl.

"Yang, wait!" Ruby gasped, watching her sister muscle past clusters of chatting people, like an Ursa muscling aside foliage.

Mid-stride, a hand on Weiss's shoulder whirled her around to stare into Yang's furious lilac eyes. "Hey _princess,_ you want some advice?" Yang snarled, staring down at Weiss as her grip tightened. " _Don't_ go picking on my little sister!"

" _Little_ sister?" Weiss sneered, looking around Yang at Ruby. Ruby stood, very still and very quiet, her body weighted with horror as Yang held up a fist to Weiss's face. "Put the 'weapon' down, Goldilocks. I'm sure _nobody_ wants anything to do with her!"

Yang let out a disbelieving snort, standing up straight, putting Weiss's chin near Yang's bust height, causing the white haired girl to stare straight down at the taller girl's cleavage with a scandalized expression. "Look, I may not know all the details, but she doesn't deserve your attitude."

"Maybe don't go sticking your nose in other people's business, hmm?" Weiss gave Yang one hell of a stink eye, causing Yang to growl. "Besides, she's here at Beacon, you think babying her is going to help?"

"And what are you teaching her, shake a Schnee hard enough and Lien pops out?!"

"Excuse me?! I paid her for damages done and let her know that I don't want anything more to do with her! You're the one overreacting!" Weiss's voice was raising. People were starting to turn and look at the pair.

"Oh please, _Schnee,_ I've heard enough about your family. If I snapped at your little brother, none of you would take it sitting down!"

"If, by chance, you ever had the misfortune to run into my little brother we wouldn't even need to step in if that's the best threat you can come up with!"

"I'm not scared, princess, people like you don't know how to solve problems you can't buy or sue your way out of!"

"I'll have you know that the Schnees have a long, proud history as hunters, unlike some no name, roughneck, top-heavy bimbo trying to start a fight in a _school because their sister's a walking disaster area!"_

Ruby was squirming quietly in place, unable to stop her hands from shaking as her sister squared off with Weiss at maximum volume. This was too much. People were gathering, taking seats around the pair, shouting encouragement at them to start throwing punches. Ruby wanted to disappear and go home forever. She wanted to bury her face in a pillow and just cry for a while, let all this negativity out in one big, boogery sob.

More than anything, she was so terrified of her dream falling apart right here, right now.

"What in the world is going on?" A flat, disbelieving voice asked from Ruby's side. She turned her head in shock and just… paused, all the stress of the situation suddenly leaving her.

She was meeting a lot of very pale girls recently, but Ruby couldn't complain. The black-haired teen next to her turned to meet her gaze, her golden eyes gently shifting as if reading through her goggles. On her head was a cute, fashionable black bow, and she wore a rather short black robe with white trim. Her taste in clothes was excellent, but Ruby's head tilted as her eyes ran along her long, slender legs.

"Hm?" The black-haired girl's head tilted as Ruby's eyes traveled down, from thigh to toe, taking in the smooth, flawless skin and the supple muscle forming lovely curves along each leg. Slowly, her head lifted to meet the girl's eyes once more. "I'm willing to ignore that if you tell me why they're being so loud." She offered in a dry tone, and Ruby immediately heated up. She balled her hands behind her back, looking down at the floor and not at the girl's legs.

"S-sorry. Um…" Ruby looked back up to the ongoing conflict. Yang and Weiss weren't throwing punches yet, but the shouting match had devolved into petty sniping and minor hair pulling. "I kind of, err, me and the girl in the white-"

"Weiss Schnee." The dark girl said with an unnoticed bristle in her voice.

"- yeah, Weiss Schnee. We kinda had an incident because I was stupid and didn't say 'look out, your briefcase will explode', and then it _did_ and now my older sister's really mad at her because she thought Weiss was picking on me when she was just being kinda, um…"

"Snooty?"

"Something like that. It was my fault, and now they're fighting, and- and-"

"You blew up Weiss Schnee, who got mad at you, so your sister's mad at her?" The girl summarized in a disbelieving tone. Ruby nodded slowly, shuffling her feet. "Wonderful. 'Above all things, a hunter is a force of inspiration and wisdom.'" She shook her head, turning away to find somewhere quieter. She stopped, and turned to look as Ruby's hand took hers. "Did you _need_ something?" She asked in a tone that demanded a very good reason for this violation of her personal space.

"S-sorry." Ruby dropped the girl's hand, keeping her eyes above the waist. Then above the chest. The eyes, those are pretty AND safe. "But, um, you read Trendove?" Ruby released the taller girl's hand and held her hands behind her back, watching the her yellow eyes. They travelled the width of Ruby's face, flitting about curiously.

"... Of course." She answered, running her fingers through her dark hair before flipping it over her shoulder, never turning to face Ruby, just look at her out the side of her eye. "His essays on the societal impact of hunters in Mantle were why I chose to join an academy."

"... I kind of thought he was full of it." Ruby admitted. The girl turned this time, her shoulder pointed at Ruby as she gave her her full attention, one thin eyebrow raised in curiosity. Ruby swallowed thickly. "His belief that 'society rests on the laurels of hunters both old and new' leaves out all the hard work everybody else puts in. Sure, without hunters there might be different cities, or maybe no cities, but anybody can pick up a sword and a gun and protect themselves. Not every hunter is a carpenter, so, in a way, we all kind of, um… need each other, right? I wouldn't want to sleep in the dirt every night." Ruby's nose crinkled a bit at the idea.

The girl eyed Ruby slowly, carefully, a low, curious hum escaping her throat. "Blake Belladonna." She finally spoke. Ruby's face fell a moment in lack of comprehension, and the girl clarified. "My name. It's Blake Belladonna."

"Oh, uh…" Ruby stuck out a hand. "Hi. Ruby Rose. My name." She nodded, and Blake shook her hand stiffly. "Sorry, just, I don't really get to talk to people about the things I read." Ruby gave a small, happy smile, the scene behind her now totally forgotten.

"I see. Have you read Alfheim?" Blake asked, turning to face Ruby with her whole body, arms crossed over her bust.

"I've read bits and pieces that were used in other books. He wrote 'A Fuzzy Perspective', right?" Ruby touched her chin with one finger, recalling… "Yang had to read it for some of her classes at Signal. All about the struggle of Faunus in Remnant?"

"Correct. From the first faunus enslaved by humans to the struggles of modern civil rights. What did you think?" Blake tilted her head, and Ruby swore part of her bow turned towards her.

"Well, I didn't read everything about it, but he didn't seem bad." Ruby paused, coughed, and back-pedalled to better explain. "He was really passionate about the faunus and equal rights, but everything I read focused on all the bad stuff that happened between them. Humans and faunus have been working together for a while now, right? I mean, the Faunus got Menagerie as a gift, so it wasn't one-hundred percent bad…"

Blake said nothing for a few moments, her lips quirked oddly in what could have been a smile or in agitation. Ruby wasn't sure if she had said anything wrong, but the girl then nodded. "Sure, not one-hundred percent bad. I'll loan you some of his works later, if you'd like."

"Y-yes!" Ruby blurted out, her cheeks reddening without knowing why. Book sharing? _Scandalous._ "I mean, if you don't mind." Ruby shrunk, tapping her fingers together as Blake gave her a tiny smile.

"It couldn't hurt. I'm going to go read." Blake pointed to a spot against the wall, and turned away from Ruby, looking over her shoulder. "No offense, but I'll need my peace and quiet. Later."

"By-bye!" Ruby managed to squeak out as Blake walked away. Ruby stood in place, not really focusing on anything. Did she really just have a conversation with somebody? About _books?_ She inwardly burned in nervous delight. It seemed so easy! Did that count as making a friend though? Blake was hard to read, so Ruby wasn't sure what to think.

" _Ugh."_ Ruby yelped as a hand landed on her head. Yang scratched her scalp, and Ruby stared up at her. "Some people are just unbelievable. That girl was- I mean- just absolutely the most stuck-up, pissy, mean-spirited little… _ugh."_ Yang gnashed her teeth furiously, not noticing the black haired girl Ruby had just finished talking to.

"You did kind of rile her up, Yang." Ruby whispered, making Yang throw out her arms in frustration.

"Oh _c'mon,_ I did that for you!" Ruby winced, looking down at her hands. "She was gonna walk all over you and- ugh!" Yang threw her hands up, too angry to continue. "I'm glad I chucked her." Ruby went stone still and stared up at her sister with a horrified whimper. "Just a little! She caught, like, three seconds of air, tops, then landed on some guy with a pink stripe in his hair. Cmon, let's lay down." She grunted. Ruby tossed one more look to Blake, then followed Yang to her sleeping bag. She scanned the crowd and, far off in a corner saw a flash of white hair as Weiss brooded against the wall. She felt guilty. All Ruby could think about was the part she played in this whole mess and how it had been working against her all day.

She settled onto her sleeping bag while Yang… Yang turned over and rested, not talking. Ruby frowned. That was unlike her older sister, she usually blustered and raged until it was all out but… Ruby sighed. Had she made her older sister angry? She got Jaune as a friend, made Weiss an enemy, seemed to have made a good first impression with Blake, and temporarily set Yang off. Socializing was way harder than they make it look on TV.

Maybe today was the worst it was going to get. Ruby laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, taking deep breaths. She just needed to let it go and not let it get her down, or all of this would be for nothing. She closed her eyes.

Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.


	5. Initiation Begins

"Students, initiation will be taking place in the Emerald Forest." Professor Goodwitch began a slow march down the middle of the first years' locker room, her green eyes moving sharply from left to right as she addressed the new students. "This event will determine who will be your partner for your four years here at Beacon. It will be comprehensive, demanding all your fighting and survival knowledge accumulated from your previous schooling. You will be entering the target area eight at a time, in five-minute intervals. Your start-time should be in your eMail accessible through your Beacon student profile via your scrolls. Professor Ozpin will provide final instructions at the start of the test."

Lining the walls were the scroll-guided rocket-lockers that Atlas had introduced to the world to help students keep a calm and orderly appearance but still have access to their weapons at a moment's notice. Of course they were absurd ideas, but nothing got attention and delivered results in quite the same way, so they found themselves in just about every high-level hunter's academy from Vacuo to Mistral.

"You all have two hours to prepare. I expect no rough-housing, no bets to be placed, and furthermore, _no electronics are to be taken into the Emerald Forest."_ Professor Goodwitch turned, her eyes examining every student, each of whom stood at perfect attention as they waited. "While it is true that hunters will often make use of the best technology possible, it is the hunter's job to make the best of _any_ situation. So today there will be no scrolls, no tracking devices, no scouting equipment, or any form of electronic assistance." She looked over the gathering of students, then inclined her head. "You may open your lockers and begin your preparations now. Good luck to you all."

Each of the students turned around to face their assigned locker and punched in the codes given to them as they woke up that morning. The entire room echoed with the sound of locks retracting and the squeals of metal doors opening. Goodwitch exited the room, and excited talking began to stir from every part of the room as soon as the clicking of her heels had vanished down the hall.

Ruby carefully read the passcode on the slip of paper she was given and punched in each digit. The locker popped open to show her renewed huntress outfit on a plain wire hanger, and Ruby made a tiny, relieved noise. She could finally change out of these ugly pajamas. She admired her dress for a few seconds, especially the spotless boots, and found her clothing bag resting on the shelf just above it. If she hurried, she could retrieve her unmentionables and hopefully make it to one of the changing rooms before they got too crowded, but her eyes were drawn past her dress and she put her planning on hold.

She lifted her dress to take a better look at her pride and joy. One hand touched the folded red metal compact sniper scythe fondly, her eyes glimmering as she felt the smooth hide and angular edges. She was finally going to get to use Crescent Rose for real. For real-y real. Not in some practice ring, or in a fabricated battlezone simulation, nor against another hunter in a rigidly controlled spar.

Nor would it be against one of her blow-ups. She breathed a sigh of relief, giving an almost naughty smile as she took ahold of Crescent Rose to cradle it in her arms. She examined the rifle carefully, beaming to herself. All this training would finally pay off.

"You should be careful." A gentle voice told her, jerking her out of her thoughts. Ruby quickly looked up at the tall boy next to her. Her cheeks reddened. He was shirtless, pale abs and strong arms easily visible, but he slid on an emerald colored tailcoat, with long sleeves and a diagonal buttoning pattern along a thick black stripe that crossed his breast and ran down the right side of his top. He looked fancy, and his clothing and eye-shape reminded Ruby of the inhabitants of Mistral she'd seen on TV.

He pulled most of his black hair back, letting the front of it remain mostly wild, but tied the rest into a ponytail that hung low on the back of his scalp. He had some of the prettiest pink eyes Ruby had ever seen, and a very calm, almost emotionless expression. His gaze dipped towards Crescent Rose, actually at it's rifle-barrel, which was pointed right at him. "Oh!" Ruby adjusted her grip on Crescent Rose so that it pointed down, and gave the boy an embarrassed blush. "I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry, I- I just- I just..." She trailed off, the shame thick in her voice.

"It's alright." He assured her, his tone just barely warm enough to convince her he meant it. He reached into his locker and pulled out a pair of green guns with long, similarly colored collapsible blades on the underside that he held up before they suddenly disappeared down his sleeves with an untraceable motion of his hands. He paused to consider the amazed Ruby for a few seconds and she flinched under his neutral gaze, aborting her attempt to study his sleeves. Her shame was all but palpable, and he wasn't sure why she was acting as if he'd shouted himself hoarse at her. He decided it might be best if he broke his usual passivity and offered a hand, figuratively and literally. "Lie Ren."

Ruby looked to his hand, then back up to him very carefully. His expression was neither positive nor negative, he seemed almost robotic. Ruby idly wondered if this is how new people felt when they tried to read her expression despite her goggles. "Ruby Rose." She was very gentle as she took his hand, and the two shook once, then let go mutually. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess." Ruby sighed deeply, returning Crescent Rose to her locker.

"What's wrong?" Lie Ren went through the bag in his locker and slid two green ammo clips for his pistols into his pockets. Though he did not look at her, Ruby had the feeling he was paying attention to everything she said and did.

"Just…" Ruby sighed loudly, listening to the conversations and laughter around her with a nervousness in her gut. "Just managing to screw up my first day really bad. I Mean, I know you don't care…" She looked to him. He looked back, but there was no annoyance. He even gestured for her to continue. "Well, I mean, if you don't mind." He shook his head, even offering her a tiny smile. "I made some people angry by accident. I accidentally blew a girl up thanks to a dust reaction, I might have said the wrong thing to my sister, one of the professors doesn't seem to like me… I don't know, I've made a lot of enemies and _maybe_ two friends? One nice guy, and a girl who likes books."

"I see." He nodded and paused, his eyes narrowing a moment, as if he were carefully considering something. Ruby tilted her head she she watched, though it only lasted a moment before his shoulders set ever-so slightly and he gave Ruby a glance she couldn't really read. Lie Ren suddenly leaned back from his locker and looked past Ruby. He made a megaphone with one hand and bellowed in a voice both louder and more commanding than Ruby would have imagined. " _Nora!"_ He called, and Ruby suspected he yelled that name fairly often. She turned to look down the row of lockers and managed to see a pink blur blitz right past her, narrowly missing her nose.

Ruby whipped her head back towards Ren to see a red-headed girl bouncing around him with an expression of absolute delight. "What is it Ren? What is it what-is-it whatisit?!" She was wrapped around him as he shut his locker, and he somehow managed to ignore her grip as he pointed to Ruby with one hand, his other turning the girl's head to follow.

"Nora, this is Ruby. She is having trouble making friends." Ren took a step away from Ruby as soon as Nora untangled herself from him. Ruby managed to make a single, distressed yelp before she was suddenly being hugged by the hyper girl.

"Eee, the poor thing! Oh, don't you worry sweetie, Nora's here to be your friend!" Nora's shining eyes made Ruby heat up. She was a walking smile, with rosey cherubic cheeks, who almost vibrated in joy as she stood in place. She wore a white top, pink skirt, and black jacket, with some oddly placed armor pieces. Her eyes were a wonderful bluish green, and were so quick to take in Ruby's physique. "You're cute! I like the goggles but, uh, between you and me?" She leaned in while glanced around conspiratorially, "They don't fit the pajama look."

"Oh, uh, I have an eye-condition-"

"Oh no! Well don't worry about your eyes, as long as you can appreciate the prettier things in life!" Nora bat her eyelids at Ruby with a hungry, heated smile. Ruby turned bright red, making Nora's smile turn into a nearly predatory grin.

"W-wha'? Are you," Ruby gulped loudly, barely able to comprehend that Nora was making this face at her and not her sister, "are you flirting with me?"

"Pfft, who, me?" Nora shrugged, the expression disappearing so she could feign innocence. "Naaah, I'm not the one who needs a girlfriend!" Nora gave Ruby an incredibly obvious wink, making Ruby's blush reach her neck and shoulders.

" _Regular_ friend, Nora." Ren corrected.

"Nuh uh, I know this feeling in my heart! _Somebody_ needs _loo~oove!"_ Nora sang, pulling Ruby into a warm hug. Ruby didn't know it was possible to feel even hotter than she already did.

"I don't need love!" Ruby protested, but Nora hugged her head, nestling it into her bust while patting her back and shushing her. Ruby's felt sweat getting trapped underneath her goggles, and Nora leaned down to whisper into Ruby's ear.

"Are you sure, _girlfriend?"_ She purred, trailing her fingers down Ruby's spine and biting down a laugh at the way the smaller girl went ramrod straight.

"We're not girlfriends!" Ruby's shriek was muffled by Nora's chest, and she squirmed and wiggled her way free, nearly falling onto her butt as Nora grinned brightly. "Wh- I mean- n-no offense you seem _perfectly_ nice but I am _so_ not on the market heck I'm not even _in_ the market or really going _through_ the market but like maybe a little window-shopping here and there but-" Ruby stopped when Lie Ren rest a hand on her head and gave her a calm smile.

"She's just teasing you, Ruby." He assured her, then nodded to Nora as he walked towards the exit. Ruby stared after him, her cheeks still a rosey hue. She immediately stood rigid as Nora slid against her side, her lips nearly touching her ear.

"Of course…" Nora cooed, brushing against Ruby slowly before following Ren. She shot Ruby one more gleeful look, firing a pair of finger guns and a confident click of her tongue at her. "Try to not think about my butt too much during initiation!~" She shook her heart-shaped rump playfully before hustling to catch up with her friend.

Ruby stood in place, watching after them with a big batch of weird, icky, warm, unnameable feelings. She shook her head, rubbed at her cheeks to regain her focus, and grabbed her dress. With a stiff gait and a troubling blush Ruby made her way to the dressing rooms.

* * *

The cafeteria was lively, to say the least. Ruby had a tray covered with waffles, fruit, and chocolate milk in her hands as she stepped out of the line of ravenous first year students. The tables were filling up quickly, and Ruby regretted taking so long to actually get into her uniform. She hadn't realized just how obnoxious lacing up a corset by yourself _was._ She felt another pang of loneliness, remembering that Yang had helped her with it last time…

Yang hadn't spoken to her after rolling over last night, despite Ruby's pestering, and when they were woken up by Professor Goodwitch and assigned their lockers there had been no time to talk. Yang had shot Ruby a mysterious look before leaving her behind to find her locker and all Ruby had been able to do was swallow the unhappy lump in her throat and follow suit. Presently, Ruby scanned the crowds of people for that brilliant blonde hair as her feet picked a slow path toward an empty section of table. She caught a flash of yellow between the crowd parting ahead of her and Ruby ran over, stopping short when a different shade of blonde caught her eye.

"- shellfish was a mistake, but a good surf and turf restaurant has to have a nice steak too, right?" Jaune asked a familiar white haired girl. Weiss was giving him a look that was silently begging him to leave or die, whichever got rid of him faster. Ruby felt a moment of relief go through her as she saw the girl's white dress and white heels hadn't been destroyed.

Ruby silently admired her style, and wondered how she'd look in the same jacket done in black, but dreaded the thought of approaching her to ask where she'd gotten it. A thought ran through her head, a possible way to make up for her mistakes. She walked up behind Jaune to make herself known.

"Sorry, still not interested." Weiss all but growled, rolling her eyes and letting them slide past Jaune's defeated expression. "Now, I'm trying to have a conversation with my new-" her eyes locked onto Ruby's goggles, and Ruby froze as Weiss' tone fell icily, "- friend. What do _you_ want?"

Ruby felt rooted in place by that accusing look, and she wanted nothing more than to tuck her tail between her legs and flee home. She broke away from the harsh gaze, her purpose forgotten and breakfast nearly slipping from her fingers. Jaune blinked at Weiss' change in focus and turned to look at Ruby, offering her a defeated smile. "Hey Ruby. You wishing we were still asleep, too?"

"H-hi Jaune." Ruby whimpered, keeping her eyes on Weiss. For a moment, crawling back onto her sleeping bag did seem like a great idea. She very poorly soothed her heart with trumped up hopes of heroism and promises of rewarded effort as she shakily approached the table and reached into her belt pouch. She held the lien card out to Weiss with shaking fingers. "Um, I- I wanted to return this."

Weiss's expression didn't grow any softer. If anything, she looked _more_ offended, as if a storm were brewing inside those icy eyes. "Why?" Her tone nearly echoed with barely concealed anger.

Ruby frowned, dipping her chin towards her chest like a scolded child. "Th-the cleaning here was free, right? That means you never owed me any money." She insisted, keeping her hand outstretched.

Weiss took the card unceremoniously, examining it with her scroll, then huffed. "What, just turning down free money?" Her eyes moved up and down Ruby's frame, taking in the details of her clothing she had not had time to absorb the previous day. She remained unimpressed. "Judging by the scraps you and your _big_ sister wear, I thought you could use every lien you could scavenge."

Ruby felt her jaw tighten at the mention of Yang, a bundle of shame and affection welling up. On second thought, the coat wasn't THAT cute. "We _don't_ need it. I wanted to _thank_ you for trying to help, but you can keep your _charity_." Ruby spoke very slowly, her syllables carrying an extra bite as she fought her own growing contempt.

"Err, look." Jaune held a hand out, resting it on Ruby's stiff shoulder. Ruby didn't look at Jaune, her eyes focused solely on Weiss, who was likewise focused completely on her goggles. "It's no big deal, it was nobody's fault. You both got your clothes back, Weiss got her money back, everything's settled now, there's nothing to fight over."

"Nothing?" Weiss asked, lips peeled back in a small snarl that showed off perfect white teeth, her eyes so narrow that they were little more than arctic-blue slits. "After that little spat with your _big_ sister last night, I could hear people _laughing_ at us. At _me_." Weiss slammed her fists onto the table, turning red from humiliation. "Your precious bimbo made us both look like fools in front of the entire school. What, is she your attack dog? Do you sick her on anyone who doesn't bend to your simpering whims? You usually hire a top-heavy airhead like her on a street corner for fifty lien an hou-"

" _Shut up."_ Ruby demanded. Jaune stepped away from her as Weiss winced, swallowing whatever she was about to say. Ruby's tone had dropped considerably, and it took every ounce of her control to carefully put her tray on the table and put a finger directly between Weiss's eyes while ignoring the roiling beasts in the back of her mind and the inky darkness swirling in the shadows at her feet. "She was trying to protect me, and maybe she went overboard, but I think I'm starting to get why she didn't like you!" Ruby didn't hear her own voice, the fury and admonishment in each word, but she saw Weiss's slackened face and defensive hands. Ruby leaned, closer, her teeth clicking occasionally as she spoke in clipped fragments. "Do not. Talk about her. That way. I'm…" Ruby took a shuddering breath and straightened. She gulped loudly, and her voice shrunk as she reeled back her anger, feeling a small pit of regret forming in it's place, "I'm sorry if she hurt you, or embarrassed you or… whatever it is you feel like getting cranky about, but you haven't been the nicest person. She'd say you deserved it… and I think maybe she's right." It was the worst Ruby could bring herself to say about Weiss, and was the harshest criticism she'd ever laid on anyone. She suddenly felt flushed with embarrassment at her outburst. She picked up her tray and hung her head, shaken and exhausted from the confrontation. "I'm going to go sit somewhere else." She mumbled softly, earning a concerned frown from Jaune.

Weiss didn't respond, but a completely different voice spoke up. "Actually, maybe you should stay?"

Ruby didn't recognize the voice. She looked to Jaune, who simply took a step back to reveal the girl that was hidden behind him. Glorious, autumn hued hair in a high ponytail, with a golden tiara that Ruby faintly recognized. Her shoulders and a generous amount of her cleavage was exposed due to her light, leather top. She had such piercing green eyes, and a very gentle smile as she poked at her fruit bowl with a fork. Ruby tensed up as her embarrassment rose to new heights. "O-oh my goodness, I'm sorry I didn't realize you were here, I'm sorry you had to hear all that, I just- I was so caught up and I didn't know-"

The girl chuckled musically, silencing Ruby and putting her at ease at the same time. Ruby decided she liked the girl immediately. "I am not offended. However, it seems you and Weiss are having," she gave an awkward smile, " _difficulties_ moving past the… incident." She smothered a smile when Ruby fidgeted in place and Weiss huffed. "Please, won't you join us? Perhaps you two can work through this with the help of some friendly company?" She offered gently.

Ruby looked to Weiss, Weiss looked to her. Ruby felt a mixture of optimistic hope and realistic disgust towards the cold girl. Jaune slapped a hand onto her shoulder while beaming, knocking Ruby out of her moody stare. "Yeah, that's a good idea! Let's all sit down and try to be friends." He kept an encouraging tone and flashed the new girl a warm smile, making her brighten.

After an awkward moment of silent internal debate, Weiss sniffed and turn her attention back to her own meal, appearing disinterested in moving. Ruby took that as being the closest thing she was going to get to an invitation from her and sat across from Weiss, neither of them looking at the other. A nearly palpable tension descended on the section of table, causing other students to completely avoid them as the two girls alternated between glare-staring at one another and pretending their counterpart no longer existed. Jaune sat across from the new girl, sharing the bench with Ruby, while the redhead watched Ruby and Weiss with slowly rising concern. Jaune shot the girl a helpless look and she quirked her eyebrow, silently agreeing that this wasn't going anywhere. "So..." She began, trailing off a moment as she searched for something to say. Ruby, at least, shifted her attention to her at the sound of her voice. "my name is Pyrrha Nikos." Jaune did not look impressed by her ice breaker.

Pieces clicked into alignment inside her head in that instant, and Ruby quickly swallowed a strawberry so she could speak without spraying anyone down. "Oh! The one with the tiara! From the tournaments!" She stared at the girl's headband with a tinge of visible awe in her expression. Weiss let out a loud sigh and pressed her forehead against her fists.

"I suppose it is quite notable." Pyrrha touched the golden tiara. "Most people seem to recognize me for my chest armor, however." There was a slight, bitter edge to her words that only Weiss reacted to with a slight tightening of her jaw. Jaune risked a glance at Pyrrha and snorted.

"Yeah, I guess I can see why." He popped a strip of bacon into his mouth, eyes focused on Pyrrha's, though he did shoot a few glances down. "So, people recognize you?" He asked, making her smile thinly.

"Yes, sadly. It would have been much easier to come here if people did not." She gave Jaune a look. Ruby watched her green eyes roam Jaune's face and arms, and she silently wondered if all teenagers were like this. Adding Nora and Yang to her sample pool and she became inclined to say 'yes'...

"So, uh, I don't really have a big TV where I'm from, usually my family listened to the radio. Did you star in a movie, or…?" Jaune asked, wiggling a fork at her. Pyrrha seemed surprised, but Weiss seemed to have finally had enough of politely listening to others have a normal conversation, so she slapped the table loudly enough to make them all jump.

"You _dolt."_ Weiss stared at Jaune across the table with an annoyed glare. "This is _Pyrrha Nikos,_ four time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament!" Jaune stared at Weiss, blinking slowly. Weiss twitched. "Graduated top of her class in Sanctum Academy?" Jaune scratched his temple. "She was the mascot for Pumpkin Pete Marshmallow Flakes for Atlas' sake!"

Jaune's jaw suddenly fell, and he stared directly at Pyrrha in a bit of awe. "You were Pumpkin Pete?!" He asked. Weiss slammed her forehead into the table. "That's amazing! I used to eat you all the time! Err, your cereal!" Jaune waved his hands, trying to disperse the statement when Ruby and Pyrrha's eyebrows rocketed upwards. "I meant I ate the cereal!"

"I knew what you meant, Jaune!" Pyrrha was laughing behind her hand, which caused Ruby to start giggling. "And I was just the mascot! I hope I don't _look_ like a Pumpkin Pete." Jaune just gave Pyrrha an embarrassed smile as the two redheads gave him big, happy grins.

"It's just so cool." Jaune genuinely looked impressed by the fact, and Pyrrha seemed thrilled at his praise. "So, uh, four time champ of Mistral? That's really good, right?"

"I do not mean to brag, but it was apparently a new record." Pyrrha said calmly, shrugging one shoulder as she kept her eyes on her breakfast. Jaune worked his jaw for a moment and glanced at Ruby, who nodded that she'd heard the same before. Jaune turned back to Pyrrha, who continued to play with her food.

"So that must mean you're super good, right?" Jaune chewed at the end of one slice of bacon, watching Pyrrha. Ruby noted that Pyrrha's eyes didn't lift from her meal as she answered.

"I suppose, yes." Her voice was calm and quiet, reminding Ruby of Ren but… sadder.

"How in the world can you not know?" Weiss asked as her brow crinkled, diverting all attention to her. "Most people are lucky to get a streak of _two._ Mistral's hunter-v-hunter tournament scene is one of the most demanding spectator sports in all of Remnant. Even the junior division is absolutely cutthroat, and hunters of all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds join. There are countless betting pools, speculators, advisors, and entire bureaucracies, careers, and fortunes made based around the Mistral Regional Tournament and _that's_ not even counting the actual fighters!" Weiss motioned at Pyrrha dramatically. "She didn't win the junior division four times in a row, she won the _tournament._ Against anyone who'd fight her, including hunters who have decades of experience!"

Weiss stared Jaune down while Pyrrha quietly nodded. "Yeah?" Jaune asked, looking slightly overwhelmed by all the information. He examined Pyrrha, who seemed to avoid his gaze, her previous good cheer burning away like a thin morning fog. He squared his shoulders a bit, then lifted an arm and flexed. Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby all stared at him, though he focused his audacious smirk on Pyrrha. "Well, _you_ are looking at the record setter for most turnips picked in one day on my folk's' farm." He swelled his chest with pride!

Pyrrha's eyebrows rose in surprise as Jaune pat his bicep affectionately. She looked to Ruby, who shrugged, then back to Jaune with a little grin tugging at her lips. "Really now?" She drawled in amusement, making Ruby snicker.

"Yup. Two hundred and seventy-two. That's right, I helped the family around the ol' farm when I'm not out, uh, defending the homestead… o-or training! It's more than twice as many as my dad." Jaune winked audaciously, and Pyrrha was unable to stop herself from letting out an amused giggle. Weiss felt her left eye twitch as Ruby and Pyrrha failed to smother their mirth.

"You-" Weiss stared at Jaune with wide-eyed disbelief, "You aren't comparing turnip picking to winning _the_ biggest tournament setting in Remnant, _are you?"_ Weiss demanded of Jaune furiously, who shrugged in response.

"Hey, I'm not saying she didn't deserve it, but you get sore after about the hundredth turnip! We both have done some purr-retty incredible things I'd say." Jaune bobbed his head proudly, crossing his arms across his armored chest. Weiss stared at him wordlessly. "Yep, I think team Jaune could use a girl like you." Jaune gave Pyrrha the cheesiest smile he had. She returned a warm, pleased smile and Ruby covered her mouth to suppress a happy squeak at Jaune's successful efforts to cheer their new friend up. Jaune gave Weiss a confident smile. "So Pyrrha and I are on board, how about you, Weiss? You don't just get her, but me too. I'm _great_ at foot massages."

The color of Weiss's face drained, and though she did her best to hide it, she gagged loudly and shuddered at his leering. "Ahem." Weiss stood, lifting her tray of half-eaten toast and bananas while focusing solely on Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, it was a pleasure to meet you. We should try and partner up during the test." It was the most positive contribution to the conversation Weiss had offered since Ruby had sat down. It was almost pleasant, if not for the withering look she flashed at Ruby and Jaune.

Pyrrha politely bowed her head at Weiss, though Ruby was fairly certain her tone was less warm than when speaking to herself or their male companion. "I plan to let the chips land where they may, Weiss. Are you leaving already?"

Weiss looked to Jaune, then to Ruby. Her gaze lingered, and Ruby felt cornered as Weiss spoke icily. "Yes. When we have better informed company, we can have a more constructive conversation. Goodbye." Weiss walked away. Ruby and Jaune both watched her leave, though Jaune reached out.

"Hey, uh, we'll see you later right?!" He called, but if she had heard him she pretended otherwise, and pointedly kept an aggressive stride away from them. He sighed loudly, picking at his breakfast as he dreamily watched her strut.

Weiss turned left at the end of the row of tables and immediately whipped around to go right instead as a familiar figure sashayed her way down the aborted path. Heads turned and conversations slowed as Yang, in her revealing hunter's outfit, walked with a gorgeous confidence and a little sway in her hips that ensured neither man nor woman could resist staring.

A twinge of regret passed through Ruby's tummy as her older sister stopped at their table, setting a tray with a bowl full of grits and a small pile of bacon right by Pyrrha. The redhead was staring up at Yang with an expression of disbelief and curiosity as Yang slid into the open seat. "Hi." Yang shot Pyrrha a very favorable smile, and the latter couldn't help but work up a nervous grin and a small blush.

"Hello. My name is Pyrrha Nikos." She said almost robotically as Yang eyed her up briefly. Her gaze lingered below Pyrrha's chin noticeably longer than Jaune's had and Pyrrha's ears began to turn red.

"Thought so. I heard rumors about you coming to this school." Yang put on a very fake pout. "I was hoping to take the top spot this year and be even _more_ popular and awe-inspiring, but I guess that's gunna be impossible." Yang scooted, narrowing the gap between herself and an increasingly tense Pyrrha. She flashed the redhead a winning grin. "Still, I guess it's not _all_ bad. Got room on your friends list for me?" Yang almost purred as she ran a finger in a slow circle on the table between them.

Pyrrha seemed somewhere between befuddled and flattered as Yang grinned at her. Ruby puffed up her cheeks and slung an orange slice at Yang's cheek, making the older girl's smile turn plastic. "Yang, she told you her name. Quit _flirting_ and tell her yours!"

Yang smacked her hands on the table and gave Ruby the stink eye. "Ruby! What did I tell you about first impressions?!" Yang huffed at her younger sister, deflecting an apple slice with a casual backhand.

"I was here first, so stop trying to get into her pants while we're talking!" Ruby accused, and Yang gasped loudly. Jaune made a choking noise and scrambled to wash down his scrambled eggs.

" _Ruby!_ Where do you get these ideas?" Yang snapped, her sultry facade ruined. Pyrrha tried to hide a nervous smile as she inched away from Yang and Jaune examined the two girls with the most fascinated look on his face. "I'm just trying to make friends with a world-class gladiator and huntress!"

"She's also Pumpkin Pete!" Jaune managed through a mouthful of corn flakes. Ruby and Pyrrha both gave him a slightly betrayed look, but it was worth it to see Yang perk up and to drag this all out a bit longer!

Yang turned back towards Pyrrha, and her face lit up in recognition. "Holy crap you are! I used to eat you _all the time."_ Yang wiggled her eyebrows, though unlike Jaune, Ruby was sure this was on purpose.

"Yang, I appreciate the attempt, but I am heterosexual." Pyrrha squirmed in silent discomfort. She _did_ seem genuinely flattered as Yang dropped her spoon, eyes wide.

"W-well of course you are!" She forced out a rusty excuse for a chuckle. "I'm just- it's a joke! Right Ruby?" Yang looked to Ruby with a big, goofy grin. Ruby raised her eyebrows wordlessly. Yang reached over and tugged Ruby's collar, leaning across the table, giving Jaune a breathtaking view, her voice a low hiss of a whisper. " _Please_ laugh?"

"Jaune already made that joke though! Where else can you go with it?" Ruby whispered back with a frown. Yang grit her teeth, looking sideways at the staring Pyrrha. "Oh!" Ruby suddenly perked up. "You used to eat it with milk all the time. Maybe something about making her _wet?"_ It was the first time in days that Ruby got to feel genuinely smug. She could see why Weiss liked it so much.

Yang stared silently at Ruby, aghast, as Pyrrha's face turned bright red, hands over her mouth as Jaune looked into his glass of orange juice suspiciously. " _RUBY!"_ Yang gasped. She let Ruby's collar go in shock, causing the younger girl to plop back into her chair with a tiny squeak. Silently, Yang put her hand on Ruby's head and rubbed affectionately. She cracked a small smirk. "Maybe I _am_ rubbing off on you. Dad'll be pissed."

The two sisters began to giggle. Ruby laid her head against the table as she laughed in relief while Yang held her belly and threw back her head for a loud, warm cackle. Pyrrha just stared, not sure what was happening before Ruby lifted her head and caught her breath. "Yang?" She said, suddenly serious. Yang stifled her giggling to focus. "I'm sorry if I made you mad last night, I just- I didn't think it was the right thing to do…"

Yang's smile stayed for a few seconds, then turned into a slight frown, and she let out an annoyed growl. "But that Schnee girl was a _bitch._ For like, _no reason._ I couldn't just let her get away with that attitude!" Yang bristled, and Ruby nodded.

"I know, I know. I really appreciate you trying to protect me, but…"

"You think I made things worse." Yang grumbled as she stared down at her grits, stirring it listlessly while her eyes lost their playful glimmer. She took a moment, her expression souring more as she thought about it. "Sorry if I embarrassed you." She mumbled.

"No, it's- I'm- I'm sorry I made you mad." Ruby ducked her head low, now playing with her cloak where it attached to her dress. Pyrrha and Jaune both mechanically shoveled food into their mouths, trying to give the two sisters some privacy while soaking in every moment of the drama. "I know you were trying to protect me."

"Just…" Yang let out a distressed sound. "I don't want you getting _bullied."_ Yang fixed Ruby with a concerned look, resting her hand on top of Ruby's to squeeze gently. "I want you to have fun here. Like, okay, not _everything_ will be fun, but meeting people, making friends, training together… you should get to have all that, just like the rest of us."

Ruby nodded slowly, taking Yang's hand in both of hers and squeezing tightly, wanting the comfort of her older sister, wanting all this anger to just subside so they could go back to being best friends again. She looked up to Yang with a small, hopeful smile, and Yang returned it.

"There we go. That's the smile I wanna see." Yang reached out to rub Ruby's head. Ruby leaned into it, nearly cooing and her smile growing. Both of them stopped as they heard a loud, dramatic sniff. They turned to look at Pyrrha, whose hands were over her mouth, her eyes wet.

"Sorry." She whispered, blinking back her tears. "Please ignore me. Just, I one day hope to have such an honest, loving relationship." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself while the two girls looked to one another, then back to her.

"Y-you don't think we're…?" Yang pointed to herself and then Ruby. Ruby blanched.

"They're actually sisters." Jaune chimed in softly, causing Pyrrha to stiffen. He dared not look at any of them, because if he did, he would break down in laughter and he had the distinct impression that Yang might murder him for it.

"Yeah!" Yang nodded, touching Ruby's hand. "Ruby's my little sister, she got in early. I'm just watching out for her. I'm all for free love but if I was _actually_ committed I wouldn't be hitting on shapely redheads." Ruby opened her mouth as if to refute that, but shook her head. Yang paused as Pyrrha glanced down at herself over the compliment. "One sec. Who the heck are you?" She asked Jaune as if he'd just materialized.

"He's Jaune." Ruby answered. "The guy who threw up on my shoes? He helped me clean them and was there when I exploded. He's nice." Ruby shrugged. Jaune nodded and raised his hand, giving a sloppy little half-wave.

"Oh." Yang stared at Jaune in surprise. By her side, Pyrrha was fanning herself, her cheeks red for an entirely different reason. "Well, thanks Jaune. Guessing you two got to talk a bit? Be friends?" She asked hopefully.

Jaune smiled at her with a nod. "Yeah, Ruby's nice. She had good things to say about you too." He pointed to her chest. "So, in the spirit of sharing and honesty you've brought to the table, I'm just gonna say it… You have incredible boobs."

The whole table went quiet, and Yang looked to Ruby, who shrugged. Pyrrha set her shoulders and darted her eyes from her chest to Yang's while the others were distracted. Yang slowly turned back towards Jaune. "Thanks? Stare all you want but, uh..."

"Yeah yeah, I'm just sayin'! No offense, but even if we were… compatible… you're _really_ not my type, just practicing so I'm not a total wreck when it's time to express myself for real." Jaune shrugged, and Yang raised a curious eyebrow, her shoulders relaxing.

"Oh _really?_ What am I missing, loverboy?" Yang jabbed a piece of bacon with her fork and waved it threateningly at Jaune.

"You're not missing anything, I just like a certain kind of girl." Jaune stretched his arms behind his head confidently, showing a level of ease that Ruby rarely saw in boys around Yang. "Somebody classical." He turned his head, watching Weiss walk a rich girl's walk to the doors. He sighed gently. He jumped as a slice of bacon smacked his cheek.

"Well, if you want to get a classical girl, opening up on their chest isn't the best start." Yang snickered, and Jaune stuck his tongue out at her tauntingly.

"I _won't,_ I just thought yours was special!"

"They _are_ special, thank you!"

Jaune gave her a dismissive wave and watched Weiss leave the hall. He huffed, then stood, smiling at the three girls. "I'm gonna go, uh, prepare or something. See ya!" He walked towards the exit. Yang watched him with amused disbelief, Ruby ate, Pyrrha… Pyrrha admired the way his jeans framed his rear.

"Okay, you can keep him." Yang snickered at Ruby. Ruby looked up, mouth full, and made a confused noise.

Pyrrha shifted in place, but couldn't help but grin at the sentiment.

* * *

"Have everything?" Yang asked as she counted her spare shotgun bandoliers before rolling them up tightly and putting them in her ammo pouches. She cocked her hips to make her loose belt shimmy, and called it a win when it didn't slide down.

"Um, clothes." Ruby pinched the cloth of her dress. "Goggles." She poked the side of her headwear. "Crescent Rose!" She bounced, feeling her weapon jostle on her back. "Uh, err, ammo." Ruby opened her belt pouches and squeezed a long, thin sniper round. "Rations!" She opened a pouch on her back and pulled out a cookie. She giggled secretively as she smelled the chocolate in the treat. Yang sighed.

"Cookies aren't real food, Ruby." Yang chided, holding up a nutrient bar she took from the cafeteria. Even though Yang definitely would have prefered a bag of jerky and a bowl of gravy, the nutrient bar was made specifically for hunters, packed with ingredients that encouraged aura restoration, not to mention enough calories to keep a body going all day long.

"You shut your dirty mouth, heathen!" Ruby hissed at her older sister, cradling the cookie like an offended idol.

"She is correct, Ruby." Ruby blinked as a chocolate-flavored health bar was suddenly shoved in front of her face. She sneered at it, causing Pyrrha to wiggle it tauntingly. "We must anticipate immense pressure to succeed and numerous obstacles on this mission. We should take every precaution, including securing reliable nutrition while we can." Pyrrha bluntly reminded the younger girl, but with a sweet, trustworthy smile.

"See? Listen to the fightmaster, she _knows_ I'm right." Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, making the girl puff up her cheeks childishly before reluctantly slipping the nutrient bar into her pouch along with her more savory treats.

"Fiiiiiine." Ruby sighed. Yang and Pyrrha both turned towards each other as if to start a conversation, but whirled back as Ruby let out a sudden scream. Ruby was securely wrapped in the arms of a redheaded girl just a touch taller than herself.

"Sweetiepie! How ya been, lover?" Nora chirped, hugging Ruby from behind tightly. Yang could imagine Ruby's big black and red eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"N-nora!" Ruby rasped as the giggling redhead lifted her and rocked her back and forth. "N-not… g-gi-girlfriends…" Ruby managed to get out, before she was unceremoniously dropped onto her feet. Nora clasped her hands by her cheek and wiggled in delight as Ruby struggled to regain her balance.

"Yo." Yang raised a hand to Nora. Nora's eyes widened and she dived to high-five her immediately, giving Yang a gigantic smile. Yang wrung her hand out with an impressed whistle, her palm a fresh shade of pink. "Ruby didn't tell me she had a girlfriend already." Yang grinned at the lively new girl as Ruby's face burned.

Nora grabbed Ruby's shoulders and pulled her close, fondly stroking her cheeks as Ruby whimpered in terror. "I was informed that this poor, sweet, _lonely_ young soul was in desperate need of somebody who would hear her lamenting and woes, to cheer her on to victory, to soothe her very _ego!"_ Nora extolled dramatically, then let out a calming breath and rubbed Ruby's arm. "But really I know a thing or two about feeling lonely so I thought why not tell her angst where to shove it and you know how it is: one thing lead to another and before we know it we're all over each other!" Nora beamed as a she finished her explanation.

"She hugs me without asking!" Ruby clarified with a pouty stomp of her foot. Nora made a move as if to pounce her, and Ruby squeaked, holding her arms up to block her before Nora straightened up with a goofy laugh.

Yang guffawed, while Pyrrha smiled at the delightful silliness of the girl. "I'm glad to hear that that you two are getting on so well. I am Pyrrha Nikos, a pleasure to meet you… Nora, was it?"

"Nora Valkyrie!" Nora planted a hand on her hip and held two fingers over her eye with a cheesy grin and a wink. "Oooh, you're the Mistral champ girl, right?" Nora flitted around Pyrrha, who laughed nervously.

"Yes, that's me. The Mistral champ girl…" Pyrrha let out a faint sigh, which Nora gleefully ignored.

"Cool!" Nora slapped Pyrrha's ass, making the taller girl straighten, stiff as a board, her face a mask of confusion. "Well watch it out there missy, Nora Valkyrie takes no prisoners!" She popped up in front of Pyrrha and made an 'I see you' gesture. "I'm gunna kick your butt."

"Is that so?" Pyrrha asked, rubbing her bottom and raising an eyebrow at the girl's confidence. "Well, I look forward to meeting your challenge in the ring sometime, Nora."

Nora rocked back and forth with a cheery grin as Yang checked out the new girl's legs. All four girls turned as Lie Ren approached with his scroll in hand. "Nora, have you told her?" He looked up, and Nora gasped.

"No!" Nora threw an arm around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her close. Ruby cringed, fearing for her neck's safety as Nora tightened her grip, driving Ruby's head back into the pillowy confines of Nora's bust. Pyrrha could only giggle at the sight and Yang struggled between expressing annoyance and jealousy. "Girlfriend, guess what? You, me, and Ren are in the same eight person group!"

"Th-that's great!" Ruby squeaked, trying to push Nora's arms off of her. Nora did not relent, tightening her grip like a python as Ruby flailed.

"You betcha! Just remeeembeeeer!" Nora touched Ruby's nose with her free hand, then lowered her head to give Ruby a smile that showed only teeth and _hate._ "Lie Ren is _my_ partner. Okaaaaaaay?" Ruby bobbed her head rapidly in terror, and Nora let her go with a happy whoop! "Then we're all good! Thanks sugarbottom!"

Nora danced over to Ren, who was shaking Pyrrha's and Yang's hands in a very formal fashion. Not once did his gaze travel below their chins, to the point Yang began to feel a tiny bit offended. He turned his attention to Nora when she sidled up against his side, throwing an arm over his shoulders and relaxing against him in a manner that did not scream "friends." Ren looked over Nora's body, specifically fixating on her belt. "Did you remember everything?" He asked when their eyes met again.

"Clothes, undies, hammer, ammo, I'm all set!" Nora bounced in place, and Ren hummed mysteriously. He untangled himself from Nora's grip to reach into his pocket and pull out two very small black devices. Yang and Pyrrha's eyes both locked onto them while Ruby craned her head to try and see what had their interest. Though Ren did not try to hide the objects from them, he kept his hand cupped as if somebody else would be spying on them.

"Aren't those communicators?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow. Nora took one out of Ren's hand and gave him a lewd smile. She pushed it through the heart-shaped hole on her shirt, down into her cleavage and gave a few mesmerizing hops, ensuring it was firmly stuck. She gave her partner twin thumbs up, as if she'd just overcome some critical trial.

Ren was staring down at Nora's chest, but his expression stayed relaxed. Rather than comment, he took his communicator between two fingers and popped it into his mouth, sliding it back between his molar and cheek. He looked to Yang while wiping his fingers on the hem of his shirt. "Rules state that any electronic devices found will be confiscated."

"Ah. If they do not _find_ any devices…" Pyrrha said in an understanding tone, but her gaze pierced right through the boy. "Still, to be so _loose_ with the rules..." Ren worked his jaw, and gave Pyrrha a small, embarrassed nod as he stared at the floor.

"It may seem deceptive, but I would very much like to partner with Nora." To distract them from further questioning, he held up his scroll and showed it to Pyrrha and Yang. "We are all entering at the same time."

The Scroll showed eight names: Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Nora Valkyrie. They were each slotted for the first launch, at which point the next group would be sent into the forest five minutes after.

"Ugh. The _Schnee."_ Yang crinkled her nose, and Ren pocketed his scroll.

"Well, I am pleased to have met most of my future teammates early then." Pyrrha nodded pleasantly, looking at the gathered students before shifting her gaze to a clock on the wall. "It appears that we have thirty minutes to make it to the testing ground…" She paused to affix a sturdy bronze shield to her back. "I believe I will head there early, take the extra time to focus myself. Best of luck to you all." Pyrrha gave a polite, short bow, and Yang gave her a friendly punch to the arm.

"We'll catch up out there, champ." She said with a smile. Pyrrha took a step away, but lingered when she heard Ren speak.

"We'll be going too." He nodded before turning to Nora. "You're sure you have everything?"

"Clothes, undies, hammer, ammo, cheats. I'm ready!" Nora insisted, but Ren did not look satisfied. After a couple of seconds, he developed a small, disappointed frown. "Aww, c'mon! Don't tell me there's _more."_ Nora pat down her hips as Ren audibly sighed.

"Such a difficult girl. One more thing." Ren leaned down. Pyrrha, Yang, and Ruby stared silently as Ren and Nora's lips touched, Nora's cheeks pinkening furiously before Ren stood up straight and adjusted his shirt, his frown now a very warm little smile. "Let's go."

"Okay~..." Nora managed airily, following Ren with a skip in her step.

Ruby watched after the two with a shocked expression, her eyes trailing them until they vanished outside… and staying locked on the now-empty doorway. Yang rolled her eyes and jabbed Ruby with her elbow, jolting the smaller girl's mind back into gear. "Uh, Ruby? I think your girlfriend's a little loose. Maybe you two need to have a chat?" Yang raised an accusing eyebrow and Pyrrha was not fast enough to cover her mouth before a sharp bark of a laugh escaped her at Ruby's baleful expression.

" _She's not my girlfriend!"_ The youngest student in Beacon roared, to the amusement of all.

* * *

Yang tugged her gloves tighter and adjusted Ember Celica on her wrists for the upteenth time as she walked down the forested path with her sister a half-step behind her. Yang looked over at Ruby, who was squeezing the clasps of her cloak tightly as she kept her head bowed towards the road ahead. Yang noted an uncharacteristic lack of talking or bouncing from her little sister. "... Nervous?" She asked, causing Ruby to skitter aside and snap her head up toward Yang's voice.

"Who, me?" Ruby answered, a squeaking tremor in her voice. She continued her march towards their launching location on wobbly legs as her hands shook gently. "Naaaaah." She waved one hand casually, then grabbed her clasps again and double-downed on the squeezing, her delicate knuckles turning white.

"Good to hear." Yang grinned at her shivering sister, resting a hand on her shoulder to keep her at the same pace when Ruby began to lag behind.

Ruby squirmed at the touch, wanting to bury herself in her sister's side and go hide in the woods all at the same time, but that's not what she came here for. No more coddling, no more hiding, it was time to prove she could live her dream. She wasn't used to being judged by strangers, she knew what Uncle Qrow, her dad, and Yang would say according to her mess-ups and successes, but now she had to impress new people, measure up to their expectations of her ability to match students two years ahead of her.

Ruby rolled the situation around in her head, then turned to stare up at the strutting blonde beside her. She was familiar with Yang, she was at ease with Yang, Yang knew how to compensate for her own mistakes. "Should we have a code or something?" Ruby asked, straightening her arms in an attempt to get them under control.

"For what?" Yang quirked an eyebrow, and Ruby pouted.

"I dunno, for teaming up! Like, if we draw from a blind bag, maybe spritz your perfume on the piece of paper that has your name or something." Ruby tried to sound hopeful, but her sister's eye-roll was not encouraging.

Yang sighed. "First off, I didn't bring perfume. Second, even if I had, the perfume would get on all the other papers even if you were a scent hound. Thirdly, no. We're not cheating. We're rolling the dice on this one, and that's that." Yang did not like the idea of gaming the system at all. She overlooked Lie Ren and that Nora girl because she didn't want to get between the two of them.

"But- I mean, we'd be such great partners." Ruby visibly paled as she stared at Yang, who refused to look at her as they walked. "You're a close-quarters fighter, I'm good at all ranges _but_ close-quarters. The two of us-"

" _Might_ be partners, might not be." Yang reminded her. "Don't push it Ruby. This'll be good for us." Yang ran her fingers through her gold hair, hoping beyond hope that this was indeed a good thing. "We're going to meet new people, we're going to learn to work with strangers, we're going to have a team with hunters we don't recognize, and we're going to succeed, alright? So just… don't push it."

"But Nora and Ren are pushing it…" Ruby muttered, and Yang let out a little snort.

"Yeah, and we're not sinking to _those_ weirdos' levels. Seriously, that guy never looked down past my face even _once."_ Yang shook her head.

"Because he's a _gentleman,_ and Nora has a nice chest so he's probably used to it." Ruby grumbled.

"Oooh, you _did_ notice!"

" _Shut up Yang!"_

The two broke through the sea of tree trunks, still bickering, and found themselves standing near the edge of a cliff. Jaune, Weiss, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, and Blake were already there, stretching, speaking in hushed tones, or in Jaune's case, trying to carry a conversation with an extremely disgruntled Weiss. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch were quietly conversing by eight small metal pads built into the ground, though Ozpin noticed the approached pair and turned towards them.

Ruby met his eyes and a small smile formed on her face. Ozpin returned it, but Professor Goodwitch strode forward and blocked Ruby's view, her voice ringing out to command attention. "Students, we're starting in five minutes. Though I doubt you have the time to go retrieve anything else, take stock of what you have and prepare yourselves." After pausing to see if anyone could somehow need clarification on her very straightforward directions, Professor Goodwitch returned to Ozpin's side and began assessing a large scroll pad.

Ruby looked over to Yang, who had her arms crossed under her chest, subconsciously lifting her bust as she scanned the surrounding teens. Ren was talking to Nora as she shimmied in place, though with the way her mouth was running a mile a minute, it was more likely she was supplying every part of the so-called conversation. Pyrrha approached Jaune with an almost hesitant pause in her step, just as Weiss stormed away from him. Jaune acknowledged Pyrrha, and immediately seemed embarrassed. Weiss was soon standing by herself on one of the metal pads, staring down at her heels, while a Blake sat cross-legged under the shade of a tree, not that Yang knew her name. She thought the bow was cute, at least.

"Yang?" Yang broke off her observation and looked down at Ruby, who delicately tugged at her jacket's sleeve. "If we get paired, you won't be disappointed, will you?" She asked in a very meek voice. Yang pursed her lips, and calmingly stroked Ruby's hair.

"Of course not." Yang's tone was warmer than spring as she gently pulled Ruby against her side and smiled. "I just- um. Heh, no easy way to put this…" Yang looked down at her stiff legs, realizing she was locking her knees, and immediately crossed them at the ankles to enter a much more casual stance, leaning some of her weight onto her sister. "You haven't gotten out much. I want to be the coolest big sister to you, and sometimes that means butting out and letting you get in a little trouble on your own. I can't be watching you your whole life… it'd get creepy."

Ruby slowly nodded, though Yang wasn't sure she understood. Ruby had always clung to Yang for safety, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to even go to Vale by herself. Considering the results, Yang had hoped it would boost Ruby's confidence, but… "But if we do get paired?" Ruby asked.

Yang thought about it for a moment, and her lips curled up into a smile. "Then we'll be one hell of a wrecking crew, won't we?" She held up her fist. Ruby's face lit up and returned the fist bump eagerly. Truth be told, Yang would have been perfectly happy to have Ruby as a partner. Despite her incomplete training and naivety, Ruby was a capable and reliable little fighter. There was nothing wrong with her skills that a couple months of formal practice wouldn't refine to a deadly edge, and Yang had realized long ago that Ruby's style covered many of her own more glaring weaknesses. Yang was a close range fighter, with Ember Celica's shotgun-style dust-rounds only adding upwards of maybe twenty-feet of effective range. Ruby's longer reach may not have helped her in a one-on-one confrontation, but when the both of them went Grimm hunting together in place of their father a few times, Yang discovered Ruby's range and speed gave Yang a wider safety bubble beyond the range of her fists, giving her precious seconds to reload or select the most favorable target.

Yang suddenly snapped Ruby up into a tight one-armed hug, spreading her legs for balance as she laughed and ruffled her hair. All logic aside, Yang was not thrilled by the idea of needing to constantly tend to her sister in a school full of new people she might want to seduce in the near future. Of course she wanted to keep Ruby nearby, safe, and happy… but Yang had her own desires to explore and was in the perfect environment to do so. Not to mention it was the perfect environment for Ruby to break out of her shell and that would be best served by her little sister having someone new to focus on.

In a nice, innocent way of course. Yang silently crushed Ruby to her side harder, her purple eyes slowly burning to red as a frown tugged at her lips. Her little sister was still off limits, anyone interested in her would need Yang's approval. No perv was gunna get in Ruby's pants while Yang was still strong enough to crush their scrawny, worthless necks...

"Y-Yang?"

There'd be a nice interrogation before there would even be a _kiss._ She'd left her notebook on the subject back at Beacon, but she knew from memory that no one was going to get to first-base with Ruby until at least date three, Yang meeting four...

"Yang?!"

Yang blinked down at her sister, finally noticing that her face was mashed against the side of her breast with a terrified expression. "Oops!" Yang let Ruby go, and the younger girl took several _deep_ and no doubt exaggerated relieved breaths. "Sorry sis!" Yang stroked her hair nervously, then noticed Jaune gazing wistfully at Weiss again. Her expression turned back into unyielding steel. "You remember the code word, right?" Yang asked seriously, poking Ruby's nose to get her attention.

"Ugh." Ruby rolled her eyes. "'Could you sweep up the rose petals from the garden?'" Ruby recited in monotone.

Yang slapped Ruby's back proudly, making Ruby pout! "That's my girl." Ruby rolled her eyes. Yang, of course, had her own code word. 'The sun can't sleep tonight.' As far as Ruby was aware, Yang had never used hers. Ruby had used hers precisely once, but she was itty bitty back then.

"So. _Weird."_ Ruby shook her head, unable to read her sister's overprotective thoughts. Ruby let out a tiny sigh, and Yang shook her head clear of glorious daydreams about justifiable murder to hear her sister out. "Look, I know that between all of us here," Ruby gestured towards the other six, "we probably won't get to be partners, but I-I just want to- I mean even if we _don't,_ you have my back, right?"

"Of course." Yang answered without hesitation, as if doing otherwise wasn't even an option. "Look Ruby, we're both going to have all sorts of friends, partners, and teams, but you and me? We're sisters. No matter what, no matter who, no matter where, I got your back." Yang bent over, making sure she was eye level with her sister. "Stop worrying, okay?"

Ruby nodded slowly, taking one last deep breath as she looked among the many people there. Yang rested a hand on her back and they examined their fellow students together. Ren was quiet, but seemed pleasant. Ruby was only scared that Nora might actually kill her if she ended up with him. Speaking of Nora, she was… huggy, and a little too teasing, but was nice in a sugar-rush sort of way. Pyrrha seemed _amazing._ Tournament winner or not, she was sweet and so understanding, Ruby felt more at ease just watching her giggle at Jaune. Jaune seemed to sense Ruby was looking at him, and his eyes met her lenses. They shared a small, friendly smile. Jaune was super nice, she'd be happy to be his partner… even if he did seem weirdly into Weiss.

"I'm gonna go mingle. Try to do the same, okay?" Yang raised an eyebrow at Ruby, who gently nodded as Yang walked past her to greet the others. She melded into social situations naturally, so much so that Ruby felt a pang of envy for how confident her sister was. It wasn't just her natural beauty, it was how well she could read people, how she could play off anything as a joke, how she could always say the right thing to diffuse an awkward silence.

Ruby turned her head. Sitting in the shade, Blake Belladonna watched the gathered students with appraising eyes, looking content where she was. Ruby didn't know how to feel about Blake. She seemed friendly, and she liked books, and that was enough for Ruby to feel a potential friendship.

However, there was one possibility…

Ruby turned her head and found herself eye to eye with Weiss. Ruby hadn't even heard the girl walk up behind her, and Ruby immediately raised her hands in shock and hopped back a pace. Weiss planted her hands firmly on her hips and wore an expression like Ruby was a particularly ugly lamp sitting on a table made of solid gold encrusted with hand-cut diamonds.

"H-hi Weiss." Ruby squeaked, desperate to end the silent staring contest and earning a dismissive roll of the Schnee girl's eyes.

"I have a question." Weiss all but growled. Ruby frowned, but a part of her convinced her head to nod, in morbid curiosity, hoping this might go somewhere constructive. "What do you gain by being _coddled?"_ She asked with an accusing, angry tone.

"H-huh?" Ruby mumbled. So, that's what dying hope tasted like.

"What do you get letting big, blonde, and bloated pat your back, rub your head, and tell you that everything will be okay?" Weiss grit her teeth. "Do you _really_ think you're going to become a _huntress_ by staying in your little hugbox?"

"My…" Ruby gulped as Weiss's fuse only seemed to get shorter with each passing second. "My hugbox?"

"You're expected to be a protector of the people! Out in the wild, fighting the Grimm, you won't have a walking life-coach and personal cheer-squad to rub your head into for comfort and tell you 'everything's going to be okay.'" Weiss was moving her hands in a measured, but clearly furious fashion. Not a single hand came anywhere close to Ruby, but her outrage was apparent. "Every time I've been blighted by your presence, there's always been somebody telling you 'it'll be okay', somebody's bending over backwards to make you feel safe and _comfortable._ Professor Goodwitch _and_ Professor Ozpin held you back to talk to you _personally_ and I have _strong_ doubts that it was to tell you that you aren't ready! Your sister is so busy fussing over you like a an infant she doesn't realize how stupid she looks while she does it! And to top it all off, somehow you've even got _Pyrrha Nikos_ and that slack-jawed blonde hick over there acting as if this is just a game and that we'll all walk home with participation trophies." Weiss hissed.

"I-I don't-" Ruby wasn't sure what to say to the girl. The entire time Ruby had been here, it had felt like a trainwreck on top of a disaster that's only just started to alleviate with the help of some nice people. "I know why I'm _here,_ I know the _stakes."_ Ruby insisted.

"I _really_ don't think you do." Weiss narrowed her eyes at Ruby, her glare so piercing, it seemed if she could read her very Aura. "The real world isn't going to give you hugs, say nice things, or scold bullies for you. The real world is going to expect you to sort out your own problems, put up with how bad it can feel to just wake up some mornings, and still _walk the walk_ as if you aren't dieing inside _._ You're going to fail a _lot_ here, Ruby Rose, in tiny ways that only sting a bit and in big ways that would make _real_ huntresses-in-training doubt what they were thinking by applying to Beacon. If you can't manage to pick yourself up and pull your baggage together, you should really consider going home and sparing the rest of us the embarrassment of being associated with you."

Ruby stared at the girl. The ugliness in her glare, the fury in her stance… the misery in her frown. Ruby shivered a tiny bit. She was so intense, her negativity almost pulling Ruby down. It made her wonder… "I-I know all that. I'm trying… I just- it's hard to-"

"Save it. If you even make it past this test without seriously dragging down whoever's unlucky enough to get _you_ as a partner, I sincerely hope we'll never have to speak to each other again." She thumped her forefinger against Ruby's sternum, making the younger girl hiccup at the sudden contact. "So take my advice: the only person who can make anything okay is yourself, thinking everybody around you is willing to put their personal time and comfort on hold for _you_ just because _you're_ hurt, _you're_ scared, _you_ feel bad is absurd and _obnoxious."_ Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, fixating on Ruby intently enough to make her wonder if Weiss saw her as some new species of Grimm.

Ruby gulped, frowned, and struggled for words. A terrible eternity of silence seemed to draw out before she dared to look Weiss in the eye and respond. "Weiss…" Ruby spoke as carefully could to avoid stuttering. "You... don't get very many hugs, do you?"

Weiss's eyes widened furiously. She squeezed her arms tighter around her chest and ground her perfect pearly white teeth together, making Ruby step back in sudden fear that the girl had taken enough offense to attack her. Weiss, however, stomped her foot and swung her arms down in barely held anger. "Schnees are _defined_ by our self-reliance and problem-solving skills without relying on the help of a bunch of bleeding-heart _riffraff._ We don't need _hugs!"_ Weiss chewed her lower lip, trying not to spit in open distaste.

Ruby nodded weakly, taking several large steps away from Weiss before the girl stomped off, either satisfied she'd cowed Ruby or unable to sort through her rage in Ruby's presence.

Ruby watched after her, making sure she didn't surge back. When it seemed clear, she let out a relieved sigh before instinctively glancing towards Yang. She was holding her belly, laughing as Nora gesticulated and spoke wildly. Ren, Pyrrha, and Jaune were equally focused on whatever joke or story was being told. Ruby wanted to rush to Yang and hide behind her, clinging to her for warmth and sobbing into her hair… but something Weiss had said struck a chord…

She had been getting a lot of gentle treatment since arriving here. The strangers here were kind, open to being friends, acknowledging her headwear without questions or trying to sneak peeks past them. Professor Ozpin had showed her nothing but kindness and near fatherly comfort, even Professor Goodwitch, despite her obvious distaste for her powers, had declared her desire to help Ruby reach her potential.

But… why was that _bad?_ Everybody here was human, it was their unspoken duty to bind together and provide each other simple necessities. Food, shelter, even comfort, love, and understanding. All her books told her that the goodness in humanity banded together to banish the evil and provide each other with happy lives. It's why she wanted to be a huntress, so she could guard the people who wanted to live without ever picking up a weapon.

Of course it wouldn't all be hugs and soft words of comfort… Ruby was already familiar with how cruel the world could be towards something that was out of the ordinary, but all of this was a refreshing change of pace. Ruby stared at Weiss as she pressed both hands against a tree and leaned forward in obvious distress, though Ruby could barely guess at what could still be bothering her.

Ruby stared at the ground in thought until a pair of gentle footsteps got her attention. Blake was giving her a sympathetic look without smiling. "I wouldn't worry too much about whatever it is she said." Blake told her, gesturing towards Weiss in the distance. "The Schnee family has built itself up on the backs of others. If she's trying to make you feel bad, it's because it's the only way her family can feel good about themselves."

"O-oh." Ruby wasn't sure what to think of that as Blake quietly stretched. Ruby's eyes were once more drawn to Blake's long, perfectly molded legs, and an unmistakable, furious blush filled her cheeks. It was a welcome distraction from chasing her own thoughts about Weiss, though she still covered her face in embarrassment when she noticed Blake was looking down at her.

"You are not big on subtlety, are you Ruby?" Blake noted with a somewhat exasperated sigh. She watched Ruby stammer and fidget a moment, then allowed herself the ghost of a smile as she tilted her head in curiosity. "Is there anyone here you're trying to partner with?" She asked curiously, looking towards the five students forming a circle several yards away.

Ruby somewhat reluctantly looked away from Blake and towards the other five students, immediately resting her eyes on Yang. The tall blonde was regaling the rest with a story, looking confident and strong. Then she looked to Pyrrha, who wore a sunny smile and had a demure stance, looking approachable and friendly. Then Jaune, whose arms were casually behind his head, currently seized with laughter as Yang reached the obvious conclusion to her tale. She looked back to Blake with a little smile. "Yeah. I do. You?" She asked curiously.

Blake watched them all, but quietly shook her head. She sighed at Ruby thoughtfully. "Anyone but the Schnee will do. Though, I don't think I'd mind you and me on the same team." Blake offered with an unsure expression. Ruby knew that look from seeing it in a mirror too many times. Ruby smiled up at Blake and gave her a reassuring nod.

"That sounds fun! Though, it might get boring if all we talk about is books." Ruby chuckled at the thought. Blake examined her face, her eyes inevitably settling on her goggles. Like many times before, Ruby felt bad that she couldn't show her her eyes.

"I don't know. There's a _lot_ of books out there." Blake countered. She had a nice smile, small and warm, despite her usual distance from everybody else.

"Students!" Professor Goodwitch called, clapping her hands for extra emphasis. Ruby and Blake both gave the professor their attention, the rest of the students calming down to hear her out. All of them slowly approached her as she spoke. "Each of you are to choose a launchpad and stand directly in the center of it. Professor Ozpin will now answer any questions you may have about your initiation."

Each student did as instructed. Ren took one end, with Nora by his side. Then Yang, Ruby next to her, sandwiched in by Jaune, who had Pyrrha at his other shoulder, followed by Blake, and finally Weiss on the last pad closest to Glynda. Jaune slowly, worriedly turned to face Ruby. "Uh, hey." He gently tapped her arm with one knuckle.

"Hey, Jaune." She said, only half paying attention. She was too focused on the sudden desire to throw up on her own shoes… remembering how that went last time helped steel her nervous stomach.

"Did she say these were launchpads?" He asked with a nervous croak in his voice.

"Oh, um, I guess she did." Ruby tapped her foot against her pad testingly, not really thinking about the implications as Yang frowned at Ruby.

"Ya didn't join us." She pointed out. Ruby flushed, nodding, slightly ashamed but she couldn't help that now. She looked down past Yang, then towards the other end, looking to Blake, but then to Weiss. Weiss's stance was much less noble than usual, and she was staring silently at the ground as her left hand squeezed her sword's hilt.

"Well, now..." Ozpin called out, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and his scroll in the other. He began a slow walk, his eyes focusing on each student as he passed, starting with Nora. He wore a calm, collected expression, punctuating his words with a small wave of his scroll. "Today will be one of the most important days of your stay here at Beacon. Initiation will tell us a great many things about each and every one of you." He turned his scroll sideways to show the screen, displaying a view of the students as if there was a camera watching them from far off the cliffside, floating in midair. When Ruby scanned the horizon she barely noticed a helidrone floating in the distance, its camera focused on them. "But more importantly, it will decide who your partner will be for the next four years. Your partner will need to be somebody you can work well with and can compliment your fighting style. A successful partnership is the cornerstone of your training, the beginning of building skills, gaining experiences and making contacts that will define the rest of your lives as Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Professor Ozpin sipped from his coffee, Professor Goodwitch behind him tapping furiously at her scroll. Their eyes met, and Goodwitch signalled two fingers at him. He nodded and turned back towards the students.

"With all that in mind, once you enter the forest, your partner will be the first person whose eyes you meet." He sipped at his mug again, savoring the feeling of their unbelieving gazes as much as the rich flavor of his preferred blend. The eight students looked between themselves, minds racing to integrate this slipshod idea. Ruby felt herself pale at the thought. Eye-contact, really? Was Ozpin making fun of her? However, she looked to Jaune and Yang and took a deep breath. This didn't change anything. She was surrounded by people she liked. The odds were in her favor. "There will be no exceptions. You must be able to communicate and work alongside _any_ hunter in the battles to come, no matter who they may be… or how much they irritate you." The way his his eyes narrowed and his hand made the sturdy material of his crane creek had some of the students wondering if their Headmaster was speaking from experience.

Professor Goodwitch signalled once again, holding up one finger.

"Your objective is to reach the northern end of the forest and bring back one of the relics stored in the ruins there. Between here and there will be numerous Grimm, from the lowly Creep to the mighty Ursa. You must be prepared to destroy _anything_ in your path if you wish to survive, so if you have any worries of holding back for the sake of school property, don't. The life of a hunter is kill or be killed, and you will begin sharing that existence, starting now."

"Um, Professor Ozpin, uh, how are we entering the forest?" Jaune spoke rapidly as Professor Goodwitch hit one final button, and both teachers began to walk out of the way of the eight hunters.

"Your launchpads will send you on your way at somewhat randomized speeds and arcs towards your objective. Worry not, you will all land well within the bounds of the forest." Ozpin clarified.

Ruby slid Crescent Rose off of her back and released the safety. Her weapon, her beautiful, hand-crafted scythe unfolded to its full towering height, its massive curved blade hovering over Ruby's head like an umbrella as she took a deep breath. Yang slid on a pair of mirrored aviators, showing teeth with her most daring smile as she bent her knees for balance and stared down the trees ahead.

"Launchpads mean, uh, we're being thrown?!" Jaune asked in rising panic as Professor Goodwitch's scroll screen began to flash.

"Correct. This was much cheaper than renting a Bullhead to toss you all out of." Professor Ozpin gave him a friendly smile as Jaune made a loud, disbelieving laugh.

Everyone stood at the ready except Jaune, and Professor Goodwitch held up five fingers. Then four.

Then three.

Two.

One.

The launchpads' catches released with eight loud "thunks", and the eight students' views were filled with blurred greens and blues as they were shot through the air with enough force to drown out Yang's wild, happy yell.

The wind threw Ruby's hair and cloak back, her stomach feeling like it was visiting her kidneys as the sea of green beneath her looked like an endless ocean. ' _I can do this.'_ She told herself, unable to catch her breath as a dozen ideas ran through her head. However, uncle Qrow always made one thing very clear: 'Be efficient, not fancy.'

Reduce momentum, land as softly as possible. Ruby's aura went into overdrive to give her the strength to whip Crescent Rose's head forward, and she pulled the trigger. Her momentum suddenly skipped, the rushing through her ears dulling as the rifle let out a sharp bark, the bullet splitting the upper portion of a random tree in half.

Another two pulls and Ruby found her target: one big tree. She flew past it, Rose's blade catching onto the trunk, the sparks flashing between her aura and the bark as she used Rose to spin around the natural tower of wood. Her momentum was quickly drained as she spun towards the bottom, and she unhooked her weapon from the tree at the very last second.

She flew towards the ground at more manageable speeds and put her feet in front of her, legs bent, scythe overhead and blade angled away from her body. She connected with the ground, slid a foot, caught herself, then mismeasured what should have been a seamless rise to a standing posture.

She crashed face-first into the grass, Crescent Rose twirling through the air for a second before burrowing blade first into the dirt by her head. Ruby laid still for a second, her aura creating sympathetic pain all across her front to remind her that, shielded or not, crashing into the ground was _bad._ She let out an annoyed breath, ignoring the vanishing phantoms of damage she never actually took. She pushed herself off the ground, her aura still a vibrant black blotch over most of her torso from the impact, but quickly fading away.

She could imagine Uncle Qrow harshly reprimanding her for wasting so much potential defense due to a shoddy landing, and she knelt, gritting her teeth. She couldn't even do _that_ right, and it was the first step in the stupid test!

Ruby took a steadying breath. It was just this _one_ step she messed up on. She could do this. She could-

Her hand snagged Crescent Rose's pole, and Ruby swiftly pulled the scythe from the ground. Rose hummed as her blade sliced through the air, the sounds of trampling grass ending in a single swing. Two halves of a Beowolf fell to either side of Ruby, the beast's warpath marked by a destroyed bush and heavy footprints in the landscape.

Ruby blinked, watching the slain beast fade from existence in a thick black plume. She hadn't even _thought_ of that, the noise had reached her ears in the middle of her sulking and she'd responded the moment she'd sensed danger.

Even if her landing wasn't very well executed, Ruby quietly thanked her uncle and pulled herself up straight. One Beowolf meant a dozen and a half prowling nearby. This part of the forest was more than likely infested by a couple of packs, and she needed to get moving before she alerted its companions.

Loud bangs stole her attention and she looked toward the sounds of discharging dust-rounds. Between the leaves, maybe a quarter of a mile beyond her landing point, she saw muzzle flashes and heard her sister's signature whoop. Ruby chewed her lower lip. The first person's eyes she met would be her partner. No matter what they _they_ might think of working with her.

Ruby hoped her sister would forgive her. She raced forward, following the sounds of cheering and shotgun blasts.

* * *

Myrtenaster trembled in Weiss's hand as the girl stalked forward, briefly turning into quick flashes as the rapier cut through bushes that stood between Weiss and the end of the forest. She peeked past a tree trunk, and seeing no one she swiftly moved on.

Pyrrha had been on a launchpad far to the right of her, so she would have landed somewhere North-East of here. If Weiss had any hope of getting to her before anybody _else_ did, it would have to be accomplished via a swift pace and ignoring any distractions.

Focusing solely on what lies ahead.

Weiss had to stop herself from grinding her teeth as she ran forward, slashing through bushes and branches. Her mind kept lurching back to the damn goggles girl... apparently, their recent confrontation had left a much deeper wound than she had been willing to admit to herself.

She didn't understand how somebody so tiny and weak could even be _considered_ for entrance at Beacon. Ruby's inability to express herself, all the private pep-talks, the parade of people willing to bend over backwards to try and fix her problems, it was _sickening._ Weiss couldn't imagine how cloistered the little pup was to be so thoroughly incapable of standing up for herself.

And worse, how _dare_ she make assumptions about Weiss' life?! ' _You don't get very many hugs, do you?'_ Weiss forced herself to run faster, her eyes blazing, if damp. Overhead she heard a boy yelp and a loud thunk, his voice ringing out in a dazed 'thank you!'. Weiss didn't look up, powering through the forest, entirely absorbed in her own thoughts as her rapier carved her path almost on it's own.

 _Hugs._ Weiss cut down another swathe of emerald before her. _Hugs_ of all things? Why would she need hugs?! She never needed hugs, she never got hugs, whenever she felt insulted, whenever she was on the verge of tears, she pulled _herself_ out of the mire without needing anybody to _touch_ her.

Not since her sister had left home. She didn't need somebody to assure her things would be okay, it was her will and her will alone that would allow her to carry on. That was how she earned her enrollment to Beacon, not Atlas. It was how she made Myrtenaster, rather than commissioning some off-the-line military boomstick with a snowflake printed on it. It was how she comforted herself knowing that one day _she_ would wipe the ugly boot print left on the Schnee family name, restoring it to the glory of her grandfather's era.

Yes… she would change things. She would make the Schnee name a noble one once again. No more barely concealed scandals, no more Goliaths in the room going unmentioned, no more oppressed unions, no more callous disregard for the average employee. She would revolutionize the world once more, bring humanity to a superior position untouchable by the Grimm, no longer under the heel of eternal, relentless fear.

She didn't need _hugs._ She needed to keep moving forward, with or without the ignorant masses constantly forcing themselves into _her_ life and disregarding _her_ generosity and wisdom. She would not be marginalized by children who had no idea what real life was like.

She was past weakness. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't be scared. She had to let go of anything that might drag her down, otherwise she could never stomach the strife to come in trying to take her name back. If she couldn't ignore one little girl's idiotic babbling, how could she possibly overcome years of manipulation, control, and bitter insults?

Weiss ran her sleeve across her eyes. Beacon was going to be a good thing. It was going to give her the tools she needed to win. She wouldn't let all these awful little coincidences slow her down and make her contemplate defeat. She was stronger than that.

She pressed her forehead against her forearm and came to a stop, shivering silently in the middle of a forest clearing. Myrtenaster's tip bit into the soft forest loam as her other arm slackened while she sucked in deep, angry breaths. Her aura felt thin and was wavering as the war of emotions within her overwhelmed her control of it. She was not a simpering infant, _not_ a disappointment. She was Weiss Schnee, and she would be strong.

She forced air in and out of her lungs, ignoring the ragged sound to the first few breaths until they were steady and smooth. She lowered her arm, grimacing as she noticed the tear stains on her sleeve. It had just been washed too. She wiped at her sleeve idly, trying to dull the lingering pangs in her heart, to collect herself, _focus._ Myrtenaster leaned against her leg and she cleared her throat, allowing only a single somewhat indignant sniff.

She hated how angry she felt. All because of one stupid girl, and the last stupid day, and every stupid thing that was going wrong… "Stupid." Weiss muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose and most certainly _not_ wiping the moisture out the corners of her eyes.

She examined the still stained cloth of her sleeve and frowned. Another wash tonight then, and a very hot shower. That sounded nice. For now, she needed to find Pyrrha and put this private stumble of mental fortitude behind her.

She raised her face to stare into a violent red maw, bone white teeth racing for her face. The smell of rotten meat and unwashed fur overwhelmed her, spittle contacted with her nose and chin as she felt more than heard the beast's triumphant howl.

She had never noticed the Beowolf approaching while she'd been pulling herself together.

Her back hit the grass, the Beowolf's heavy bulk slamming on top of her a split-second later, driving the air from her lungs. Pain raced up her left arm, her aura flashing in distress, as the beast violently gnawed in an attempt to strip her of her limb and her only measure of defense. Weiss wheezed for breath as stared up at the creature like it was an odd dream, a nightmare that she was logically going to wake up from. She could almost count the hairs of it's coat and swore she could see the faint outline of its pupil contract and expand as it tried to look at her arm despite it's own muzzle being in the way.

The pain rapidly rising as her aura strained to protect her couldn't have been real. There was no way she'd have allowed this. She had the best tutors in Atlas, she couldn't-

A sharp, involuntary scream tore from her throat. No no _no_ the pain was _real_ it _hurt_ the teeth _hurt._ Her white aura was weakening as the Grimm tried to tear her arm out of its socket, neck and shoulders bulging as it strained! She slapped its nose, but the Beowolf snarled and slammed its palm against her chest, hammering her into the ground a half-inch as her whole body briefly flared with spent light.

Thick, boney claws threatened to tear through her dress and into the flesh beyond, its weight sending sympathetic pain through her ribs and breast as it tried to dig through her protective aura and latch onto her bare skin. She grabbed its arm with her free hand, her mind numbly wondering if she was even still holding Myrtenaster in the hand beyond the beast's jaws… she couldn't really feel anything but agony.

In a moment of desperation, she furiously slugged the Beowolf's head with her right arm, over and over, rasping for air as her tiny fist bounced uselessly off of bone armor. Finally, mercifully, her knuckle dug right into a glowing red eye, causing the beast to howl in pain and release her left arm as it reared away, instinctively acting to protect its face. Weiss frantically scooted back on her heels and elbows, slipping out from under the stunned monstrosity before she grit her teeth and shoved the heel of her boot into the Beowolf's groin. It's second bleat was more of a shriek then a howl and it hastily rose to it's feet, flattening its ears against its skull. An opening, perfect, she could-

Her vision doubled as her head was slammed into the ground once more, the Beowolf driving her shoulders back into the dirt with a single stomp of its clawed foot. It opened its massive maw and let out a loud, horrifying roar of triumph before swinging it's hand for Weiss's head.

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut and thought of her sister, of wishing they'd had one last meal together. She covered her face with both arms, feeling her heart hammer against her still stinging rib cage… it took several moment before she realized that she was free. Sounds, previously lost to her due to panic and the ringing in her ears from her unwanted union with the Emerald Forest's floor, began to register once more. Gunfire and the pathetic whimpering of a wounded Beowolf, steel cutting through the air and slicing through solid matter…

The scent of spent Dust and the wet sounds of something once living crumpling in several damp pieces.

She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head. Myrtenaster laid several feet away, just out of reach. So she _had_ dropped it. The corpse of the Beowolf was fading into a thin yet dark mist, leaving only one figure standing tall. Weiss rolled onto her knees and stared up at the red cape and long red scythe.

The girl turned her head, and Weiss stared in quiet disbelief at Ruby. The goggled girl's scythe collapsed into a solid red block, which was promptly strung across the small of her back. Ruby knelt to pick up Myrtenaster in careful hands and shuffled slowly over to Weiss.

How had…? She was so _weak,_ such a tender, frail, stupid thing, yet she had killed the Beowolf before Weiss had even realized help had arrived.

A surge of shame, embarrassment, and anger flew through her. She quietly shook as Ruby knelt down in front of her and presented her sword.

"I-I think we're partners now." Ruby whispered. Weiss's face went slack and she swore she felt the blood leave it momentarily. In that moment, she lost control.

Shaking violently, she raised her hand, and slapped Ruby as hard as she could, feeling strangely vindicated when both their auras pulsed in response to her effort. Ruby reeled back, her face white with shock as Weiss glared at her through thick, pitiful tears.


	6. Through the Woods

Diving through the air at this speed worried Ren more than the prospect of encountering some Grimm. Pink eyes scanned the greenery as it flashed past below, trying to pick out the perfect point to land while he fought off a wave of nausea.

He finally spied a tall tree with a large branch near the top, relief flooding him at finding a means to end this wild ride. With a small flex of his wrists and aura, Storm Flower shot out from his sleeves directly into his hands just before the twin sickles extended to their full length. He test fired a few rounds to make sure he'd loaded his weapons with Gravity dust to generate the forces he'd need, then peppered the trees below with automatic fire, using the recoil to slow his descent enough that he'd fly towards the branch rather than past it.

He held his arms up as he flew underneath the branch, catching himself on his guns' sickles and wheeling around the branch, releasing to flip into the air and land on top feet first in an easy crouch. He immediately examined the sky as he rose to his full height, watching several figures fly past him, including one leaving vibrant, pink, heart-shaped clouds behind her as she flew towards the distance.

Ren hummed thoughtfully to himself. Of course Nora would unknowingly go the extra distance to make their partnering up all the more difficult. He suppressed a fond little smile as he skipped down, branch by branch, until he reached the forest floor. He wiped a few stray leaves and twigs off of his pants and got his bearings.

Trees. Lots of them. Nothing that would serve as a suitable landmark for precision navigation. Luckily, he only needed a general direction to find Nora and he already had that. He slid the communicator out of his mouth, delicately wiped it off on his sleeve, and popped it into his ear. He tapped it, getting a beep of confirmation, then slid a long, thin, compacted receiver out of the communicator's body to hang near his lips. "Nora?" He asked as he started a brisk jog in the direction he'd seen her flying towards.

There was silence for around a minute, then he spoke her name once more. A burst of static made him flinch and tap the device curiously. "Aaaah, I forgot it was in my _shirt!_ Do you know how scary it is when your boobs start talking to you?! Over!"

"I can only imagine." Ren allowed a tiny smile. "Where are you?"

" _Ren!"_ Nora admonished. "We are using _ra-di-o com-mu-ni-ca-tion,_ there are certain protocols to follow, like saying over when you're done talking! Over!"

Ren rolled his eyes and deftly weaved between brown tree trunks. He lept over a crouched Beowolf, ignoring its confused bark and continuing his run, the sounds of its chase fading rapidly behind him. "Fine. Nora, where are you? Over."

" _Ugh,_ we can't use our names!" Nora huffed, the hollow sound of her grenade launcher going off, followed by a much sharper explosion and muffled wails of pain. "Anybody listening in will know who we are! We have to use _codenames!"_ Nora's voice took on a perky quality as a few more explosions went on from her end of the communicator. "Over!"

Ren sighed, "The chances of anybody else having brought a form of communication tuned to our frequency is rather low, Nora." He paused, thinking for a few moments as he sprinted. "I will go by the name Thunderous Maximum, over."

Nora's answer was an unbelieving shriek. "Thunderous _Maximum?!_ Are you reading my comic books?! You are _not_ a 'Thunderous Maximum!'"

"Mm. But it makes me feel…" Ren smiled the tiniest bit and pushed his chest out, " _Powerful._ Over."

"Oh haha, big boy, like you need the _help._ Ugh, _Thunderous Maximum?"_

Ren listened for a few moments longer as Nora rambled in disbelief and killed _something_ in a fit of hammer swings. He took a moment to wonder when the sound of breaking bone became a comfort. "Puddin' Pop, don't forget to say 'over', over."

" _I-"_ Nora cut herself short, "Puddin' Pop?!" She demanded with an embarrassed laugh, her ramblings turning into a mixture of tiny giggles and coos. "Whatever you say Thunderous Maximum! Over!"

"Good. Puddin' Pop, what is your location, over?" Ren perked his other ear, listening for explosions in the distance. He adjusted his direction and headed for the sound of Grimm roaring in panic.

"Uh, there's like, eight trees, nine bushes, lots of- _OOOOH COME GET SOME, PUDDIN' POP'S SERVIN' UP THE PAIN HOT TODAY!"_ Nora's mad laughter was audible through the communicator and echoed through the forest. Ren picked up the pace. "... Over!"

"Mm. Over." Ren shook his head, a grin briefly splitting his face as he ran towards his partner.

* * *

Blake landed delicately on her feet, barely having to crumple her knees as a gentle tug of her ribbon dislodged Gambol Shroud from the tree canopy above her, her heels causing a few stray leaves to crinkle rather than snap under her weight. The custom katana tumbled down from the greenery above, and Blake held the sheath out, letting the sword slide home with the whisper of steel on steel before sticking the weapon to her back.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as her eyes and hidden cat ears scanned the forest around her, and slipped into the shadows as she made her way north.

Beacon Academy… she'd spent years reading on the progressive attitudes and impressive exploits Beacon Academy and its graduates had accomplished. Beacon accepted more Faunus students this semester than any other school ever had before, a remarkable event in the history of her people, though she wasn't about to discount that affirmative action played a small part in the selection.

It was also safe. The school itself was built to house not just hunters-in-training, but any evacuees from Vale in the event of a large scale attack. With a dangerous, claustrophobic forest surrounding the complex, a massive cliffside that only allowed for aerial and aquatic attacks, a state of the art defense system, and some of the most experienced teachers that could be found Beacon was as hard a target to crack as any military installation could dream of becoming.

It was far and away the most classic of the hunter schools, being the first built yet never sliding back into tradition for the sake of it. The school was a haven for future heroes, knowledge-seekers, and in the case of somebody with a sordid past, runaways.

In a way, Blake was deeply relieved at the chance to escape to somewhere so safe and solitary, but it was not a permanent residence for her. It was a temporary shelter, a place for her to recoup and further hone her skills in order to overcome a long-standing problem.

Blake hesitated in the shade of a particularly leafy bough, a touch of guilt gnawing at her for dismissing such a prestigious location as a mere pit-stop. The people here didn't seem all bad and becoming a Hunter was a lofty goal in and of itself. Maybe they were a bit too soft and accustomed to the comforts of civilization, inexperienced at roughing it in the wilds. They were mostly just… people. People who simply didn't know how it felt to be constantly surrounded by danger, hunted by authorities… like she did. Blake touched her ribbon thoughtfully, her lips compressing into a thin line while pinching one of her hidden ears as a reminder of what she was.

She let her arm drop and focused on the task at hand. The Schnee she would avoid like the plague. She had no desire to get caught up in that one's dirty buisness. Ruby would make a well-enough partner, though their only interaction was based on books, bringing to question her skill. The rest Blake had little opinion on, though perhaps the tall blonde girl was too loud, too _showy._

Blake leapt into the tree and ran along the low-hanging branches to avoid the eyes of anything she might find distasteful as her mind churned. For now, she would play things by ear. Manipulating the events were unrealistic, once she thought about it, and she could withstand any partner with, at the very least, _silent_ contempt as opposed to outright animosity as long as it wasn't the Schnee heiress.

Sawdust exploded toward her as thick, white claws cleaved straight through the branch she was leaping towards, impaling her belly and making her eyes widen in shocked agony.

The gored Blake wavered and vanished to reveal herself as a decoy while Blake landed behind her confused attacker. The Ursa dropped to all fours, chuffing in irritation before catching her scent. It turned its bulky head to face her, rumbling an ominous promise of violence as Blake took note of the boney spikes of its back, too short to be a significantly more dangerous Major… an Ursa Minor, then.

' _What gave me away?'_ Blake asked herself, cursing her sloppiness while grasping the handle of Gambol Shroud as the Ursa rapidly moved to face her completely. Too much noise? Did she allow herself to feel too negative? Or had she honestly been so lost in thoughts of school politics that she missed five-hundred pounds of lumbering predator? She made a mental note to never let anyone know about this.

She spun away from the charging Ursa's claws, drawing Shroud with both hands, dragging the bladed sheath across the Grimm's side. A pained roar escaped the beast, but it swung it's paw down at her, trying to flatten her. Blake threw her katana at a tree trunk far behind the Ursa and flipped around the creature's arm, firmly tugging the ribbon connecting blade and sheath around the appendage and pulling tight.

She raised a leg, driving her heel into the Ursa's jaw and sending it reeling back, only to jerk to a halt, unable to escape due to its captured arm. With a swift tug, the katana flew into Blake's other hand, and she twisted the Ursa's arm, her aura-granted strength straining a bit, but allowing her to throw the massive beast onto its side. She wasted no time, bracing one foot against its ribs before she drove both blades through the Ursa's jaw, spearing it through the head and cutting its surprised roar short.

Blake let out a quick, relieved breath before sliding her blades free and stepping back from her kill. The whole beast went still, fading away into black mist. Blake sheathed her weapon with calm grace. Success. The beast had been slain, making up for her misstep. She felt a pang of worry mixed with embarrassment at the thought of making such a simplistic mistake and getting _caught_. She knew there was nobody to reprimand her for wasting time, heck, if someone was watching she may even get extra points to her grade for such a swift, well-planned execution of an otherwise tough monster...

Yet, as she held a hand to her chest and watched the spot where the Ursa faded, _his_ voice sneered into her ear about her compromising the mission. Another mistake in a lifetime of them.

Thunderous footsteps dragged her out of her head-space and she swiftly turned, gun and sheath in hand as the trees shivered and bushes parted for a second Ursa Minor to trample towards Blake with an enraged bellow. She mentally chided herself. Ursa Minors often travelled in twos and threes, of _course._

The beast's bulk crashed down on her clone, making it whine in confusion before a sharp jab to its flank made it twist, slapping Blake back. She was slammed into a tree hard enough to send a jolt of simulated pain down her back and into her legs, her vision briefly blurring into an unwelcome kaleidoscope of color. The Ursa turned to face her, and she chewed her lip as it took its time to approach.

It raised itself on its two back legs, towering over her while trundling forward, readying itself to belly flop in whichever direction Blake sprinted. She realized she'd gotten herself cornered by the tree to her back and some thick shrubs. If she got caught underneath the beast, escape would be nearly impossible, its sheer mass and strength would make all her training moot. She would have to use her semblance once more, and the realization irritated her. Three times in such short order, so _tiring,_ but she would not fail _here._

As she readied herself, the beast dropped back to all fours and suddenly lunged, too close and too fast for Blake to prepare herself. She held up both of her weapons to deflect as much as the blow as possible, but it proved… unnecessary.

" _GEEEEEEEEEET-"_ Like a burning meteor, an assembly of blonde hair and tan clothing fell from above and collided with the Ursa's skull, crushing it into the ground so hard that Blake felt her knees shake from the impact, " _\- DUNKED ON!"_ Yang roared as Ember Celica discharged an explosive dust shell point blank into the Ursa's head, splitting it like a particularly rotten melon while swallowing it in fire.

Blake stared in wide-eyed disbelief as Yang rose, her back to her. Endless golden curls danced as their tips literally smoldered white-hot. Yang curled her arm, the leather of her glove creaking as a pulse of aura commanded her gauntlet to cycle and expel the spent cartridge away in a spinning arc accompanied by a smooth mechanized click that seemed to echo in the sudden silence. Slowly, Yang turned to look at Blake over her shoulder, who caught herself letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the blonde shot her a glorious smile, lilac eyes sparkling with pride.

Blake's eyes locked onto Yang's, who twirled around completely on one boot heel and held both her hands over her head with a massive grin. "C'mon, give it to me high! I was waiting forever to drop that flea-bag!" Yang tossed a cheesy smile and a wink down at Blake.

Blake stared at her, blinking very slowly as she processed this information. A tiny, angry shake entered her voice as she spoke. "You _waited_ to help me?"

"Well yeah." Yang kept her hands up, pride undiminished "I had to impress my new partner somehow." She shrugged like it was obvious.

Blake didn't know how to feel. On one hand, letting her stay in danger just so she could make a big entrance to impress her disgusted Blake in a way she couldn't describe. On the other… it had looked so freaking _cool_ and she _had_ come out unscathed. Blake sighed, and returned Yang's double high-five, putting on a tiny smile. "Don't do it again. I don't like dying."

"Yeah yeah, you sound like my teachers." Yang scoffed and rested a hand on Blake's shoulder in a friendly fashion. Though Blake itched to push it away, the sheer force of Yang's self-pleased smile somehow stopped her.

Blake got the feeling Yang was used to getting her way.

"North then?" Blake pointed in the direction, thinking for a moment, "Partner?" She winced a bit at Yang's whooping cheer at being acknowledged.

"Heck yeah! The two biggest babes of this year are about to crack this whole school _wide_ open!" Yang sauntered in the given direction, her hips rocking back and forth in such a way that her short skirt flipped up to reveal how her black shorts creaked against her perfectly framed butt.

Blake stared after her in disbelief, her cat-ears subconsciously laying flat, giving her bow the appearance of melted wax. "... Babes?" She muttered to herself before starting to follow.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

* * *

"Okay. So..." Jaune trailed off briefly, gathering his thoughts, as he held up one finger. Down below, smiling up at him curiously, Pyrrha crossed her arms under the swell of her bust and cocked her head as she listened. "Let's think about this. I'm in a tree, attached by a spear through my favorite shirt." He jerked his thumb upwards and back towards Pyrrha's spear, Miló, which was currently punched through his hoodie and a half-blade deep into the trunk. "My chest is starting to hurt almost as much as my pride and I don't see a ladder strapped to your shield. So! What do we have to work with, here? The clear answer is that we have rope! Everyone who goes out on a quest takes rope, right?" Jaune smiled down at Pyrrha expectantly, who confusedly examined herself, then looked back up at Jaune with one eyebrow arched in silent question. Jaune's smile dimmed. "Pyrrha?" He called, slumping. "Tell me you have rope…?"

"Sorry Jaune." Pyrrha chuckled as the blonde boy let his head hang limply in defeat with a miserable groan. "If I'd been expecting a longer mission, I might have brought some." She shrugged one shoulder.

"But, see, rope is _always_ useful! You can go up things, you can go down things, you can keep things together, you can put it on stuff you don't want to leave, it can even be used as a belt!" He stopped his rant, blinking as realization dawned on him. " _Belt!"_ Jaune grabbed his two mismatched belts and quickly unbuckled them, letting his sheathed sword fall to the floor at Pyrrha's feet in the process. "I can tie these together and wrap them around the tree and shimmy my way down! Just like my uncle Todd did when my sisters took the ladder. Family, right?"

Pyrrha chuckled in acknowledgment and took a relaxed stance, watching Jaune squirm and pull his belts off. She covered her mouth as his jeans immediately puddled around his ankles, revealing his heart-pattern boxers. She quietly chewed the tip of her thumb as she let her eyes roam as he twisted around to get chest-to-trunk with the tree. She suspected he was less of a hunter than he made himself out to be, but she couldn't deny that he had the muscles of a _man._

"Okay Pyrrha, you ready to witness my moment of triumph?" Jaune asked, whipping the belt around the back of the tree to catch with his other hand. Well, attempting to, and failing in the process. "Any second now!" He tried again, this time catching the buckle and letting out a victorious shout.

"Jaune, I don't think this will work!" Pyrrha called up to him, making the boy groan.

"Oh, why not?! I got the belt, I got the tree, I just need to pull _real_ hard and shimmy." Jaune wiggled in place. "Just a little shimmy down to the floor." He continued to wiggle, bracing his sneakers against the tree while pulling the belt tight. Pyrrha hid her laughter behind her hands. "Whaaaaaaat?!" He whined in annoyed confusion as the leather creaked in his hands.

"The _spear,_ Jaune!" Pyrrha pointed up. Jaune glanced up at the spear still holding him in the air and took a deep breath.

"I-I knew that!" He reached up to grab the shaft of the weapon, and dropped his belts in the process. He gasped in horror as they fell directly into Pyrrha's waiting hands. The redhead gave him an amused smile and coiled them into some loose loops that she hefted over one shoulder almost tauntingly. "O-Okay, I can still do this."

"Jaune, I believe it would be best if I helped you." She called up to him, her amusement finally giving way to pity.

"No no, a hunter is _self-_ sufficient. See, I can do this. I don't need anymore help!" He bumped his chest armor with his thumb, and gently tugged the spear. "See, if I get enough slack…" He rattled the spear shaft, squirming in place to loosen it, his legs kicking as the soles of his shoes scrambled against the bark for purchase. Pyrrha was slowly turning red as her unblinking eyes widened.

"Jaune?" She squeaked up at him.

"What Pyrrha?" Jaune called back, tongue stuck out as he stared at the buried head of the spear, willing it to come loose and free him. "Tryin'a concentrate up here!"

"I can see up your boxers, Jaune!"

Jaune stopped struggling and stared down at himself, then at her. Pyrrha was looking up at him between her fingers, her face and ears a fetching shade of pink. He snapped his thighs shut and blushed terribly, hands firmly gripping the spear shaft as he went back to just dangling from it. Pyrrha quietly fanned herself, trying to kill her blush. "Okay!" Jaune declared after an awkward stretch of silence. He looked down at her to meet her inquisitive gaze. "Pyrrha, I've come to a decision. After careful consideration, I've decided there's no shame in accepting your help!"

"Okay, Jaune." Pyrrha nodded, smiling a bit. The two shared a silent moment of relief, cut when a stiff breeze set Jaune to swaying in place like a broken tree limb waiting to fall.

"Pyrrha?" His tense voice broke the companionable silence.

"Yes Jaune?"

"Now would be good..." He declared as calmly as circumstances would permit. Pyrrha bobbed her head. She raised a hand and calmly examined Miló from a distance. Jaune glanced up as the spear began to wriggle without his input. "Uh, Pyrrha?" He called in worry. With a thunk, Miló popped out of the tree trunk. Jaune yelped as he suddenly fell, his limbs flailing as Pyrrha took two calm steps forward and held out her arms.

Jaune landed bridal style in Pyrrha's grip, staring up at the tree canopy and the sky. He glanced to Pyrrha, whose green eyes glinted in amusement as she smiled. Miló landed blade first into the ground next to them, and Jaune glanced to the spear, then Pyrrha, then to his lack of pants. He pouted, and crossed his arms in a minor sulk.

"You know, I'm supposed to be the one doing that." He huffed. Pyrrha let out a sharp laugh before setting him down so he could yank his jeans up and take his belts back. He buckled up, reattaching his dropped weapon, as Pyrrha squeezed her thighs together and shifted her weight from her left foot to her right.

She entertained thoughts of assuaging his ego by collapsing into his arms without the benefit of her skirt while chewing her lower lip, stopping only when Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. She felt heat crawling up her neck again and prayed he had no clue what she'd just been thinking.

"Pyrrha, you and me, we're hunters." Jaune bobbed his head confidently, waiting for her to slowly nod back in agreement. "We're some of the best, right? We gotta keep our dignity, even in the face of pantslessness." Pyrrha's cheeks arched as she stifled a snicker. "So that being said…" He held both her shoulders now, lifting her slightly so she was standing on her toes while he gave her his biggest puppy-dog eyes. "Don't tell anyone?"

Pyrrha pantomimed zipping her lips, struggling too hard to not laugh to risking trying to speak. Jaune beamed at her, making her heart flutter.

"Thanks partner! Now, let's go find us some relics!" Jaune let her go and turned on his heel to strut away from Pyrrha with a confident saunter and a very unmanly sway in his hips, his chin held high and chest puffed out.

Pyrrha chewed at her thumb again as she fell into step a few paces behind him and silently contemplated the numerous ways she could lose her dignity and convince him to keep it a secret.

* * *

Ruby gently touched her cheek. Her aura had absorbed the blow so there was no lasting mark, but she could feel the sympathetic pain lingering a moment before it faded completely. Weiss ducked her head, her white hair pooling around her face as she trembled in a prone position.

Ruby's heart was thundering behind her ribs. She reached out, slowly, carefully, as if to touch her but paused. Weiss was in pain, that much was apparent, and she wanted to help, but there was also a very tired, unsympathetic part of her that kept whispering for her to leave Weiss where she lay and just find Yang. Ruby grit her teeth, shoving the ugly impulse away, and shuffled to Weiss, resting her hand on top of the other girl's gently trembling fist.

Her vision briefly went white, the echo of a second slap and the sting on her cheek clueing her in on Weiss's response. She looked back as Weiss pressed her forehead to the forest floor, audible whimpers and sobs coming from her. Ruby felt a rush of pity and annoyance. Empathy and apathy at the same time. She tried to focus on feeling bad for the girl.

"Weiss?" Ruby called gently as the girl beat her fist into the ground.

" _Go away!"_ Weiss screamed into the grass. "Just go away, and leave me alone!" She punched the ground, leaving a visible fist print in the dirt. "Just stop! Just _GO!"_

"Weiss…" Ruby trailed off, awkwardly knitting her fingers together to try and keep them from shaking. "Weiss, I just want to help you." she insisted quietly but as firmly as she dared.

Weiss looked up at her. The heiress' face was red, puffy, and wrinkled as she stared into Ruby's eyes as best as she could with those dark lenses in the way, her fingers digging into the dirt beneath her. "I don't _need your help!_ I am Weiss! _Schnee!_ " Her shoulders and neck straightened for a moment as she tried to project the strength she clearly thought her name implied. "I don't need anybody's _help_ or anybody's _friendship!_ Especially not _yours!"_

Ruby shivered as a hot rush ran through her body. Weiss curled up on the ground, shivering, visibly struggling to pull herself together to avoid any further breakdowns. She was scared, angry, sad… alone... and entirely ignorant of the tension rapidly building within her companion.

Ruby felt a growing knot in her tummy. She bit down on her lower lip, nearly drawing blood as she used the pain to focus. They were scratching at the back of her skull… snarling for release against this arrogant, mean-spirited little bi-

Her eyes screwed shut for a moment as she silenced the impulse she knew was not her own. Slowly, Ruby crawled over to Weiss and sat down by her side. She could fix this. Weiss cringed, making a motion like she wanted to crawl away, but Ruby didn't try to touch her this time. Instead, she pulled her knees to her chin and sat by Weiss's side, hugging her legs. She stared down at the ground, not sure what to do. "I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered.

Weiss slowly stilled, and looked up at Ruby. Her face was pinched in fury, and she sincerely looked like she wanted to hit Ruby again. " _Sorry?!"_ She repeated angrily. "You're always _sorry!_ Always apologizing and making excuses for yourself! Stop! _Stop!"_ Weiss shouted at her, but Ruby quietly shook her head.

"It's okay to be scared, I know-" Ruby's jaw clicked shut when Weiss cut her off with a look that could slay Grimm.

"I wasn't scared!" Weiss corrected a little too quickly, a little too loudly. She pushed herself to her knees, then smoothed her skirts under her thighs and sat back, away from Ruby. She curled her legs up as well, glaring over her kneecaps at the other girl. "I am Weiss _Schnee._ I don't need your _pity,_ or your _help,_ or _anyone else's_ for that matter. I _never_ asked for it, never _needed it."_ Weiss hissed through a loud tremor in her voice.

"You, um…" Ruby fidgeted a tiny bit. "You said that already."

Weiss glared at her, then at the grass. She rubbed her arm, the one the Beowolf had tried to chew through, and she let out a soft, agonized whimper. "I don't need your _damn pity._ Go…" Weiss sucked in a large gulp of air. "Just go _away._ We never saw each other, we aren't _partners,_ I don't want to _be_ your partner! I can't think of anyone who'd _want_ to be your partner, either!"

Ruby pulled her knees to her chest tighter, quietly shaking her head. "The rules are the rules. Weiss, we have to be-"

"I will _kill you,_ Ruby Rose!" Weiss barked, unable to snarl properly through a weeping grimace. Ruby flinched, staring at Weiss in disbelief. "I swear, if not by my hand, I will leave you to the Grimm the first chance I get! I'll shoot you in the back when you least expect it, I'll leave you to die, I won't blink, I won't _care,_ because I hate everything you _are!"_

Ruby stared at Weiss with a toxic haze seeping through her thoughts. The rage she was feeling, it… it hurt. It made Ruby's insides churn uncomfortably, it made her heart hammer painfully, her limbs felt more loose and full of energy than when she had a cup of coffee. She tried to distract herself from the ideas dancing at the edges of her mind by analyzing Weiss's behavior. The other girl wasn't just angry, she decided, she was scared and… broken. Ruby frowned at that. She recognized the threats and angry posturing. She'd seen others react that way when they saw her eyes… not everyone ran, some people instantly turned their fear into naked aggression.

Was this worth it? To even try and console this girl while she was clearly working herself into a frenzy? Weiss hadn't slapped her again, but she might try it or even openly attack if provoked too much. Ruby chewed her lower lip. The thought came back. Leave her, find Yang. She found that she desperately wanted to submit to the impulse and save herself the drama, but the very thought of it sickened her. To abandon somebody who was in pain was... it was against everything she'd dreamed of doing since she was a child.

Ruby sucked her lips into her mouth and made a determined face. "Hey. Hey!" She snapped until Weiss looked up and she could look her in the eye. "I don't care what you say. I'm not leaving you behind. At this rate, every Grimm in the area will be coming for us."

"Let them." Weiss spoke through grit teeth, leering at Ruby as if she'd just been insulted. "I was trained by the best mentors in Atlas, they are _nothing._ I won't be overcome by simple _Grimm,_ I have far greater things to do, and _I don't need your HELP!"_ Weiss screamed, slapping the ground as Ruby pouted.

"Weiss, the Grimm are our enemy. Everyone's enemy!" Ruby whimpered in distress. She was growing impatient, grinding her teeth, not a good sign. Something was tickling at the back of her skull, something she hadn't felt in a long time. An impulse, a very soft snarl, an alien desire… _Kill._ She sternly, desperately ignored it with a shake of her head. No. No she wouldn't break _now._ She would find the patience. She would remember her purpose, even as something evil howled within her for blood. "We need to work together, for all our sakes."

"Work with _you?!"_ Weiss threw a clump of dirt at Ruby, her shaking arms sending it sailing over Ruby's head, but flecks of dirt struck Ruby's brow and made her twitch in disgust. "So you can blow me up again?! So your big stupid sister can throw me around more?! What is _wrong_ with you?! Why do you keep causing me trouble, following me around, making _me_ look like a fool?! Did the Schnees do something to you?!" She threw another ball of dirt, striking Ruby's side. It didn't hurt, but Ruby felt the darkness in the back of her mind snarl louder. "Is this how you get your _revenge,_ by ruining _my_ school life?!"

"I'm not exactly happy _either!"_ Ruby snapped back, all the suppressed negativity in her belly welling up in a single sentence, making Weiss flinch. "You- you've been nothing but _mean_ and shouty and blaming me for _everything_ and I-I've tried to be nice!"

Weiss grit her teeth, and matched Ruby in volume. "There is no way I'm being tied down with you! To some ditzy, clumsy _loser!"_ Weiss slammed her fists into the ground, and the darkness swirling in the back of Ruby's head was getting harder to ignore. Snapping teeth, raking claws, they were no longer making demands, they were acting. In her own shadow, now an ink-black stain on the world under her body and largely hidden by her skirt, she could feel them trying to push through, held back only by her will.

They were drawn to Weiss's negativity and Ruby's growing anger and disgust. It called to them, filled them, made them bold. A chance to spread _misery_ to mankind. She could hear their clicking teeth in the back of her mind, feel their fur and claws pressing against the edges of reality. They knew. They knew she was weakening. That she would lose control.

Not _now._ "I'm. _Not._ A _loser."_ Ruby stood up swiftly, and a violent shudder ran through her limbs as she stared Weiss down, hoping the older girl failed to notice the bubbling darkness between her feet. Weiss looked up at her with what was meant to be a heart-piercing glare, but it quickly melted into quiet panic as Ruby took a firm step closer. Weiss's eyes widened and she pushed herself onto her feet. Instinctively she drew Myrtenaster as Ruby stalked towards her. "I just don't under _stand_ you, Weiss." Ruby's voice carried a weight, a directed point that buried any stuttering, squeaking, or cracking.

"After all you've done-" Weiss began, but a sudden shout from Ruby silenced her.

"What _I've_ done?!" Ruby demanded, but then she craned her neck in confusion and muttered just barely loud enough for Weiss to hear, "Um, what did I do?" She seemed to ask herself, what was visible of her expression taut with confusion.

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster, watching Ruby with visible worry and discomfort. "What do you _mean_ what did you do?!" Weiss asked in disbelief, waving Myrtenaster around thoughtlessly, more like a conductor and their wand than a swordswoman. "You blew me up-"

"US! I blew _us_ up! And I meant _besides_ that!" Ruby suddenly cut in, shouting once more. Her skin was crawling. The howling, the scraping, the hunger, the thirst for blood, they were all wordless but preyed on the anger she was feeling towards this girl. If she just let it all _loose…_ "I know I blew you up!" Ruby stomped her foot, head hung low and shoulders hunched. Then her voice softened, until it was a grieving groan of defeat. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so _sorry…"_ She whimpered, rubbing her rigid cheeks, trying to find something to do with her hands. "I-I never wanted that to happen. I just- I couldn't think of anything to _say,_ I'd never held a bomb before, all I wanted was to stop you from getting hurt and I hurt you _worse_ and I'm sorry, Weiss!" Ruby shouted at the white haired girl, pulling at the clasps of her cloak.

Weiss stood, frozen in place, her anger fluctuating. Everything that had gone wrong since she arrived at Beacon had somehow involved this girl. She'd been there for all of it, babbling, whimpering, barely-functioning or conducive to anything resembling progress the entire time. She'd been fumbling with her rage and embarrassment, struggling to express exactly how she felt about this wretch of a girl and the chaos she spread, but now she finally felt that she'd found her words… "Then why do you always make things _difficult?!"_ Weiss demanded, catching herself before Myrtenaster sliced through the air once again. She carefully returned the sword to her hip as she growled. "Why couldn't you just accept my generosity, or stop your stupid sister from manhandling me, or just stay away from me and Pyrrha?!"

"Like I meant for _any_ of that to happen!" Ruby suddenly stomped forward. Weiss reared back as a finger pushed toward her face, and she found herself at a loss for words as a pair of big black goggles filled her view. "I didn't want Yang to chase you, I was going to go sit somewhere else at breakfast, I just- I didn't- I'm trying…" Ruby squeezed her lips together and made a noise like a scream through a pillow before she hung her head again. "I'm really… I was _really_ trying to make up for what happened." Ruby sucked in a deep breath, causing Weiss to gingerly step back again to put some space between herself and Ruby's accusing finger, though it flopped back down to Ruby's side a moment later.

"Then how come every time you've tried to make things _right_ it's gone _wrong?!_ Who are you sabotaging here?! Me or _yourself_ because whenever we've been around each other-" Weiss's momentum was curtailed as Ruby's face turned an unpleasant shade of red and her voice lowered an octave into a near-roar.

" _Every time we're around each other you're mouthing off at me or getting mad!"_ Ruby bellowed and Weiss had to hide a tremor. She felt all the power in her get sapped away whenever Ruby's voice raised, and she tried desperately to remind herself Ruby was _not_ her father, her words were not carefully sharpened knives to puncture her ego and self-worth. Ruby exhaled through clenched teeth, like a pot venting steam, before continuing in a much calmer tone. "You've never given me a _chance…"_ Ruby sniffed, covering her face with one hand and crossed her other arm over her belly, as if she felt sick. Weiss took another step back, a flicker of concern crossing her expression.

Ruby could feel it more than ever. Keeping the portal shut during a time like this was like keeping a muscle clenched. It was easy in short spurts, but the constant stress was weighing on her heavily. Her grip was weakening, but she would do everything in her power to keep things under control. She would not atta- let _them_ attack Weiss.

"All I want is to be a huntress, and I-I don't want this dumb high school drama crap. I wanted to make friends, learn to fight, and help people and every time I get my hopes up you just… _you-..."_ Ruby didn't finish the statement.

Weiss felt that knot of anger pull tighter in her belly, but she found herself at a loss for words. The child in her wanted to throw all the blame for her faults and woes on something, _anything_ else. Ruby was definitely at fault for… some things. Weiss squeezed her fists into tiny balls of anger, trying to mentally connect everything to Ruby. Ruby was… not responsible for her sister's actions, even if she _should_ have stepped in! Ruby did not ruin her conversation with Pyrrha totally, it was the country bumpkin and his endless schmoozing. Ruby did not set the Beowolf on her…

Weiss looked up to Ruby with a furious stare. The black-dressed girl, currently physically trying her hardest to not sob, was still so ungainly and weak. Between her inability to speak up and hesitation to act, Weiss couldn't imagine being forced to partner with this girl at all! If the girl had just passed by and not come to her rescue-

Weiss felt her blood turn cold. Ruby had come to _her_ rescue. Weiss squeezed her left wrist, remembering the feeling of teeth and drool and snarling and rage… She had failed to protect herself. There was a likely chance she would have died if Ruby had ignored her in favor of… anything else. The knot loosened in her tummy even as it seemed to drop, an acidic burn creeping up her throat that made her want to hurl. She would have actually _died_ if not for…

"Why…?" Weiss looked up to Ruby, her entire body feeling strangely ethereal as she realized just how close she'd been to completely and utterly failing this early. Her skin felt cold and some corner of her noted she was probably going into some level of shock. "Why did you help me?" She asked in a tone befitting a scolded child even as she flushed herself with aura to try and chase away the unwanted chill. Ruby seemed to pull herself out of whatever funk she had sucked herself into and looked up at Weiss. With the goggles on it was infuriatingly difficult to read her emotions and it was driving Weiss up the wall, and making it much harder to calm herself down. "After everything, _why help me?!"_

Goggles be damned, Ruby tilted her head and gave Weiss a look she did not _like._ The tight lips and high cheekbones looked annoyed but Weiss couldn't tell for sure. "I'm a Hunter, Weiss." Ruby stated quietly, tiredly, squeezing her cloak buckles tightly. "We both are. It's our job to help people."

Weiss was quiet. Arguing that point would be worthless. Ruby was correct, hunters killed Grimm to protect people, and had recently began to include lessons for evacuation, protection, and first aid in the various schools. Ignoring somebody in distress out of a grudge was… out of the question. Hunters were supposed to leave behind their emotional hang-ups and focus on one thing: kill the Grimm, any Grimm, all Grimm, and do everything in their power to safeguard the people.

Ruby did not fail that test of her character. She'd passed with an unquestioned understanding towards her purpose. Loathed as she was to admit it, Weiss had left herself vulnerable and would have been killed otherwise, meaning she had failed. No, being caught by surprise could happen to the most seasoned Huntress… her failure was in letting her feelings completely blind her to her duty. This weak little thing, always in need of comfort and reassurance, would be regarded as strong and noble for her actions once others heard the story. Weiss would be the petty, self-absorbed load in the tale.

The realization hit Weiss hard enough for her to knees to nearly buckle in distress. ' _You're not fit for huntress duty, Weiss. Accept your place in the family, let the warriors worry about the Grimm. You're a Schnee, you're better than all that.'_ Weiss could see _his_ smile of smug triumph so clearly in her mind's eye. Weiss wanted to be like her grandfather, Nicholas, a man who was an incredible hunter and scholar. She had all the resources she needed to become a shrewd business woman someday… but ignoring his part in protecting his men with his own sweat and blood was nigh sinful. Grandfather was bold in idea, action and battle and Weiss had long ago vowed to be worthy of his pride when they met again.

"Weiss?" The gentle voice interrupted Weiss's swirling maelstrom of emotion. She looked up, sweat forming on her face in distress. She could feel a panic attack coming. "I'm really mad at you." Her eyes focused on Ruby. The girl wasn't hunched over, she looked serious, and those stupid _goggles…_ "But I don't want you to die." Weiss swallowed as her chaotic thoughts ground to a halt. The pain was still weighing in her heart, knowing she failed hung in her mind, but the gentle, if forceful words made her stop panicking. Ruby slowly walked towards Weiss, taking short, ragged breaths, as if she were under some terrible strain. Physically, she appeared calm and collected, more than Weiss could admit right now. A hand rest on Weiss's shoulder, and her usual inclination would have been to shrug it off, but right now, amidst all the conflicted emotions and ideas, it felt strong, warm, and consoling. "We're partners. I know we both don't like it, but those are the rules. We should go and do our job, right?"

Ruby was in control. She felt sore, like her mind and soul had been ground down by a cheese grater and melted back into a single, malformed piece, but she _was_ in control. The Grimm beneath her feet were silent, their disappointment and rage sweeter than she could had ever dreamed they'd be. She tried to look confidently down at Weiss as the black pool returned to simple, harmless shadow and tried to keep herself from showing how close she had been to the edge. Weiss slowly rose, Ruby's hand still on her shoulder, and Weiss's hands shot out towards Ruby's face.

Ruby yelped in distress as Weiss grabbed her cheeks and mushed her face like a pillow. "Where was this _yesterday?!"_ Weiss demanded angrily, while Ruby made a tiny, distressed squeal as her cheeks were smooshed and pushed and rolled roughly. "Do I need to make you _mad_ to make you _competent?!_ Are you telling me we wouldn't have exploded if I'd shoved you around first?" Weiss let Ruby go and set her hands on her hips with a grumpy frown. Ruby chanced an awkward smile of relief, and Weiss huffed. "You are _such_ a pain in the butt." She sneered.

"S-sorry." Ruby murmured. Weiss let out an annoyed groan.

"And there you go _again!"_ Weiss stomped her foot and began to pace back and forth with short, furious steps. "Apologizing and stammering! How can you be _this_ irritating and still have the competence to kill the Grimm?! You're so aggravating it makes me want to scream!"

Ruby looked at the ground, frowning. Weiss sighed quietly to herself, until Ruby muttered, "At least I'm not whining all the time."

Weiss's nose crinkled, and she shot back, "What was that?! I couldn't hear you over the _leaves rustling!"_

"Yeah?!" Ruby snorted at Weiss. "Well maybe you'd hear better if you ran your mouth less!" Ruby leaned towards Weiss, matching her stance of hands on hips and pouting angrily. Weiss stared Ruby down. Ruby stared back. Weiss quirked her lips in thought, reached out, and flicked Ruby's forehead. The girl fell back with a tiny squeak of pain, and gave Weiss a hurt expression. "Why?!"

Weiss didn't respond immediately. Instead, she examined Ruby's posture and worked her jaw slowly and thoughtfully. She let out a tiny sigh of exasperation and relaxed her stance. "We're partners. Fine. If you can fight, I'll put up with you until after initiation, but…" Weiss looked back at Ruby with a sharp expression, looking as firm as she could. "I'll be talking to Professor Ozpin about exchanging partners. My mind's still not made up on you, so _don't push it."_ Weiss ended her speech with a click of her teeth and a toss of her head, her ponytail moving in an artful curve. Ruby just stared at her, slowly comprehending what she'd been told.

Without another word, Weiss turned to start her march north. Ruby stood up, nostrils flaring a moment in confusion, but she was relieved. The darkness in the back of her mind remained quiet, nearly dormant. She could handle frustration, not unbridled rage and fear. She let out a tiny sigh of relief and started to slowly trudge after Weiss.

She didn't like the idea of "cheating" and getting a different partner out of the blue, but if this was what their relationship would be like, maybe it would be for the best. This level of stress wasn't healthy for either of them, especially if it became an everyday thing. As much as she tried, Ruby was struggling to remain positive about any future where Weiss was her partner.

Weiss weaved between the tree trunks, leading the way wordlessly and without glancing back at Ruby. They were moving slow, no doubt to try and conserve energy after wasting so much in their tantrums. Still, they would have to start to move quickly soon if they wanted to get a relic in a timely fashion, but Ruby was willing to take a few minutes to finish straightening herself out.

Ruby stepped around a tree, and felt a hand grab hers. Weiss's eyes burned with sudden strength, and Ruby screamed as she was slammed to the ground. A hand covered her mouth, and Weiss looked to the sky. Ruby stared at Weiss's face. It was still red and puffy, but her eyes were focused, her mouth small and stern. "Shut up." She ordered quietly.

Ruby looked up. High, high above, barely visible between the full branches, was a seemingly normal looking bird. However, it had a distinctive shape, and judging by the slow, powerful flaps of its wings, it could have only been a Nevermore. A Nevermore about the size of a civilian airship. She watched, her body suddenly tense as her mind scrambled for and found something about that monster.

' _Migratory predators, often staying on cliffsides and mountains overlooking hunting grounds: IE civilian roads in the wild. Nevermores are typically car-sized, but within a year can reach significantly more monstrous sizes. Typically roused by arguments that are frequent on the road (since the dangerous wilds often cause high-tension), they hunt human-sized prey by flying high in the sky to blend in as a normal bird, then dive bomb at immense speeds and catch people in their claws to sail back to their nests and kill them at their leisure. They are known to pursue their prey for miles, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The fear of Nevermores isn't that they kill, but that they wait to kill, and take a concerning delight with dismembering their prey.'_

Ruby had read that in Yang's old Grimm Studies textbooks, something she'd often sneak away with when her older sister was done with her homework or just slacking off. She recalled that while Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursas were fairly common, Deathstalkers and Nevermores were among the most feared "common Grimm" of Vale. The former due to its sting, the latter due to its cruelty.

She never thought she'd be in one's sights so early.

She looked to Weiss, who was watching with baited breath. The Nevermore flapped twice, then disappeared. Weiss let Ruby go, slowly pulling herself up. Weiss looked at her palm and cringed before she wiped her hand on her skirt, grumbling as Ruby sat up. " _Ugh._ Should have dragged you to a _tree,_ wearing white and black while laying on the ground. _Stupid."_ Weiss seethed at herself.

Ruby considered her for a few moments, pursed her lips in thought, and awkwardly tapped her fingers together. "I like your hand cream." Huh, it had sounded better in her head.

Weiss stared at her, mouth opened, then shut it with a click. She took a deep breath and nodded. "We're going now." She said, firmly refusing to respond to that, much to Ruby's relief. Weiss returned pacing north, sticking close to the trees. Ruby followed her, mumbling under her breath about her stupid traitor of a mouth.

She managed to stay calm, despite the tension. She didn't feel the snarls in the back of her mind at all. Good. She took a deep breath and shadowed Weiss. The white-haired woman walked with squared shoulders and assured steps, but stopped every now and then to listen.

Ruby did the same. The gentle sound of wings flapping high above faded and strengthened, suggesting the Nevermore was looking for them but unsure where they were. Ruby intended to keep it that way.

* * *

Pyrrha knelt low to the ground, hand against the trunk of a tree as she kept her ears and eyes open. Jaune landed flat on his back behind her with his hand over his mouth, suppressing a pained grunt after being hip-tossed to the forest loam, before sitting up slowly. Pyrrha held up one finger. "Shh." She ordered in a low hiss through her teeth.

"Coulda just told me." Jaune muttered, rubbing his sore rear before crawling closer. "What is it?" He whispered, low as he could, as his eyes began slowly scanning for whatever threat she had detected. Pyrrha said nothing, her green eye only narrowing slightly in growing tension. He craned his neck, focusing on sound rather than his vision.

Gentle growling. The rustling of grass. He hadn't noticed them above the ruckus of his own footsteps, but Pyrrha had heard it instantly. Shame mixed with awe in his gut as the two of them slowly turned their heads, hearing the sound from every direction now that they had zeroed in on it. A scratching noise came from a tree, and Jaune touched Pyrrha's shoulder once before he gingerly pointed.

Watching them from behind a trunk was a Grimm. About the size of a dog, with a large mouth and no forelimbs, a common Creep. Jaune sighed. He'd been afraid that it was a pack of Beowolves, a Grimm he'd never encountered before, but he knew Creeps. More pests than actual threats, unless they came with their full swarm. They prefered quantity over quality, easily being the most common and weak of the Grimm, as such they prefered to wait and participate in attacks initiated by larger Grimm. Or to gather several smaller swarms in an overwhelming mass to overrun smaller prey like a handful of unarmed adults, farm animals, or small blonde boys looking for their puppy.

Chester was a good boy and Jaune regretted nothing.

"We are completely surrounded." Pyrrha informed him with a calm he wished he shared before she turned her gaze slowly, noting each wriggling bush, each footstep. She closed her eyes to listen. Scratching, faint scratching from down below. Yes, this was an ambush, these Creeps were confident.

She took a deep breath, centering herself for the battle to come. Her hands slowly moved to her weapons as she heard Jaune follow her lead and rapidly scramble to draw his own sword. Good, he was taking this seriously. She ignored his strangled noise of distress, formulating her first move until her eyes shot open as Jaune plunged his sword into the ground just six inches from her boot. She stared down at the pierced earth where his sword was impaled to the guard, before Jaune slid the blade free with a slightly trembling hand and stared at the hole in disbelief, black mist escaping it. Pyrrha smiled the tiniest bit as Jaune stood on slightly shaky but firm legs, looking to her for confirmation that that had just happened. She stood, Miló and Akoúo̱ flying to her hands as Jaune examined the surrounding Grimm.

"Jaune-"

"Cover the left side, I'll cover the right." Jaune ordered instantly, his voice shaky but firm, the two of them stepping into the clearing with slow, deliberate steps.

"Sword left or shield left?" Pyrrha gently prodded, raising her left arm to emphasize her shield.

"Shield left, always shield left." Jaune spoke as if he had experience, and Pyrrha nodded, seeing no reason to contradict his strategy. Jaune lifted his sheath off of his belt, clicking it open into a shield as his sword was held far too tightly in his suddenly sweaty right hand. He entered a basic crouch, shield loosely hanging to his side, trying to recall the lessons his uncle gave him.

' _Cover yourself and your partner, your shield is your most powerful tool. Protect with all your might, not just yourself but those with you.'_ He'd said more than once. Jaune swallowed and clung to that advice.

"Ready, partner?" he finally asked.

Pyrrha had her right foot way back, and felt it tap Jaune's ankle. She corrected her stance, an inch to the left, letting her foot rest between his legs. Akoúo̱ was held to cover her left side, Miló held firmly and low to her right. This was her normal stance. She could adjust depending on numbers and enemies, but by the looks of it, the pack of Creeps would be working by themselves.

How foolish to assume she and her partner were easy prey.

"Ready, Jaune."

 _Clang! Clang! Clang!_

Pyrrha flinched in surprise, looking back briefly to see Jaune banging his shield with his sword loudly. A dozen thoughts raced through her head: did he intend to bring the whole forest on them? Was this his semblance? Perhaps a war cry? If it was his war cry, it wasn't working, this much noise worried her.

Then a thought occurred: burrowing Creeps relied on sound and the feeling of footsteps. With no footsteps, they'd rely on sound, and if they suspected a battle, they'd emerge before their allies could distract their prey…

Pyrrha hid a chuckle. Unrefined, but practical.

The ground to her right erupted, chunks of earth splashing her sword arm as a smaller Creep lunged, mouth open to show its sharpened teeth. Jaune's shield smashed its side, and Pyrrha sliced upwards. The tip of Miló punched through the Creep's neck, and she shifted its momentum over her head and directly into a Creep emerging from the left. The two scattered across the ground limply, one already fading away as the other struggled to regain its footing.

Miló began to twist and shift, the handle telescoping as the guard shrunk, extending the blade into a javelin. She knelt low as Creeps, emboldened by the start of the fight, emerged from the brush with enraged yips and hungry cries. The tip of Pyrrha's spear halted them as they formed a semicircle around her, more rushing from her sides.

They assumed her to be base prey, unable to notice attacks from her sides as well as her front. She felt that familiar tingle of her semblance as she gave Akoúo̱ an order, and she swiftly lurched to the left and crushed a Creep's face, Miló pulling her to the right to spear another. The ones in front of her charged, and Miló shifted back to a sword.

To her far right, one of the five Creep's sprinted at her, aiming for her ankle. Miló swept low, slicing clean through its leg and sending it sprawling across the ground in a crippled state. The one in the middle lunged, believing her open, but Miló was in the perfect position to rise and plunge through its middle. Judging by the stance of the one second to the left it intended to follow up, but did not expect her to bring its companion down on its body, flattening them both. The one furthest to her left tried to wheel around its companions in the barest hopes it would succeed in catching her off guard, but she split its head down the middle, dashing its plan. The fourth, the one that stood furthest from her, seemed unsure of how to react up until Pyrrha swiftly stepped forward and kicked, crumpling its face and sending it back before she instantly lashed out, killing the remaining two.

She held herself confidently. She heard approximately fourteen more travelling around the trees of the clearing on her side. Maybe fifteen? She settled on fifteen. One had louder footsteps than normal, must have been the pack leader. Nothing she could not handle.

Behind her, Jaune threw his weight in one swing that was too short, making the three Creeps menacing him step back and hiss. They understood the blade meant death, but they had every intention to kill him anyway. Jaune took a deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts, calm his heart, and soothe the worried burning in his chest all at once.

He heard trampling from his left and shifted his weight towards his shield, causing the Creep to slam against solid steel and bounce off, pushing Jaune a step back, his guard opening. He lept to the right and brought his shield down, flooring a Creep intending to capitalize on his weakness.

Sweat dotting his brow, he shook his head to keep it out of his eyes and stomped down on the Creep, leaving it pinned and in pain as another charged his front. "Pyrrha," he spoke loudly and clearly, "spread!" He ordered. He heard her shift, he dove the opposite direction. Three Creeps slammed into one another in the middle and Jaune stood up straight, shield over his chest. They all barreled towards him. Great.

He slashed horizontally, cutting one Creep's cheek opening and causing it to abort with a pained shriek. One of its companions slammed into his shield headfirst, breaking its bony plating while sending the shield ricocheting into his face. He stumbled back, pulling the shield's edge out of his cheek, stained red as a steady trail of blood ran down to his jaw.

He stared wild-eyed at his shield, then the offending Creep, then the next one charging towards him. _It's only three,_ He reminded himself and pushed forward. A little blood wasn't a big deal, not like losing a few fingers like Uncle Todd did. He battered the charging Creep with his shield and swept in, cutting straight through its chest with a single thrust of his sword. He pulled back, correcting his grip to swing the blade into the side of the first Creep he'd stalled. It flew back, a thin red cut across its side, and the second, its bony plates cracked and falling loose, bit into his shoe.

"Hng! Get _off!"_ Jaune snapped before he plunged his sword through its neck and pulled it out through the side, cutting through its neck with all his might and using the momentum to confront the last one. He stared it down, baring his weapons and shoulders as he growled. It took a step back, then turned tail and fled.

Jaune watched it flee, the surging adrenaline through his veins leaving him tense and paranoid. He took loud gulps of air, the heat in his chest matching the heat oozing from his sliced cheek. He blinked away the haze of relief and accomplishment, remembering he was not alone. His weapons raised and he grit his teeth as he turned back to Pyrrha, ready to help.

Instead he just let his jaw hang open and stared.

The redhead stood amidst the dissipating remains of over a dozen Creeps, her weapons sliding into their resting places on her back. She was barely sweating from exertion, her breath and steps were calm. She looked back to Jaune, her smile gentle. She approached steadily, and Jaune shakily sheathed his sword, feeling more than a little foolish for worrying about her. He let out a breath in a loud rush, so thrilled that they won, as Pyrrha's eyes locked onto his cheek and her smile faded.

"Jaune, did they break your aura?" She asked, moving more quickly towards him. She rested a hand on his wounded cheek, making Jaune flinch and grab her wrist firmly. She did not jerk her limb free, she merely give him a worried glance.

"No!" Jaune insisted. He stared at Pyrrha, then her hand, and realized what he was doing. He chided himself for reacting like a child. He needed to calm down. She was trying to help. He let her hand go, and gently she stroked the blood off the wound. She gave him a slight frown, considering him carefully. "I-" Jaune sighed, trying to shake off the aftereffects of the fight, "I don't have an aura." He admitted.

Pyrrha was silent as she moved closer, holding his chin to keep him still as her thumb pressed to the cut. He winced in pain as she ran her thumb along the skin of his cheek. "To be a hunter, you need to have your aura." She told him in a very calm voice, even as her face paled in worry.

"I-I know." Jaune gently brushed her hand aside, if only to spare himself the discomfort of her prodding. He frowned, touching his face quietly. He looked at the blood on his fingertips disdainfully. She examined him, making a low, inquisitive hum. "Look, I thought they'd show me on the first day."

"Unlocking your aura is something you do as a child, or in the interim hunter schools." Pyrrha spoke very gently as she looked into his eyes. "Jaune? Is… is this your first _experience_ as a hunter?"

Jaune was quiet. He stared at Pyrrha and braced for her to start judging him, but not once did she glare, or act prideful, or even look accusing. She seemed worried. Just like his sisters… He sighed at the flash of irritation and comfort that thought caused and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "N-no. Not really. My uncle Todd gave me some lessons to protect the farm while he and dad were away." He winced the tiniest bit. "I had to pick a _lot_ of turnips to 'buy' his lessons."

"I see." Pyrrha replied softly while touching her chin in quiet thought. On one hand, the danger of keeping an inexperienced hunter here was extremely high. On the other, his soft blue eyes, gentle, ashamed stare, boyish good looks, all of it made her hormones act all wonky, and made her feel… _risky._ It was a bad idea, but she liked Jaune. She didn't want to see him fail. "Well, how about I unlock your aura for you?" She offered.

"You can? You would?" Jaune's eyes widened in surprise. "You can just _do_ that? Just unlock somebody's aura?"

"Well, not without some help." Pyrrha nodded. This would be the test. If he didn't pass it, then… she would have to recommend that he go home in a stern voice. "Aura is the manifestation of your soul. I can _show_ your soul how to project itself in a protective barrier, but it requires you to be receptive. You must express yourself through it, focus on your desires, what you _want."_ Pyrrha took a deep breath and gave him a smile. "Our auras protect us, it helps us reach our goals. When we feel strong, our aura is strong, when we feel weak, our aura is weak. You must strengthen your body, but your aura is empowered by your sense of self. You must know your desires and your weaknesses in tandem, that way you can summon your aura to guard yourself, even where you are most vulnerable."

Jaune nodded slowly, his cheeks slack as he formed a calm, but understanding frown. "And it makes your weapons stronger too, right?"

"No, not exactly." Pyrrha reached out to touch the handle of Jaune's sword. She looked to him for permission, and though hesitant, Jaune nodded. She slid the blade out of its sheath, appraising its craftsmanship. "What makes a weapon strong is its wielder. Your aura may sharpen the blade, help it pierce through the enemy's hide, but only so long as you see your weapon as a symbol of yourself. Your weapon carries your hopes, your dreams, your rage, and your limits." She rested the blade's handle back in Jaune's hand, and he held it firmly, watching Pyrrha slide Miló out of its sheath. "That is why many hunters handmake their weapons, for they establish an affection and trust in it early. It is rare to see hunters who can easily discard and pick up a new one with the same effectiveness."

"Crocea Mors, err, my sword and shield." Jaune pulled his sheath off of his belt and pressed the button to open it. Both of them watched the noble-looking guard extend to its full width and naturally settle into Jaune's grip. "They're hand-me-downs." He frowned and shook his head and corrected himself. "No, they're not _hand-me-downs,_ but they're family heirlooms. They belonged to my grandfather, and his dad, and his dad too. They've been in my family for a long time, and they protected Vale."

"See? You already love and respect your weapons. Heirlooms are often old-fashioned, before the advancement in technology, but they carry not just yourself, but every person who held them. The stories you hear about your weapons have already given them a purpose, it's up to you to see them through another lifetime of hunting." Pyrrha took a deep breath and held out her hands. Jaune sheathed his weapons and rest his hands in hers tentatively. "Listen to my words, the words of hunters who lived long before us. They speak of the soul, and of ourselves, from then, to now, to the future yet to come. Let them flow through you, hear it from the bottom of your heart, and I will show your soul how to bring about your aura."

Jaune was unsure. He had heard of auras, souls, and semblances before. He assumed that, in time, his would simply appear. He didn't expect it to come from learning, or from self-reflection, but as she focused, so did he. He closed his eyes.

 _What do I want?_

That he knew.

 _What don't I like about me?_

That he knew even better.

His lips formed a thin, pinched frown. He knew himself, not in some philosophical manner of exploring your emotions, thoughts, and roots, but he knew what he, Jaune Arc, wanted to achieve in order to conquer what haunted him.

Pyrrha's eyes widened unnaturally, her pupils contracting into tiny pinpricks as her aura manifested around her at a blazing red intensity. The absolute extreme of her power at full capacity, her soul wrapped around her for all to see before it consumed Jaune, reaching in to pull at his soul.

Jaune gasped. It was like a wave of emotion crashing through him, his entire body under the pressure of Pyrrha's sense of self. He could read none of it, but her words rang loudly and clearly through his ears, through his mind.

" _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."_

Jaune did not care much for poetry, but he understood. Pyrrha wasn't simply unlocking his aura, she was filling him with her own and embracing his soul with her own. For several seconds, he was encapsulated by the unerring warmth and love that made up Pyrrha's sense of self.

It was overpowering. Jaune watched the world go white as Pyrrha all but swallowed his ego. He felt so small, so belittled, and he pushed back. He pushed at the invading presence, pushing until it was out of his body and mind, pushed until he was free, and didn't stop pushing until it could no longer able to touch him.

Pyrrha stepped back, gasping, releasing her grip on Jaune. She stared at the boy as he stood there, a golden sheen flitting in and out of existence around him. She had felt the unmistakable light of his soul but couldn't understand it any better than her own mentor's, but she could see it trying to manifest around him, trying to copy hers. It glowed so brightly that the shadows around them simply vanished, and Pyrrha felt a moment of elation.

Jaune's eyes opened, and the power disappeared as he fell to one knee. He felt winded, like somebody had just socked him in the gut. His chest felt so light, like his heart and lungs were floating to the top of his torso, trying to vanish into the sky but unable to escape because some jerk had grown ribs around them. He trembled, feeling incredibly tired yet alive in a way he'd never experienced before as Pyrrha knelt down by his side. "Your aura is strong." She told him with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Cool." Jaune panted, trying to gather his bearings. He pinched the bridge of his nose as a stress headache began to form. He took a deep breath and ignored the sweat now forming on his face. "Why am I so tired?" He asked, barely able to squeeze his nose.

"Using your aura is like flexing a muscle. It takes power from your soul, but also leeches strength from your body as well. If you use your aura or semblance too much you will feel increasingly exhausted until you lose consciousness from the strain. You manifested your aura, to which I congratulate you, but it took all your power to do so. It will take time for your energy to return." She slid a hand into a little hip pouch, and Jaune blinked as a snack bar hovered in front of his eyes between her finger and thumb. She smiled. "So, let us restore our body and spirits with a quick snack and a brief rest."

Jaune had never been happier to open a granola bar.

* * *

"This is a _cliff."_ Weiss grunted, narrowing her eyes at the edge a foot from her toes as if in accusation. Ruby stared down the steep rock face, guessing they were around fifty feet up. She gave Weiss an apologetic look before she swiveled her head to the left and right to find a way down. "I _knew_ following moss was a bad idea! Who in the world told you to follow moss?!" Weiss demanded.

"Err, my uncle." Ruby pouted. Weiss began to rant on the trustworthiness on parasitic greenery while Ruby thought through the problem, tuning the older girl out with what was turning into the benefit of long practice. Weiss was in the mood to rant, but it was no longer as malicious as before. Her gaze was stern, angry, bossy, and all around grumpy, but no longer hatefully piercing through her. Ruby sighed gently to herself. "Weiss, what's your semblance?" Ruby asked, looking up to her partner - for however long - curiously.

Weiss stopped mid rant and held up a finger, instantly shifting into educator mode. "The Schnee family is unique in that its semblance is hereditary. Like my grandfather, mother and sister before me, I can create reality-altering glyphs that are extremely susceptible to dust charging in order to create a number of effects. Now…" Weiss planted her hands on her hips. "We need to establish which direction we're going _without_ the help of _moss,_ the sun rises from the east, and it's still morning, so we are…" Weiss scouted the sky and the land around them.

Ruby pinched her chin. "Can your semblance help us get down the cliff?"

"Undoubtedly, but stop thinking about the stupid cliff! Rises from the east…" Weiss pointed one direction. "So it's heading towards the west." She pointed the other. "So north is _that_ way." She pointed straight ahead, off the cliff. She paused, her finger trembling. She slowly shifted her gaze at Ruby, who was smiling quietly in amusement.

"I guess the moss had our backs. I'll tell Uncle Qrow you were impressed." She stretched, feeling surprisingly light on her feet. The adrenaline rush from all the negativity earlier had faded, she was no longer on edge and she could think more clearly. Plus she hadn't felt the urge to scream and run from Weiss' voice in a while, so that was a positive.

"I am _willing_ to chalk that up to coincidence." Weiss stomped her foot with a huff. Ruby smirked, but refrained from saying anything, so the two girls settled for staring down the cliffside at the ground below. "Climbing down would take forever without equipment." Weiss noted.

"Well, you said your semblance could 'undoubtedly' help us get down, right?" Ruby asked, planting her hands on her hips as her head tilted to one side, her mind still milling for other options. Down below, the sound of shifting dirt and rock clattering down the cliffside went unnoticed as Weiss lifted Myrtenaster and examined the revolver cylinder of dust chambers.

"Yes, but that requires some fairly extensive use of dust. Creating enough solid platforming or a gravity effect strong enough to get down easily is taxing, and I'm…" Weiss pushed out her lower lip as she remembered her earlier tantrum. "I'm beginning to feel _somewhat_ fatigued."

"Okay." Ruby nodded, rubbing her hands together as she thought. She paused as she faintly heard more clattering below. She peered back over the edge and this time she spotted a ledge, maybe halfway down the cliff, overhanging a cave. "Okay, how many glyphs do you think you could make before you run out?" Ruby asked.

"That depends." Weiss touched her chin, rapidly making estimates as her thumb idly rotated the cylinder of her weapon. "Three platform glyphs at most, or I could slow our fall for approximately five seconds, maybe I could make _one_ ice block. Nothing helpful could be done with fire or electricity in this situation regardless of my stamina…" Weiss muttered.

"Okay, how about one platform for two?" Ruby offered. She pointed to the ledge down below, and Weiss worked her jaw slowly, thoughtfully.

"If I _must."_ Weiss held her sword out and took a deep breath as she concentrated. Ruby watched as, in midair, a good jump down the cliff face, a white sigil appeared in the shape of a snowflake. It was rather pretty to look at, watching it spin and weave a complicated circle before Weiss plunged her sword's tip into the ground in front of her.

The sigil stopped spinning, and Ruby smiled.

Then, the ground beneath them collapsed. Ruby barely managed a shriek of terror as they fell, rock and dirt crashing around them as they both rolled down cliffside. Ruby grunted as she slammed into a boulder that was now jutting outwards, her aura absorbing most of the shock but the pain in her gut forcing the air out of her lungs. She landed on something solid that made an odd humm at the impact as Weiss's screams continued for a few seconds, muted by the churning earth, before ending in an abrupt yelp of pain.

Ruby groaned and fluttered open her eyes. She stared at the sky a moment before rolling onto her side and looking down. She realized she was laying on top of the snowflake-glyph, panting quietly, the pain fading slower than usual. Her aura had taken one hell of a hit, the lingering pain a little too real at the moment. She stared at her hand and grit her teeth as she focused. A thin, black shield surrounded her flesh, fading as she banished her visible aura. She wasn't out of the game yet, thankfully. That would have been a stupid way to fail… or break her neck. Her dad would kill her for almost dying.

She lifted herself up and crawled to the edge of the platform and peered downwards. Weiss was lying face down on the solid ground thirty feet below her. Ruby frowned. She didn't look like she was mangled or anything, but she wasn't moving. "Weiss?" Ruby called weakly. She saw her twitch. Ruby sighed in relief. "Weiss, are you okay?!" She added, even louder despite the lingering ache in her ribs.

Weiss did not answer, aside from a pained yet frustrated groan. Slowly she pulled herself up to her hands and knees, glancing around in confusion. She stood up, shakily, and held on hand to her throbbing temple as the willed the planet to hold still. Ruby noted the aura of white light around her dissipating. It looked thin. Ruby frowned, this was not good. Weiss had taken a harder hit and she'd been complaining about being tired before the unceremonious meeting with the ground. Her aura wasn't going to last without some time to recharge.

Weiss looked around, her mind a jumbled mess of conflicting thoughts and confused wondering of how she had gotten here. She shook her head, rubbed her eyes, and briefly flexed her aura to ensure she was still in one piece. She looked up at the sky, up at Ruby, and made a face. Ruby flinched, hiding her mouth behind the snowflake platform as Weiss suddenly stomped much harder than last time, looking ready to tantrum again.

"Is it _me?!"_ Weiss demanded with a roar. "Is this karma for something _I_ did?! Something my _family_ did?! Am I paying for something?!" She screamed, hands balled up tightly as she shouted at the sky, at the forest, at Ruby. "What did I do to deserve this?! Why does this keep _happening?!"_ Weiss's yelling had a frightened tremor to it. She spent a moment panting, red-faced as the forest echoed gently with her outrage. She scrubbed her cheeks with her hands and forced a calmer breath as she awkwardly dusted herself off and walked to the front of a cave in the cliffside to pick up Myrtenaster, examining the blade closely.

Ruby squeaked as the glyph beneath her began to fade and she hurriedly glanced to the ledge she had spotted earlier and quickly hopped onto it before the construct of aura faded completely. She pinwheeled her arms as another tremor happened, and Ruby jerked her head up at the cliff edge above her, waiting for it to fall, but it didn't. She was just about to sigh in relief when another tremble rung out from the stone around her. Then another.

She looked down to Weiss. Her partner was backing away very slowly, Myrtenaster out, her face pinched and white with terror as a the next tremor made Ruby's blood run cold.

Another ground-shaking tremor, and a low, aggravated snarl filled the air. From the cave a massive, beastly Ursa took measured, confident steps towards Weiss. Huge, thick spikes sprouted from the bony plates on its back, glowing red eyes locked firmly on Weiss while drool ran down its black chin onto the ground below.

Weiss took several unsteady steps back, her eyes wide, her body shaking. The Ursa Major made a loud, annoyed snort, entering its primal hunting stance as it stared Weiss down. It was common to assume that such a massive, lumbering creature was slow, dull-witted, and easily outrun, but as an Ursas built bulk and it grew heavier, it made up for its slow nature with quick, sudden bursts of speed. At this distance, the moment Weiss turned her back to the beast to flee, it was catch up and break her aura with a single bite. She would stand no chance.

With the massive number of protective plates on its body and its superior mass it could easily last for several hours against more experienced hunters who did not have the right weapon to smash apart its armor. Weiss, barely entering Beacon, her aura barely hanging in, would not stand a chance.

The Ursa knew this, and took its time stomping towards her, waiting for her to make the first move, the first mistake. It was old enough to know patience and was all the more dangerous for it.

Weiss's frantic mind latched onto her goal... she couldn't just give up and die here. Her fingers tightened around Myrtenaster's hilt. But despite her renewed resolve, her body was shaking, her lungs burning, barely able to hold breath. She was aching from the fall and as numerous glyphs went through her head, she could barely remember what any of them did. The Ursa Major's massive paws scooped out thick mounds of dirt with each step, sharpening its claws in anticipation of the kill.

She was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. She had so much to do, to accomplish. She had to prove her father wrong and her family right, she had to bring good will back to her name and country. She couldn't die here. Not before her first letter grade, not before her first dance, not before finding that special somebody who would validate her as Weiss, not Schnee. Her knees threatened to buckle under her svelte frame.

The world swam, her vision blurring until she blinked away the excess moisture. She couldn't believe she still had tears left after all these years. How utterly shameful, how pointlessly stupid. She would die crying like a helpless child. She could practically feel Whitley sneering at her weakness, hear her father's condescending tongue clicking. Rage and sorrow thundered through her. It hurt, it wasn't fair, it bled desperate strength into her limbs. She would never kill something that size in her state, so she had to run, had to escape…

She turned her shoulders, twisting her head to look at the forest behind her, and immediately heard the rush of several heavy footsteps as the beast saw its opportunity and charged with a triumphant roar. Weiss felt her body seize as she turned back. It was _right there,_ its teeth in her face, maw actually wider than her head…

Scythe around its neck.

With an irritated snarl it crashed into Weiss with its raised chin. Weiss flew onto her back, the massive beast sliding a few feet short of her as its head was pulled upwards, neck exposed. Ruby stood on top of it, gritting her teeth as she kept it from stepping on and crushing Weiss's legs. It snarled furiously and slapped the ground with one paw, shaking the trees in frustration at being blindsided as Weiss squeezed Myrtenaster.

Weiss ordered herself to move. Act. _Live_. For half a second, a red snowflake glyph appeared in front of her, and she speared it with her rapier. The blade burned red hot as it passed through the glyph and just as easily slipped into the monster's neck. The sizzling hiss of cooking meat was nauseating in this context, as was the foul stench of incinerated hair.

It's agonized bellow was like a thunderclap, the Ursa convulsed, the burning blade making it spasm and shake even as the force of it's voice made Weiss and Ruby cringe. Its massive claw smashed Myrtenaster to the ground, ripping the blade from its neck. Weiss screamed, her hand numb from the force of the blow, and then the Ursa charged with its head reared back. Unable to bite her, it crashed into her, forcing her on her back again before clawing at the scythe blade angrily.

Ruby stared at Weiss, sprawled on the ground, unable to protect herself as her white aura flickered weakly. With a furious cry, Ruby pulled the scythe as hard as she could, but then she was airborne. The Ursa flopped onto its side, tossing Ruby away, and more importantly removing the scythe from its neck. It rolled back onto its paws and glanced towards the offending girl, pulling herself off the grass while reaffirming her grip on Crescent Rose.

The Ursa roared, it's frame seeming to expand as it tensed itself for battle, as Ruby got to her feet and glared right back. With a gnashing of its massive teeth, it charged towards her with its red eyes glowing angrily. It sensed her pain, her desperation, her anger. She was afraid, and the scent of fear was too strong to ignore. Plus she'd cost it a snack. She spun in place, using momentum to empower the strike she send at the Ursa, the blunt back-end of her scythe cracking one of its shoulder plates but it wasn't enough. A clawed paw the size of her entire torso raked out at her, catching the scythe's pole as it was held up to protect her.

The contest of strength was no contest at all.

Crescent Rose flew far out of Ruby's grip, the force of the blow causing Ruby to lurch to the side, shouting in pain. Her elbows and shoulders felt like hot coals had been jammed into them. The Ursa snorted in dark satisfaction while swinging the back of its massive paw at her face. Ruby flew back as if struck by an oncoming truck, landing on her back, digging a trench with her shoulders before stopping, and holding her head in a dizzy wave of pain and the inky black of her aura fading. The Ursa roared in triumph, its hunt seemingly complete. It would start with this one, still conscious enough to feel fear, though it paused. It stared at its claws, then shook its paw until the thick black eyewear fell off. It made a low, content sound that odd item wasn't some human trick.

As it trundled forward its back haunch was consumed in searing heat, making it roar and snap at the air furiously. It turned with shocking speed for it's mass, facing towards the other girl. Weiss was watching it, horrified, her blade glowing red from the dispensed fire dust. The Ursa made a low, unhappy noise. This one first then. Enough _fire._

Ruby laid on the ground, staring up at the blue sky. Her body hurt. Her fingers gently wiggled, trying to get a feel for her aura, but it was gone. Mentally she tried to feel for Crescent Rose on her back or in her hands, but it too was gone. She took slow, quiet breaths. Those hurt too. Everything was so bright and she _hurt._ Were her goggles gone too? A part of her was scared of that, but she could only feel a distant echo of concern.

"Yang?" She whispered quietly, gulping dryly. Where was her sister? She needed Yang. Yang made things make sense. Yang made things feel better. Everything hurt and she needed her sister. She thought about calling her from her scroll, but that wasn't on her either. She needed to find Yang. She needed to find-

A terrified, heart-wrenching scream pierced the haze of her mind.

Her head shot up, despite the agony that caused. Somebody else was hurt? She pulled herself to a sitting position and willed her vision to focus. Weiss was trapped under the heavy paw of the Ursa Major as her fists beat at it's head, going for the eyes, but it simply closed them and ignored her. It opened its jaws and bit down, digging its teeth into the rapidly paling aura around Weiss's skull, her voice raising a few octaves as she stared down the beast's throat. Weiss was screaming. Weiss was in pain. She was fading.

Everything was going _wrong._ Where was Rose? Ruby couldn't help without Crescent Rose. They were both going to die to this big stupid monster. Before Ruby could become a huntress and help _anyone…_

But… but she could still… she could help Weiss. She could protect her without Crescent Rose.

Weiss's aura shattered, and the Ursa jerked back with a wet gag. It closed its jaws around a thick black arm, splintering flesh and bone and tearing the intruding appendage apart before spitting it out and hacking a few times to clear it's airway.

Weiss laid still. She was dead. That was the only explanation, she was _dead._ Her aura was gone, she was under this monster, where was the _pain?_ The darkness? She glanced at the Ursa, which shook it's huge head and coughed repeatedly. She slowly looked to her left and spotted the rapidly sinking remains of an arm... A grimm's arm.

The thick black appendage seemed to submerge into a black pool in the ground to the left of her head. She stared. That was not possible, how did that _get_ there? Did she summon without realizing it? But why was it black like the Grimm and not white?

The Ursa took several heavy steps back, teeth bared at the dark puddle. It was confused and angry, had the Beowolves come to steal its meal? It got no answer as a thick blade crashed into the top of its vulnerable neck, making it howl in pain and rear backwards to stare.

The girl, the girl in black and red! She…

The Ursa's anger was replaced with confusion. Her eyes were not human. That scythe was the same as itself. The thick black blade and pole, showing no reflection, color, or light was a thing of Grimm, and it had _hurt._ Why would it serve her when there were humans around?

While older and wiser than most, the Ursa was still an Ursa. When its limited intelligence finally failed it, it fell back on instinct. With an earsplitting roar, the Ursa channeled all that confusion into naked aggression. It dropped to all fours and stomped towards the girl, froth bubbling from its lips, intending to kill her once and for all and _eat,_ but a sharp pain went through its underbelly. It shifted aside and stomped down, shattering stone, clawing at the inky mass attacking its underbelly and shattering several spikes in the process. But the darkness was not concerned and the Ursa roared in distress as numerous black claws grabbed at its limbs and belly, ripping at where it was most weak as the girl before it screamed in an unbound rage. The Ursa heaved, ripping it's right foreleg away from the mire to crush her into a wet paste, but with a howl, a Beowolf's head and shoulders lunged out of the murky depth and latched on, snarling furiously as it pulled, ripped, and tugged at the Ursa's paw. The Ursa tried to wave the half-formed beast off as it gnawed and snarled, and soon dozens of heads and hundreds of teeth tore into its limbs. Formless, pointless, but endless.

The Ursa shook the air with its shrieks, straining mightily to flee, but the pool kept shifting under it's paws, denying it the leverage it needed to put it's monstrous strength to work. It shook and splashed and slammed one paw onto solid ground, bracing to heave its mass forward, but two massive talons rose out of the black pool beneath it, grabbing its head and shoulders, crushing the spines on its back in the effort to force it to the ground. The Ursa squirmed, braying in pain and finally fear as the limbs of its kin held it still and ripped it to pieces. The Ursa stared up at Ruby as she approached, her pupils glowing an enraged red as she grit her teeth.

The scythe raised over her head, and the twin Nevermore talons stretched its head and body to make its neck taut. With a horrendous cry, the Ursa pleaded for its kin to help, but then the scythe swung.

Weiss stayed frozen in place. The severed head of the Ursa rolled through the grass, its jaw stretched out, its eyes blank. The body and head began to disappear, as did the pool of writhing limbs, claws, heads, and teeth. Weiss stared up at Ruby, who quietly stretched out one arm and dropped the pitch black scythe onto the ground with a wet splat, like dropping a soaked towel, and allowed it to be swallowed into nothingness. Ruby stared at the spot the Ursa had died, before slowly turning to face Weiss.

Weiss went rigid. It was like her heart had stopped. Everything went ice cold, harsher than the Atlas tundras. Ruby stared at her with inhuman eyes, the black pits, the red rings, the sickly veins, the plainly written fury and pain they carried. Weiss stared into the abyss with deep, wretched breaths as Ruby slowly walked towards her.

No. No they had just _won._ They'd won somehow! Weiss shakily crawled back, barely able to control herself. Ruby walked closer, her eyes narrowing, her teeth bared. Weiss held her hands up and terrified, ragged breaths escaped her.

Ruby knelt down beside her and grabbed her wrists, pulling them open despite Weiss's struggling. Then Ruby growled, "You need to calm down." She ordered in a hoarse voice. Weiss continued to shake and pull. "Calm. Down." Ruby ordered furiously, her expression wild and pale and furious. Weiss pulled harder, crying out in terror as Ruby grabbed her shoulders and held her to the ground. " _Calm down!"_ Ruby barked. " _Calm down, damn you, CALM DOWN!"_ Ruby held her with shocking strength, Weiss screaming again as she stared up at her, into those hateful eyes. Weiss's body wouldn't stop shaking, her lungs and heart burned, who was this girl?! What was she!? Weiss grabbed at Ruby's face desperately, feeling her rigid jaw and round cheeks.

She didn't want to die. "Ruby!" Weiss whimpered. "Ruby, stop, please… I'm-I'm sorry…" She whispered pleadingly. Ruby's glare began to soften, then turned into dawning horror as her grip slackened. Her jaw fell loose in quiet realization. "Please, I don't want to die…" Weiss begged quietly.

Ruby pulled her arms back and swiftly backpedaled away. She collapsed to the ground on her rump, staring down at her trembling hands in disbelief. Weiss rolled to her side, readying herself to flee when she heard the first sob. She stared at Ruby, watching the girl rock back and forth as she began to cry.

Weiss pulled herself to her feet. She felt numb, she felt cold. She was terrified as Ruby held her face and wailed. Ruby was dangerous. Her every instinct told her this girl would kill her, that she was a monster. Summoning Grimm, those _eyes,_ she… she had to go. Weiss looked around swiftly for her weapon while Ruby was distracted.

Weiss picked up Myrtenaster and looked to the trees. It was clear. She glanced back at Ruby as the girl buried her face into her knees, and then Weiss chewed her lip in quiet despair. She fled towards the forest, leaving Ruby behind and trying to out-distance the heartbroken sobs as quickly as she could.


	7. Slip 'n Fall

"Okay…" Jaune stated as calmly as he possibly could, a nervous frown on his face. "Let's think this through."

"It may be a little late for that, Jaune." Pyrrha's eyes went up, down, up, down, then up again, and down one more time.

The deathstalker clicked its massive pincers while Jaune hung from its stinger by the spear hole in his hoodie. "It is _never_ too late to come up with a plan. Like… okay, while I'm up here, it can't reach me so I shou-"

The deathstalker cut his statement short by suddenly charging forward, pincers spread out to prevent Pyrrha from ducking to its left or right while its stinger plunged towards her, Jaune screaming in terror as it did. Pyrrha slapped the stinger up above her head with a swipe of her shield, and her cheeks flushed with heat and blood as Jaune pressed against her, their noses touching, their lips a mere inch from-

" _Aaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhh!"_ Jaune was jerked back by the Deathstalker, which clicked its proportionally small mouth feelers in confusion as he hung in front of its broad, flat head. "Pyrrha!" Jaune wailed, managing to unsheath his sword and hack at the yellow, bulbous stinger holding him. "Pyrrha, I think it's mad at me! I need a distraction!" Jaune flailed for a second as he hung ever closer to its head, its pincers snapping closer to his body as he reached up, barely managing to wrap his fingers around the tip. "Pyrrha?!" Jaune cried out in panic, looking to the dazed, wide-eyed girl.

With a quick, aggressive shake of her head, Pyrrha pushed past the surreal sight and charged forward, slamming her shield into the deathstalker's face. It flinched, its pincers recoiling in surprise before it let out an angry chitter and swept its pincer over Pyrrha's head as she rolled away. As its other claw speared for her midsection, she tossed her shield into its grip to keep it from closing before turning to fence with the deathstalker's other claw.

She was beginning to pant. This was not good. She had used too much aura helping bring Jaune's potential out. She'd paced herself well during the fight with the creeps, but the combination of the heat, constant walking, and ceaseless vigilance had prevented her from recovering her stamina at all. She predicted she had another hour or so of basic aura enhanced exertion in her before she would need to tag out. A generous timeframe, sure, but against a deathstalker? Basic aura enhancement would never crack it's armor and the more power she used, the faster she'd run dry.

She heard a twang as her shield finally flew out of the scorpion's grip, and she raised a hand to summon it to her with a low metallic hum. She would catch it before its other pincer came at her, parry the hit, strike the other claw…

She caught her shield and held it defensively, but Jaune lifted himself enough to slide off the stinger and fall, shield first on top of the claw. He grunted in pain and rolled away from the deathstalker as it shrieked angrily, and Pyrrha dove after him as it tried to catch at least one of them with its unburdened pincer. "Okay, Pyrrha, where's the best place to get a Doomstalker?" Jaune asked, getting to his knees, keeping his eyes focused on the enemy.

"Deathstalker. Normally?" Pyrrha pressed a hand against Jaune's chest, forcing the both of them back, away from the threatening range of its stinger. The Deathstalker stared them down with unblinking compound eyes, snipping aggressively as it considered its options. "A typical Deathstalker has a more lightly armored underbelly and sides, as well as the joints in its claws, tail, and legs. This one, however, is _considerably_ older…"

"Oh cool, maybe it wandered away from the Grimm old folk's home and there's some Beowolf in a dress looking for it." Jaune quipped rapidly, then looked to Pyrrha with a question in his eyes at her unamused expression. "You're serious. How does it being _old_ stop us? We kill these things for a living, right?"

"The Grimm grow larger and more powerful with each passing year, Jaune. Even devoid of sustenance, some unknown force strengthens them, until even the lowliest creep is capable of extraordinary feats. _This_ Deathstalker is particularly old..." Pyrrha noted with a hint of worry. "Older than any I have faced before."

"Aaaannnnd that means there's more bad news?." Jaune hazarded a guess.

"Extremely bad. Grimm also grow more _intelligent_ with age. Plus, Deathstalkers are rather infamous for how much damage their armor can take even at an infantile age. Add on years or decades to enhance its durability..." Pyrrha trailed off and pointed her sword towards its back, which was covered in bony armor, scored with countless chinks and nicks, sprouting a sparse coating of grass. "This one may have been spawned before the Color Wars."

" _Ooookaaaaaaay."_ Jaune gave the beast a careful, evaluating look as it snipped at the two of them threateningly, clearly agitated by this standstill. Its stinger thrust at Jaune, who practically danced out of the way. Pyrrha noted that his movements were _far_ from energy efficient as he slashed the bulbous, tough-as-rock stinger, his blade bouncing off with a resounding crack. "So it's super tough, super strong, super smart, anything else?"

"Um, well, it's venomous." Pyrrha opened her mouth again to explain, but had to hammer the stinger to the side with her shield, a sweeping motion of her sword keeping the beast too wary to rush her. She quickly skipped to Jaune's side, helping create a defensive line with their shields.

"This thing is poisonous?" Jaune asked with a shocked look.

"No, _venomous,_ but I would not recommend ingesting the Grimm either." Pyrrha and Jaune both thrust their shields out. Pyrrha's autumn red aura sparked alongside Jaune's twinkling gold, and the stinger skipped off their shields with ease. "Venom is injected, poison is ingested."

"Y'know, I always wondered what-" Jaune pressed against Pyrrha and the two of them skipped away from the stinger. The Deathstalker was growing angrier, and threatened a few steps closer with its massive claws. "What does Domestroker venom _do?"_

"Deathstalker," Pyrrha quickly corrected. Jaune took a wild swipe at a lunging claw, hammering his weapon down repeatedly until he battered it away with sheer force Pyrrha winced at his wasted energy as she deflected the other claw with a slight twist of her wrist and shift of her weight. She struck at its wrist-like joint, but found the Deathstalker's black flesh was only slightly less tough than its armor. "It's venom causes fading!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune murmured as he began to slowly back away, his sword held out in front of her to signal for her to do the same. Pyrrha looked to him curiously out of the corner of her eye as the two slowly began to retreat from the beast. "Fading's bad, right?"

"Err…" Pyrrha forced herself to think back to her lessons as a child. "Fading is usually when a hunter's aura gets struck hard enough or in such a manner that would most assuredly be fatal were the aura not there, causing your aura to suddenly retreat from your body. You know, like the light of a burned out bulb suddenly dimming?" The Deathstalker was creeping closer, slowly pursuing them and matching them foot for foot. From its bulbous, yellow stinger, thick drops of black liquid were splashing the grass. "Consider decapitation: if struck hard enough across the neck your aura will instantly short out attempting to block such an inherently lethal blow, even if the force of the strike wouldn't normally destroy your aura. It's thought such a reaction causes interference between body and soul, creating a strange, ethereal feeling where you think your body is no longer yours. You are then left at the mercy of your opponent."

"And a Deathstalker's poison just…" Jaune cringed, " _Causes_ that?"

"Venom, but _yes._ It immediately disrupts your aura and causes this numb disconnection." Pyrrha and Jaune both felt themselves press their back against a tree as the Deathstalker's stinger loomed threateningly. "Fading normally lasts around ten seconds. The longer a Deathstalker has lived, the longer you become faded if stuck." Pyrrha gulped loudly. It was rare she thought about _losing,_ but somehow, this ancient, mighty creature was putting her on her wrong foot. "In some cases, fading causes such immense disruption that the body goes comatose, forever disconnected from the soul inhabiting it, causing a vegetative state where the victim is forever trapped in their own body, unable to move, unable to communicate, unable to-"

"I'm convinced!" Jaune suddenly shouted, sheathing his sword, grabbing Pyrrha's wrist, and dragging her away as fast as he could. " _Retreeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat!"_ Jaune roared as a surprised Pyrrha finally caught her footing and tried to keep pace. She stared after Jaune with wide eyes, keeping her sword from flailing in her grip as they sped away from the monster. Behind them, the crash of the trees alerted them to its pursuit.

"Jaune-" she began, then her eyes focusing past him.

"We were told to find relics, not to kill things! I mean, yeah, we were told to kill things, but first we were told to find relics! I don't think we should fight that thing!"

"Jaune!" Her tone rose, her legs slowing down but he nearly dragged her off her feet, not at all slowed by her resistance.

"Okay, yeah, we're hunters, but we're not professionals yet! I mean we have a _lot_ of lessons to cover and frankly, that thing grosses me out! So I say we high-tail it, find the relics, and let somebody with better credentials take care of it!"

" _Jaune!"_ She snapped, hitting his shoulder with her own to jolt him out of his panicked rant.

"What Pyrrha?!" Jaune called back. Pyrrha pointed ahead with her sword.

" _That-is-a-cliff-Jaune!"_ She squealed in distress.

Jaune planted his feet into the ground and slid to a stop, arm pressed against Pyrrha's chest to stop her from going over. Pyrrha's hand magnetically stuck to the back of his armor as she leaned away, grimacing in discomfort as her ankles and knees ached at the strain of jerking them both to a halt. Finally, they stood at the cliff's edge, peering down with wide eyes, barely believing they'd stopped in time. Jaune glanced to Pyrrha, then over his shoulder to see the glowing yellow stinger racing towards them through the trees. Pyrrha let out a tired sigh as she turned to see the scorpion break through the tree line with an angry snaps of its claws.

Jaune cleared his head with a deep breath. "Okay." He stated, staring at the beast as it marched towards them. Pyrrha was shaking by his side, squeezing her weapons tightly as the massive creature closed the distance with frightening speed. Terror? Exhaustion? He didn't know. "Pyrrha?" Pyrrha looked to him with big, worried eyes. "Trust me." He ordered.

And in that moment she had no choice. She swallowed and nodded.

Jaune exploded into motion, charging the monster while throwing Pyrrha as hard as he possibly could by her belt with his left arm. Everything from his fingers to his mid-chest ached at the overexertion, but he recognized it as the phantom pain left by his aura. He jumped, catching the diving stinger on his shield and deflecting it away from his body, his shifted momentum sending him to the right as Pyrrha flew to the left, both flying over the beast. The Deathstalker skid to a halt, its head, claws and front legs dangling off the cliffside precariously as the scorpion made a confused, unhappy noise.

Jaune rolled to his feet and swiftly turned to face the Grimm as Pyrrha unceremoniously landed on her front from the throw. Jaune had half-predicted that he wouldn't deflect the stinger and he'd lose an arm in that attempt, but he felt his aura - his totally badass forcefield - take the shock perfectly. There wasn't time to celebrate, it was time for part two of his plan! With a self-encouraging roar, he charged the Deathstalker with his shield raised high.

Pyrrha pulled herself to her feet in as her partner slammed shield first into the great scorpion, lurching it forward a foot, making it squeal in rage and terror. He planted a foot into the ground and pushed with all his might, his golden aura glowing as he channelled all his strength into it, and with a loud cry of effort and one impressive shove he sent the Deathstalker hurtling off the cliff with an unearthly scream trailing behind it.

Pyrrha's eyes were wide, her jaw slack from awe. She scrambled to Jaune's side, staring down as Jaune raised his arms and gave a happy whoop. "Oh yeah! I am freaking _awesome!"_ Jaune turned towards Pyrrha, chest puffed out, hands on his hips in triumph. "Did you see that?! Tell me you saw that! That!" He pointed off the cliff. "That was _cool!_ I- I can't believe I did it! Holy crap I beat a Deafstreaker!"

"Deathstalker." Pyrrha corrected as she slowly took in the scene below, her mind fuzzy from all the activity.

"Whatever, it's dead now! Wow, I-" Jaune took a deep breath, momentarily in disbelief. "I did that."

"You did." Pyrrha smiled at him, resting a hand on his shoulder. She turned to look down at the cliff bottom and delicately frowned. Jaune followed her eyes. Down below, the Deathstalker did not dissipate. It twitched in obvious pain, but slowly, dazedly lifted itself up. It made a horrendous, angry cry, its tail writhing in rage, the bony armor on its bone streaked with new cracks.

Without a word, Pyrrha grabbed her partner's hand and began to pull him along the cliff's edge, trying to locate north as Jaune stared down below. "What does it take to kill those things?!" Jaune demanded, keeping up with Pyrrha as they hustled towards their goal.

"Apparently, more than that." She glanced down the cliff as they ran along the rim of it. Down below, the Deathstalker was pursuing them, undeterred by the pain of its broken armor and a couple of shattered legs.

"Well, it better stay down there." Jaune grunted. "Next time, I won't be so nice _."_ He spoke with confidence, and Pyrrha hid a small smile.

* * *

"So…" Blake's left eye twitched ever so slightly at the sudden sound. "You like jokes?"

It wasn't the first question Yang had asked in their extraordinarily uneventful walk from their meeting place to however far north they'd traveled since then. Blake paused mid-stride to shoot a look at Yang, evaluating her with a silent, judgemental expression.

Yang walked an extra two steps before stopping, turning her head and staring right back at her, her lavender eyes blinking slowly, her face round and rosy-cheeked, not at all tense or frightened at the possibility of meeting more Grimm in their mission to find relics. Blake opened her mouth the tiniest bit, as if she was about to answer her, but closed it and shot Yang a flat look. Yang simply smiled. "I'm not hearing a no~ooo." She all but cooed in a sing-song tone.

Blake let out a soft sigh. "Could you take this seriously? Who knows what's waiting ahead or lurking behind a tree." Blake strode forward, guiding the way again briefly before she stopped by an aged tree trunk and knelt down. She closed her eyes and focused on all four of her ears, listening for threatening noises.

The rustle of animals oblivious to their presence, the wind sweeping through the treetops, the sound of very distant gunfire… the admiring hums coming from behind her. Blake's eyes popped open and she shot a look back at Yang, but their eyes did not meet. Yang's stare was fixated further down, and Blake swiftly tried to tug her short shirt over her tightly outlined backside.

Blake hopped to her feet and pointed a threatening finger at Yang as the blonde just smiled jovially and puffed up her chest, as if _daring_ her partner to reprimand her. "Okay." Blake started, her voice nearing a snarl while raising an eyebrow. "Your sister's one thing, I can shrug it off when she gawks because she's a kid, but she doesn't make…" Blake made a face, " _noises_ when she looks." Her golden eyes flashed indignantly and Yang suppressed a cliche line about Blake being lovely when angry.

"Hey, when you finally spot what you want for your birthday, sometimes you can't help yourself." Yang's eyebrows wiggled comedically, making Blake close her eyes in silent regret. "Oh c'mon, you can't be _that_ mad!" Yang pouted, which was a remarkably cuter improvement to her otherwise lecherous grin. "No way am I the first person to be like: 'You see the tall girl with long raven hair and flawless pale skin in the tight shorts and stockings? She's HAWT'."

"My skin is not flawle- Look. We're on a mission, we don't have time for this kind of thing." Blake gestured to the forest around them as Yang followed her hand curiously. "There could be any number of Grimm hiding anywhere around us. That we've stayed calm is probably why we haven't been found. _You_ making noises, and cracking jokes, and _staring-"_

"Does it _embarrass_ you?" Yang cut her off with a roguish smile. With all the subtlety of Zwei begging for scraps at the table, her eyes dipped downwards, and Blake instinctively covered her chest with her arms as her cheeks and neck began to turn pink. Yang looked right back up with a bubbly little chuckle as Blake groaned.

"You aren't worried?" Blake asked, trying to relax herself while still covering her bust. Yang raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, silently asking for clarification. "About the test? Like at all? Is this all a joke to you?" She looked into Yang's eyes, searching for something deeper than bluster and flirtation. She had no clue how to feel about this girl. Yang was one of the most stunning girls Blake had ever seen. Her broader shoulders and heavier musculature in no way hurt her curvy, feminine shape. Her face was the perfect mix of a long, pointed nose, big, perfectly set eyes, a large, disarming smile, and a youthful puffiness to her cheeks tinged with a natural blush. Even her hair was admirable: long and wild, yet perfectly clean and lustrous. And for all that, she was strong enough to pulverize targets that Blake would struggle to hurt, and as much as her hair alone would imply some preening primadonna, Blake had set a hard marching speed through rough terrain and Yang wasn't even winded enough to stop talking. Blake couldn't figure out if Yang was some vapid horndog who bought her way into Beacon like the Schnee probably had or a promising huntress who just so happened to be frustratingly blase about wandering into danger, and Blake hated not knowing which.

Yang rolled her shoulders dismissively and stepped around Blake, looking ahead into the sun-dappled expanse of forest, with one ear cocked in the air. She paused a moment, then snorted. "There's nothing around here we can't handle. It's just a big Grimm extermination with some item retrieval at the end, I've done it a-hundred times." She leaned against the tree as Blake stared at the back of her head in quiet consideration. Yang seemed to sense the disbelief and clicked her tongue. "Look." Yang turned to look at Blake from over her shoulder, sweeping her hair back for a clear view. "I get it, this is important and all, but if this is a test it's kinda bogus. A few Ursas? Nothing. We can handle a pack of Beowolves, or a bunch of creeps. Heck, I'll take on a Beringel if one shows up, but this is middle school level stuff. I thought it would be _way_ harder than this."

Blake stepped up next to Yang and tried to evaluate her. Yang had proven to be very strong, if overly flashy. Her laissez faire attitude towards the mission stressed her, she had seen far too many of her former partners believe it was a 'simple mission' and discover it was anything _but_ later. Blake closed her eyes and sighed. "I just don't want to fail. Or walk into an ambush we could avoid." She said in a near pleading tone.

Yang pouted again, but sighed and rolled her shoulders as she straightened up. "Oh _fine,_ if you want me to keep my eyes on the prize, I will." Yang stared north, twisting her neck to crack it and make Blake flinch at the sound. She stood straighter and set her shoulders, the change in body language instantly putting Blake more at ease… until she gave Blake a cheesy, lecherous grin. "But you're the one leading the way so… I'll cover your _rear."_

Blake stared at Yang in quiet disbelief, closed her eyes, worked her jaw, took a deep breath, and convinced herself to let it go. "You talk _so_ much." She groaned softly in exasperation as she resumed their march. The heavier sound of Yang's boots crushing leaves and twigs sounded just two steps behind her.

"Well yeah, we're partners. Who else am I going to run my mouth at?" Yang laughed, making Blake have to stop her bow from twitching in agitation. "We gotta talk to each other, learn about each other, otherwise the next four years are gunna suck!" Yang paused to observe Blake's silent cringe, and the blond snickered louder, making Blake turn her head enough to watch her from the corner of her eye and show her annoyed frown at the same time. "I get it now!" Yang tossed her hair behind her, the brief but silky smooth motion causing the light pouring through the leaves to glint off her hair, briefly catching Blake off guard as the rough and tumble huntress had a moment that wouldn't look out of place in a movie. "You're shy. I'd be tripping over my tongue trying to talk to me too." Yang smiled pleasantly, giving Blake a most comforting smile, ignoring Blake's steadily deepening expression of shocked disbelief. "You just can't believe you scored _me_ for four years."

"I'm _not_ embarrassed." Blake asserted firmly, her brow furrowing as the blonde stretched and wiggled her hips and bust in admittedly enticing ways, not even breaking stride to do so. Did she practice that?

"Of _course_ you are." Yang's tone implied complete confidence in her statement, but she torpedoed her arrogance when she stuck her tongue out playfully, holding down a giggle as Blake gave her a tight-lipped glare of indignation. "I mean, I'm _me_ , you are _so_ in awe of my beauty, dazzled by my strength, amazed by my sensuality…"

"Disgusted by your ego…" Blake drolled, hoping one sharp put down was all it would take…

It was like dumping burn dust into a fire.

Yang sprinted a few paces ahead and cracked a proud smile while walking backwards to examine Blake's face. She laced her fingers behind her head to lift her bust and better display her midsection, making Blake stare as Yang's exposed belly flexed in a… magnificent way. Yang's smile turned evil after letting Blake take in the view for a moment, her voice coming out as a sensual purr. "My ego is just one of my _many_ healthy assets. It's nice to know you're checking them _all_ out." Yang smiled smugly as Blake's eyes tore away from Yang's torso in the hopes the blonde hadn't noticed. "Ha!" Yang leaned forward, giving Blake a very much intended view of Yang Canyon as she poked her partner's nose. "Made ya blush!"

Blake recoiled, stopping in her tracks and staring at the proudly beaming blond. Slowly, to Yang's joy, everything from Blake's collarbones to the roots of her hair began turning a bright, vivid red. Blake covered her face with both hands, hiding her chest with her elbows before shuffling past Yang as quickly as she could. "Just stop talking!" She shouted, voice muffled by her palms as she pushed through the forest as quickly as she could without the use of her eyes.

Yang stared after the girl and smiled to herself. She shook her glorious mane and she sprinted after her fleeing partner. "Don't run, this is totally natural! My dad told me all about it! See, when a woman finds herself faced with perfection…" Blake's tortured groan was music to Yang's ears.

* * *

Nora stepped out of the treeline with a sigh. She ran the back of her hand across her forehead, flicking the sweat off with a swift motion of her wrist and a small crinkle of her nose. She hummed to herself, then opened a pouch on her belt and pulled out an entire bacon and egg taco she'd managed to stuff in there and took a bite. She let out a pleased, almost proud little chuckle as she chewed and resumed walking.

It was a hot spring day here in Beacon's Emerald Forest and boy did it _suck._ She ate slowly, gratefully, nourishing herself on pure grease and protein and she couldn't give a rat's ass if Ren had an issue with it. Better than the little thermos of nutritional slurry he'd handed her before they started.

She planted Magnhild's head into the ground with a tiny tremor and leaned against the handle to relax, her eyes lazily wandering to take in her new surroundings. She was officially out of the forest and in a vast, open clearing with a large, round, stone circle dominating it. It was some old destroyed set of ruins that probably had a interesting, ancient history in the times of war and blah blah blah _so very blah who cared._

The important thing was, she'd found it, it was hers now, and nobody could say otherwise. She'd lost count of how many Beowolves she'd left in a shallow crater, but there were at least four Ursas and a handful of Creeps. This forest was garbage when it came to finding a target worth smashing. Or Ren. It may have been better if she hadn't _moved,_ but there was no fun kicking around the same three rocks for an entire five minutes. She had needs too.

"Puddin' Pop, come in, over." Ren's voice came from her earpiece. Nora swallowed loudly and answered.

"Puddin' Pop reads you Thunderous Maximum, where the hell are you?! Over." Nora stuffed the rest of her breakfast in her mouth and chewed with wide, cow-like gnashing motions as Ren's stressed, tired voice came through.

"I cannot answer that accurately. I am moving north, being pursued, over."

"Coo', juff kill 'em. Efryfing in thiff foresf is a chumpf." Nora mumbled through her food. She walked towards the ruins and found numerous pedestals set in a circle around the center. Each of them was topped with a different chess piece except the little round-headed ones that only moved one square, and sometimes two when the stars aligned and Nora actually cared to look at the rules. Prawns or something. There were at least two of each color, and Nora calmly picked up the golden castle piece. "Reeeeen, I totally found the relics! Over!"

"Very good Puddin' Pop. Keep in mind, we are using our codenames, over."

"Ah, whatever! Hurry up! If anyone gets here before you-" Before Nora could finish that sentence, a crashing in the distance caught her attention. She glanced over in time to see Ren sprinting out of the treeline as fast as his legs could carry him. Nora raised a hand and waved. "Over here Ren! Look, we're partners-...?"

Trees crumpled behind him as a pair of King Taijitu raced after him, snapping at his ankles as their massive, tube-like hides dug out shallow trenches in the ground. Nora let out an annoyed sigh. She brought Magnhild to bare in front of her and focused. She would NOT let a bunch of dumb snakes ruin her taco appetite. Or her boyfriend.

But seriously, she had two more and now the wait to eat them was driving her nuts...

Ren dove to the left, rolling away as the white Taijitu ate a mouthful of dirt immediately behind him. Its black sibling slid underneath its coils, lunging at Ren, its fangs blocked as the boy projected his aura to his palms and stopped its attack short. His feet slid back, his toes sinking into the grass as he grunted at the exertion. It hissed in confusion, giving Ren a good view of its massive, all-consuming maw, a silent promise to the future that awaited him if his focus slipped, when something impacted its head with a crack so harsh, even Ren couldn't help but wince in sympathy.

The black Taijitu crumpled to the ground, dazed, as Nora lifted her hammer over her head again and shot Ren an annoyed glare that immediately turned into a roll of her eyes. "Ooooh, you're _always_ like this." Nora flapped her fingers in imitation of Ren. "'Nora, you have to eat healthy', 'Nora, don't ride the Grimm', 'Nora, you have to take this seriously.' And look who's cleaning up after you, buster!" Nora poked Ren between the eyes with a smug smile, making the boy sigh, grab her around the middle, and swing her out of the way as the white Taijitu crashed into the spot she'd just been.

"I just thought I'd bring you a present, since you'd been complaining about the ease up until now." His tone was thick with sarcasm, and he whirled to open-palm strike the white taijitu's head, his aura flashing on impact to make the seemingly light strike impact more like a small car collision, and send it slamming into the side of the ruins.

"Oh _please,_ a couple of garden snakes? I'm a high-class girl." Nora twirled like a ballerina and stopped to wedge Magnhild in the black taijitu's maw. It shook its head in confusion and distress, trying to close its mouth before she hopped up, pulled the trigger, and sent the massive snake reeling back in pain as it swallowed a grenade. She kept her grip on her hammer as it jerked free and shot Ren a look. "You could have brought me something cute. Something _dangerous._ You never bring me alphas anymore, sweetie."

Storm Flower shot into Ren's hands and he peppered the white taijitu with a spray of bullets. It ignored the storm of low-powered rounds bouncing off its scales and lunged. It received his elbow to the eye for the effort just before he hooked one of its fangs with his guns' sickles and heaved, shifting it's moment straight towards Nora's waiting hammer-head, where it was battered into a miserable heap with an excellent golf-swing.

The two snakes wearily picked themselves up, both dazed and confused as Ren and Nora continued to bicker. "Well, perhaps if you were less picky and took things more seriously, you would appreciate what I bring you." He huffed, pressing his shoulder to hers gently to start her moving before he verbalized his command. "Left."

Nora slid to the right as the black taijitu lunged to the left, and found it trying to circle around her in a death grip to squeeze her. Ren jammed Storm Flower's sickles into one of its coils and pulled it out just enough to create a gap. He wordlessly tossed in a vial of pale blue dust.

There was an electric explosion, making the taijitu hiss in pain before an unseen hit sent the whole snake skywards. Ren held out a hand and took Nora's, spinning her out of the way and into his arms in an intimate dip before the taijitu landed in a broken heap, shaking the earth. "I just get tired of the same thing over and over again, babe. I just want something new. Something _exciting."_ Nora batted her eyelids at a smirking Ren, who admired the way a sparking current passed between the strands of her hair and eyelashes.

The white taijitu burst from the ground by their side, giving a deafening hiss-like roar before lunging at the pair. Nora righted herself and twirled, spinning Ren around her, his foot meeting with the snake's snout and sending it flying back the opposite direction. Ren landed on his feet, keeping momentum and using it to spin Nora around his body twice before flinging her high over the snake.

Bringing Magnhild down before impact, Nora landed on the taijitu like a laughing bolt of lighting, its head disappearing into a volley of black and white chunks. Nora stepped out of the cloud of disturbed dust, wiping herself off before storing Magnhild on her back. She walked towards Ren, holding out the golden rook with a cocky smile. "We won." She stated confidently.

Ren wrapped his hands around her hips and crushed her close to his body, staring down into her eyes with a warm smile. "We did." He affirmed. "Good to have you as a partner, dear."

"As if there was _any_ doubt." Nora rolled her eyes and stood on her tiptoes, the two holding one another as they engaged in a fond, happy kiss. Nora giggled and cooed happily and Ren made that little noise that meant he was into it and Nora couldn't help but remember they were alone while her fingers dug into one of his firm, bubble-like buttcheeks...

" _Gross."_ A voice interrupted.

Someone was going to pay for this, Nora swore it.

Nora and Ren popped apart, standing side by side with visible redness to their cheeks, and a foreboding glint of hostility in their eyes, as Yang gave them an amused grin. Blake, the girl in black they hadn't spoken to, stood behind her with a raised eyebrow and an almost disapproving look. Yang laughed. "Okay lovebirds, good show. Is this the place?" She asked, jerking a thumb back towards the circular ruins.

Nora bobbed her head, and Ren quietly straightened his shirt, keeping his face as placid as possible. "We can only assume so." He lead the way to the ruins, one leg moving more stiffly than the other, with Nora by his side and Yang and Blake following after them.

"I thought this would be a harder test." Blake spoke up, her voice relaxed and low, as if the world had no surprises left for her. "A few Ursas and a handful of Beowolves seems rather simple for even an intermediate student." The four of them hopped onto the platform and Yang shot ahead to inspect the chess pieces.

"Perhaps we are simply overqualified." Ren responded with a small, pleased smile that Blake matched while they watched as Yang swept up one of the gold pieces.

"Horsey~." Yang sang, showing Blake the golden knight with a self-pleased flourish. Blake simply nodded. "I dunno about the rest of you, but overqualified or not, I expected a little more." She rolled her shoulders.

"Eh, I got here first. Maybe I did most of the hunter work." Nora beamed, puffing her chest up proudly. Yang gave her a friendly punch to the shoulder, which Nora returned. The two girls giggled while Blake examined her surroundings. "Wassup?" Nora asked her after Ren broke up their growing tussle.

Blake frowned, her golden eyes narrowing as she examined the treeline. "On my way here, I saw many signs of Grimm activity. Footprints, broken branches, marked trees, there must be dozens of packs. I thought we'd find them as we headed north, but I've yet to see anything other than a few stragglers."

"Hm." Ren joined her at the edge of the ruin, watching the trees carefully, his own body language growing tense as he considered her words. "It did seem oddly quiet. It's the perfect Grimm environment. Vast wilds close the civilization."

"History of human inhabitants long gone." Blake followed up.

"Hunting ground for newer hunters, more than likely a good way for them to feed as well."

"Specifically preserved for keeping Grimm, I would suppose, otherwise, why send us in?"

"Agreed." Ren touched his chin as Yang elbowed Nora.

"Check out the nerds." She whispered loudly.

" _Complete_ dorks." Nora bobbed her head in agreement, and the two giggled, but Nora fought down a fond smile. There was nothing quite like a man who knew better, but followed her into danger anyway...

Ren and Blake ignored them. "Maybe something has drawn them away?" Blake offered, her brow knitting together in deep thought. "Somebody may be having a _very_ bad time, creating enough negativity to draw the Grimm towards them."

At that, Yang's laughter immediately stopped. Nora stopped a second later as a tide of anxiety poured off the blonde. Yang marched to the edge of the ruins, her eyes now wide, face slack. She was forming a pair of very tight fists that made her gloves creak in distress. "C'mon Ruby." Yang whispered, only just loud enough for Blake to catch. "I know you got this, girl. _C'mon Ruby."_ Yang whispered in a rising panic.

Blake stared at Yang in quiet wonder and worry, making a mental note of the immediate change in priorities. She stared out at the forest, blinking her big yellow eyes slowly, silently joining her in hoping for the girl's safe arrival.

* * *

She'd slipped.

In three whole years, with her first opportunity to become a huntress cradled in her palms, she'd slipped. She didn't just screw up, she completely _blew it._ There was no chance, not now, not with _Weiss._ Weiss hated her, there was no way she was going to forgive her for this.

Not after she'd almost hurt her… Ruby held her knees, and shuddered before convulsing with thick, mournful sobs. She'd used her powers where the headmaster and Professor Goodwitch could see her, and worse, she'd nearly used them on a human. A fellow huntress. The Schnee _heiress._ Even if all that happened was that she was sent home and told to never use her powers again, the Schnees wouldn't be so forgiving. Weiss did not seem… _generous_ enough to forgive Ruby for such an indignity.

Not when their lives and careers were on the line. Not after every stupid mistake Ruby had made since their ill-fated meeting.

Distantly, Ruby heard a twig snap. She went quiet, cutting off her distressed whimpers, but did not lift her head. The sounds were soft, but her senses were sharp. Years of using hearing to compensate for her goggles poor peripheral vision gave Ruby's ears a distinct advantage over her sister's, and she could just hear numerous steps coming from the surrounding forest.

Ruby pulled herself to her feet shakily, sniffing sharply to clear her nose. All around her she could hear them snapping, snarling, creeping into position for a full on assault on their lone, emotionally devastated victim. Despite all the activity, despite her fear and fury and heartache, her body was almost buzzing with energy. She rubbed her arms gently, trying to comfort herself in a short, self-sustained hug, then walked over to where Crescent Rose laid.

Her scythe…

She lifted Rose up and squeezed it close. She had built Crescent Rose herself, hand-picked every part that went into it, and under her father and uncle's careful eyes and gentle suggestions she'd assembled her beloved weapon. She had wanted to follow her uncle's footsteps, and she still did.

Ruby smiled gently, wiped the tear stains off her cheeks, and ran her finger along Rose's sharpened blade. Though Uncle Qrow would deny it, Ruby considered him one of the coolest hunters she knew. His ever-watchful eye, combined with his high-speed, brutal, pragmatic fighting style meant that the man almost came off as clairvoyant while tearing the Grimm apart. Though he usually focused on applying his weapon in it's oversized greatsword mode, Ruby loved to watch him use it in scythe form.

It was why she'd asked him for help. She knew how incredibly difficult it was to wield a scythe in a fight, that the acrobatics and mindset needed to make every strike with such an awkwardly shaped tool called for incredible discipline and practice… but she had something to prove to this world, that she was not defined by her eyes and her powers. Her skills as a huntress were more genuine than the Grimm people would mistake her for. She would prove herself to her fellow man however she could...

Uncle Qrow would tell her that it was time to survive. There was no point in curling up and crying if she was still out in the field, in dying without a cause.

With a small snarl, Ruby forced her feet to take her to the middle of the clearing and stand facing the forest. She had no clue where they would be coming from first, she just knew she was surrounded. She had no choice, she had no clue where to run to or how to contact somebody, so she needed to stand her ground.

She refused to summon more Grimm. She was too emotionally imbalanced to trust they wouldn't turn on her in an instant, so she would rely on her weapon and skill alone, just like it _should_ be.

Ruby grit her teeth, the delicate but firm muscles of her shoulders and neck knotting under her top with tension, and stared out at the trees as dozens of red eyes flickered to life and stared back from between the trees. Beowolves. She took a deep breath and shuddered. Beowolves were common and successful predators, with powerful jaws, deadly claws, and almost human-esque agility backed by very inhuman strength and speed to give them significant combat utility, along with excellent senses to track their prey and a pack mentality complete with complex hunting behaviors.

They were balanced, adaptable foes and often the first obstacle for a Signal-age hunter to overcome. They weren't terribly difficult on their own, but in packs… well, there was a reason multiple-alpha Beowolf packs were marked as critical targets for experienced hunter teams.

She had to keep her head and not let them sneak around behind her.

She wiped her cheeks again and tried to keep her heart still. Despite her rampant emotions, despite all the energy she'd put towards fighting that ursa, she found that she could barely keep her limbs from shaking with morbid anticipation. She found that she was bouncing silently on her toes, trying to get into a rhythm to dodge or lunge. With a soft release of breath, she lowered her body slightly and altered her grip on Crescent Rose's shaft. With a practiced flick of her wrists, the gleaming arc of silver steel at the head of her scythe made the air sing as it snapped into its waiting position.

The Beowolves had stopped moving, the deadly tone of metal being prepared giving their limited minds pause. They lurked in the shadows, waiting for the first move to be made.

Ruby knew the Beowolves were trying to wait her out her, to make her sweat, panic, and make a mistake. Their stamina was functionally limitless, it was to their advantage if she exhausted herself in a flurry of wasted effort and frayed nerves. She widened her stance, took a deep breath and spun her scythe like a baton, moving it in a mesmerizing circle before it was jerked to a halt with the gun barrel in the head of the scythe pointed at a set of large eyes burning at her from the treeline.

She pulled the trigger, the rifle barked, a howl of pain followed, and all hell broke loose.

* * *

Weiss's body hurt.

She opened her eyes, letting out a groggy moan. She felt heated liquid dribbling down her forehead, and a gentle wipe and inspection of her hand confirmed it was blood. Her aura had given out.

She lifted herself off her chest, only to jerk to a halt as her left left leg refused to move under her. She shifted on her right knee and stared down at her leg, narrowing her eyes at the root that had snagged her foot and sent her toppling over. ' _Could I be more of a cliche?'_ She asked herself with a sigh, heavy with the exhaustion of the last two days piling up on her. She pulled her foot out with a strained grunt and rolled over to stare at the sky.

She closed her eyes to try and think, but all she could see in her mind's eye was a furious red and black glare stare at her from endless darkness.

Weiss gasped and snapped her eyes open, swallowing thickly to suppress a decidedly embarrassing sound of distress. Every blink was another stare into that bloody abyss, and it shook her for the next few minutes. Every time she thought she had gotten control of it, a moment's distraction would allow that stare to hover before her once again.

Finally voicing a scared whimper, Weiss rolled onto her side and tried to pick herself up, pausing when blood intermingled with her eyelashes. She wiped her forehead and pushed herself upright on her knees, clenching her jaw and silently raging, pleading to any deities listening that all of this madness _stop._

She eventually stood, her body trembling from the effort. She screwed her eyes shut to gather her strength and nearly screamed as Ruby lunged at her, her goggles replaced with a wild, bloody-red glare, and Weiss stumbled back, eyes wide and darting, confirming she was alone.

That girl had power over her. That stupid dangerous _thing_ was still dominating her thoughts, making her angry, making her afraid, making her _make mistakes_. She was a monster…

That Ursa had stood no chance. The memories of it being gutted, decapitated, and torn to shreds in that pool of _Grimm_ were still fresh, making her blood pulse and her stomach sink. Weiss closed her eyes again and focused to banish the thoughts, the images, but Ruby was there.

 _Staring. Always._

Weiss stumbled to a tree and sat down, crossing her legs and flopping her hands onto her knees, her body racked with shivers as she tried to ignore everything she'd seen. She slid a hand into her back pouch and pulled out something to replenish her aura: an orange cream puff. It didn't look appealing anymore, having been crushed inside of a plastic baggie she'd snatched before leaving the cafeteria, but the smell, the taste, the _civility_ of it would bring her a feeling of comfort she'd been missing for the past two days. An explosive burst of sugar to restore some of her lost strength would be a noteworthy but emotionally unnecessary bonus.

She struggled for a full minute to open the baggie, her hands were shaking from exhaustion and anxiety, she could barely get her fingers to obey her and get a firm enough grip to tear it open. She cursed softly, barely audible over the struggle between teenager and plastic-wrap, until she achieved victory. The smell hit her, and relief flooded her immediately.

Weiss Schnee was normally a delicate and artful eater, she knew all her forks, spoons, and knives by heart, was perfectly proper in sipping both water and wine, and had perfect manners at the table. Her poise, elegance and refined palate were the envy of any Atlas gathering of the elite. She had, in short, mastered the art of eating like a lady.

At a _table_.

In the forest, anything goes.

She made hungry, ravenous noises and audible groans of delight as she tore chunks out of the mashed treat. When no more pastry remained, she licked the cream and icing off her fingers like a disgusting animal, but right now she could care less about formality and her image.

She licked the last bit of orange-scented cream from under her fingernail and leaned back against the tree trunk, staring at the boughs while willing her aura to return faster.

This was not what she thought her training would be like. She was used to open ballroom floors, Grimm-shaped automatons, mentors walking her through her steps and resetting the battle whenever she made a mistake. Her first real fight against some Grimm-possessed knight had been her only real taste of combat, and though she walked away with a scar, she wore it as a proud testament of her victory. Proof that she could win her own battles, worn right over her eye where anyone could see it, her ever present, indisputable badge of independence.

Here she was, roughing it in the woods, nearly mauled to death twice because of her own inadequacies against lesser foes. Her life, up to this point, was entirely dependent on Ruby's involvement. Weiss bit down on her tongue to stop herself from crying. Twice now she had proven her father right, that she was weak and unfit for hunter work. He would have twiddled his moustache as he always did when he was being smug and clicked his tongue.

' _Oh Weiss,'_ he'd say, his tone thick with false sympathy, ' _I told you, you're nothing like your grandfather. You're a delicate little girl, why don't you let me make the big decisions?'_ He would take her hands between his far too warm fingers, stare her in the eye without blinking as he managed to dig up the gall to tell her, ' _I've entertained you being a little huntress for years now, it's time to be serious and consider your future as a Schnee.'_ And without another word his eyes would turn red and black, bulging veins sprouting up around them as he bared horrid teeth at his own daughter-

Weiss didn't know how Myrtenaster had ended up in her hand. She had the blade held forward, pointed towards an opposite tree. She took in a deep, pained breath and lowered her blade, her eyes watering up. Why was she so afraid?! This wasn't fair, it was all Ruby's fault she'd been reduced to this!

No… no… it wasn't Ruby. Her father, Jacques Schnee, still had an invisible hand around her soul. His words still haunted her, his repeated obstructions as she tried to carve her own path, his subtle tauntings and needle-sharp, well-aimed put downs to cut her ego, all of it was to mold her. Her father did not want an heiress, he wanted a clone of himself. To him, everybody was a pawn, a piece in his grand scheme, and anything that rebelled was to be stomped out by force. He saw no compromise, felt no mercy, and settled for nothing less than what _he_ wanted.

Winter had broken away from his control in a way that he could not easily retake, and Weiss… Weiss had proven far too strong-willed and powerful. She had the scar to prove it. Yet, far away from her father, where she should have been at her boldest and excelling without the poison of his influence, she had done nothing but get ambushed and humiliated… she had been laid low by totally random acts and suddenly, she was the weak little girl her father wanted her to be.

By mere chance, Ruby had blundered into a series of circumstances that had Weiss displaying nothing but weakness. Two days straight of humiliation because of Ruby, and when things seemed to finally come together, when Ruby finally proved she was more than a stammering screw-up, _her_ secret finally came out. Weiss took deep, slow breaths to calm herself as those red rings and black pools tried to ambush her thoughts again.

Weiss fisted her shaking fingers and closed her eyes. She was confronted by that fierce glare once more, and Weiss fought her paranoia to keep her eyelids closed. In her mind, they were the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen. They were inhuman, unnatural, other-worldly, it reminded Weiss of the Grimm, and those claws, those teeth, those monsters that ate the Ursa couldn't be anything _but_ Grimm. Ruby had summoned Grimm.

' _In self defense.'_

It was a shaky and implausible idea. The Grimm were violent and aggressive creatures, that was why Hunters were necessary, they knew nothing but death and hatred for humanity, but the Grimm, in that moment, had sprung from the ground to protect Weiss, seemingly under Ruby's control. It was such an absurd idea, but Weiss had seen it, and those _eyes._ Those horrible eyes, the threatening voice, Ruby had, in that moment, become a monster, yet hadn't left so much as a scratch on Weiss, even falling back at her words...

Ruby was still a hero, not a monster… and Weiss had run away.

A low, humiliated whine escaped Weiss as she realized this. Even against a towering, armored monster she had not fled, she'd fought and defended herself against a titan four times her size, but against the girl who saved her life _twice_ she'd tucked her proverbial tail and ran away. Weiss had been and still was emotionally wrung out by that point, but she had _abandoned_ Ruby, her savior and fellow student who couldn't handle luggage without detonating it… when she had been huddled and crying on the ground, drowning in misery at Weiss' reaction to her… skill.

In a forest full of Grimm.

" _Idiot!"_ Weiss hissed, eyes stormy and glaring at the shadows around her as she rapidly pushed herself onto her feet. "You're nothing more than a goddamned _coward."_ She spun on one foot and punched the tree she'd been using as a back brace. Her white aura flared, and she pulled her fist out of the splintered bark with a firm yank and stared at her immaculate knuckles. All her life she'd been surrounded by a sort of… societal aura. She'd always had food, money, a roof, good clothes, and a comfortable bed. She'd had the protection of body guards and butlers, of Atlas's finest technology and army, she never had to step into the woods by herself, and the one time she did, she did the _one thing_ a hunter wasn't supposed to _DO..._

She pulled her fist back and bared her perfect teeth, bellowing out a warcry and slugged the tree as hard as she could. She squealed, pins and needles of searing hot pain shooting through her hand and up her wrist, a pulsating, angry heat racing up her muscles and bones as she dug her fist out of the new hole she'd made. Blood ran down her knuckles and stained her near ivory-white fingers, intermingling in the trenches between her flesh and nails. The pain was overwhelming, sending queasy pulses into her stomach, but she dared not summon her aura. "That's what you get, idiot." She whispered to herself angrily. "You should be _dead._ You should've been eaten the moment you walked into this forest. You're no huntress."

She was not her grandfather. Not right now. Not before. Not yesterday, not an hour ago, not ten minutes ago. As her aura reappeared and swallowed her bleeding knuckles, mending flesh and soothing muscles, she let out a relieved breath.

She could be though... She could be better than her grandfather. She needed to learn from her mistakes and stop acting like a fool. After years of failing to be turned into her father's puppet, she would not accept failure right when she was finally free… and she would start by paying back Ruby.

Even with those eyes taunting her in her memories, she owed the girl, twice over now. Not petty little money debts, not borrowing some school work, she owed two _life_ debts. Weiss felt her knuckles tighten at the thought. Ruby deserved… more. That is what the books would say. Weiss had done the selfish thing. In that moment, she had been like her father, and that furious thought drove the last nail into the coffin.

Weiss looked up to the sky, letting her gaze lose focus before her eyelids drifted shut, and took a deep, relaxing breath, every muscle from her neck to her toes gently relaxed. Then steeled herself anew, but not with knots of anxiety and uncertainty, but with a true readiness, reminding her of the moment she stepped on stage or when she _knew_ she could beat that knight-grimm. She hoped her grandfather was watching her right now. She hoped that she could turn his disappointment around and prove she was _his_ granddaughter.

She quietly hoped Ruby was okay… and realized that she meant it.

Weiss moved her head, shifting her gaze to find her own trail. She took four confident steps back toward where she'd left her fellow huntress before she broke out into a full sprint.

* * *

'Don't fear the Grimm, they live off it.'

Ruby spun, raising her scythe defensively. All around her, the wolves closed in, eyeing her weapon, looking for an opening.

'Don't hate the Grimm, they love that too.'

She jumped. Below her, over twenty pairs of eyes raised to watch the girl fly overhead. Snarling, they pushed forward to get the first bite, but a massive blade dropped into the back of one's skull, cutting it clean in two.

'The Grimm aren't even animals. They don't deserve pity, or hate, even fear! They're just a buncha angry things with teeth. Like scorpions! Well... scorpions don't exactly have teeth, but still! Kill it and call it a day, don't worry yourself. Oh, and by the way, if you die? You suck. Remember that.'

Momentum. Momentum was the most important thing to a scythe fighter. The blade was at such an awkward angle compared to, say, a sword, or an axe. It was extended away from the body, with excellent reach, but good rotations, angles, and speed were a must for lethality.

The scythe was renowned for delivering fatal blows to much larger Grimm, more so than other weapons, through a combination of calculated risk-taking and skill. The blade was designed to cut straight through softer parts of the body, such as the belly, joints, groin, and, of course, the neck. Knowing your reach, where your blade was flying, and how fast you were going was essential to scythe fighting.

Ruby spun, twirling Crescent Rose in her hands like a baton, the famous, yet ominous hum of a scythe blade slicing through the air reverberating around her as the Beowolves formed another circle around her, wary of getting too close and losing a limb or a life. Getting surrounded by Beowolves typically meant death, but only lesser Grimm lacked any sort of self-preservation. These Beowolves were no alphas, but they weren't younglings desperate for their first kill. They paced and pawed, unwilling to get too close with a wall of of steel, whirling around their prey, which promised naught but death.

Ruby turned, Crescent Rose twirling in her palms with gentle twists from her wrist, and watched. Her first impulse would be to kill the alpha and kill as many Beowolves as she could in their confusion, but none of them had enough bone plates or size to indicate an aged wolf.

So she waited for their first mistake.

The nearest Beowolf placed its arm a little too close to Ruby's circle of twirling death, and suddenly the scythe lashed out, sending the Beowolf reeling back, clutching the stump of its wrist. A roar of pain and anger joined the steady hum of death Ruby was creating, a lone, black, clawed hand twitching in the grass; a warning to the other wolves. The Grimm hesitated, inching backwards as their simple minds tried to work out how to break in.

Ruby just had to keep her momentum…

She had to focus, stay on course, not panic, wait for a neck to stick out, watch for their claws, examine their eyes-

She stared into the red eyes of one Grimm, rearing its hand back, holding the missing limb of its pack member. Ruby turned away, the moment lost on her, only realizing her mistake but a second too late. The dissipating claw smacked against the back of Ruby's head, still having enough mass to throw her out of her spin. Punishment for failing to recognize her opponents' plan. Ruby's scythe whipped out wide, sending several wolves scrambling back as her concentration broke.

Her defense fell, her carefully controlled momentum collapsed, and triumphant howls rippled from the pack.

Ruby turned as fast as she could to face her first attacker, plugging its chest with a sniper round that sent it flying away while sending Ruby skidding back, crashing into the barrel-like torso of a Beowolf trying to flank her, sending it onto its back with a surprised yelp, Ruby rolling over the beast to keep on her toes.

Ruby landed on her feet deftly, only to get knocked forward with a pained shriek by a powerful slap to the back of her head. Ruby spun her scythe, teeth gritting, eyes blazing red in glare that failed to deter her attackers. A Beowolf leapt at her from the side, but Ruby drove her elbow into its bony snout, only to find her vision blocked as another Beowolf closed its hand around her face from behind her. Ruby's pitch-black aura kept the monster from crushing her skull like a grape, and she drove her heel back into the beast's knee.

It reared, releasing her head, but two fanged maws closed on each of her arms. A third wolf sped forward, jaws aiming for her neck, but Ruby delivered a bone-crunching kick to its snout. The wolf fell while Ruby winced. Her leg had taken more damage than she expected from the attack, and she still couldn't wrestle her wrists out of the Beowolves' jaws.

Her aura flared to life, filling her with energy and power, weakening her shield to give her scythe hand the extra muscle to rip her arm out of the Beowolf's jaws, pulling out half a dozen teeth with it, drawing a squeal of pain. Ruby wasted no time, holding her scythe blade low, then attacking, swinging the sharp edge up as she turned. The Beowolf chewing her other arm collapsed without its head.

She needed to rebuild momentum.

Before she could, one of the wolves tackled Ruby from behind and sprawled her across the ground, the pulses of sympathetic pain weaker than before. Her aura was beginning to fade, the decrease in pain meant while Ruby could take stronger blows without feeling it, it also signaled the failing strength of her defenses.

Ruby rolled onto her back to get to her feet, but before she could get up, she found herself pinned to the ground by the arms. The Beowolf on top of her roared in triumph, its teeth flashing towards her neck, only to get tackled out of the way by an overeager packmate trying to get a piece of Ruby for itself. The new Beowolf hastily tried to pin her by the shoulders, but a small, aura-empowered fist snapped its jaw shut, causing it to whimper as it scampered back.

Instinct threw Ruby to her feet and had her sprinting away as the remains of the pack snapped at her heels. She was shaking; beginning to panic. Escape routes and prep time were slipping away as she did her best to get back to the cliff wall and keep them from surrounding her. She spun her scythe, but her grip slipped. She managed to grasp the handle again, and kept running.

She had to live through this.

One wolf ran alongside her, claw reaching out to grab an ankle, so Ruby flipped over the beast, her scythe blade slipping under its neck as Ruby pulled the trigger, sending her flying away and leaving two pieces of Grimm behind. She hit the ground, rolled back to her feet, and turned quickly, swinging Crescent Rose in a wide, horizontal arc, tearing the jaw off one unfortunate Grimm as a second narrowly missed biting down on her wrist.

She backed up and fired two shots into the oncoming horde, clipping an elbow and an ear, but the unaffected Beowolves continued their charge. Ruby used Rose's pole to block approaching claws, twisting them away, leaving her free to send her blade up into the jaw of a Beowolf, then bring it crashing back through the spine of another. She sprinted backwards, ripping Crescent Rose out of the wolf with a quick tug, then pulling the trigger to increase her speed and distance as the rest of the wolves trampled their fallen kin.

Ruby flew back until her vision went white, an audible crack filling her ears. The cliff wall behind her crumpled slightly from her impact, and she shook her head to gain her senses. In that lost moment the horde had closed in fast. Ruby didn't have the room to set up her spin. She needed a good plan, and fast.

The wolves bounded closer, their hunting howls filling the air, nearly deafening her. Ruby quietly resigned herself to the worst plan she'd ever thought of, and charged. Rose held out for protection, Ruby met the wolves halfway. She jumped, the wolves rose up to meet her, so she planted her feet into one's shoulders, pushing off. The wolf hit the floor with earthshaking impact as Ruby flew back towards the cliffside, crashing into it feet-first and crouching into a squatting position. With just a second to act before she fell, she kicked off as hard as she could.

The cliffside made an resounding crunch from the magnitude of her push, leaving massive, spider webbing cracks where Ruby had jumped, and the girl was sent flying over the horde towards the trees beyond the clearing. The wolves howled in dismay, but regrouped with furious barks, turning to give chase as Ruby flew overhead.

Ruby had every intention of landing on her feet and running, leaving this mess behind to regroup. She extended her legs but kept the knees relaxed. She hit the ground and threw herself forward. She meant to rise to her feet triumphantly and keep her pace, but her feet slid out from under her.

Ruby let out a quick, surprised cry before she crashed face first into the ground, the dark aura around her becoming thin and gray. She opened her eyes, spying Crescent Rose a few feet in front of her, and then heard the excited braying and thunderous stampede behind grow louder with every lost second.

Ruby crawled forward as her panic grew. She needed to escape, she needed to get away from the wolves before she was torn apart. Uncle Qrow would be pissed if she died to a bunch of Beowolves, and Yang, once she was done grieving, would never let her hear the end of it. Ruby pulled herself up to one knee, hands on the scythe's pole, ready to spin and lash out at whatever was near her.

She gripped Crescent Rose, felt hot breath on the back of her neck, the tips of teeth grazing her neck, and looked up in time to see a thin, raging spear of pure flame pass by her right cheek.

Ruby let out a tiny, disbelieving breath as the wolf behind her gurgled, a melon sized hole punched through its face and neck, burning it from the inside out before it collapsed and died. The rest of the wolves skidded to a halt. Ruby stood up quickly, looking for the source of the flame through the trees, and seeing none, whirled around to stare at the suddenly hesitant wolves.

She lowered into a fighting stance, grit her teeth with resolve, spread her legs into a ready position, and spun Crescent Rose once before the tree branches above her rustled. She looked up instinctively, just in time to see a white flash. Ruby stared, transfixed as the white-dressed figure held her sword out in front of her and sailed over Ruby's head.

The wolves roared at the newcomer, ready to catch the falling girl and tear her apart, but a massive ice blue snowflake, trapped inside a thin, silvery circle, appeared in front of the figure. She fell through the snowflake with a challenging cry, her body suddenly glowing bright and cold as the air around her condensed to form a thin, cool vapor.

Weiss slammed into the ground amidst the surprised Beowolves, and Ruby held her arms in front of her face as a wave of ice crashed through the horde and across the ground. Ruby back-pedalled, hearing the grass beneath her boots crunch it flash-froze.

Ruby lowered her arms, her sigh of relief materializing as a warm puff before floating away. Her aura flickered, briefly appearing as a sudden chill pierced her shield and forced her to wrap her cloak around herself as she shivered. A numbness crept through her, only to be chased away by her aura, leaving her just warm enough to lower her arms. Ruby shivered, breathing tiny puffs of mist as she focused on Weiss..

All around her, the Beowolves were frozen in picture-perfect positions of surprise and pain. Some were locked in a display of pure defiance: jaws bared, knuckles to the ground. Some stood, rearing back from the arctic blast, and only still standing because they leaned against the numerous glacier-like pillars that sprouted around them. Several others thumped to the ground like icy statues, a few having landed directly on their own limbs, shattering them with their bulk.

It was like a war had been petrified mid-battle, and Ruby couldn't help but give Weiss an amazed look. Between the piercing cold, red cloak, and open-mouthed surprise at Weiss's return, Ruby stood out among the frozen wolves.

"Behind you!" Weiss suddenly shouted. It was all the warning Ruby needed to twirl Crescent Rose, lodging the blade in a frost-coated Beowolf's shoulder. It let out a pained roar and its heavy claw slammed into Ruby's readied forearm. Ruby grit her teeth at the blow, but better her forearm than her ribs or head.

In total, ten of the wolves had been frozen to death by Weiss's frigid landing, which left just over ten to clean up.

Crescent Rose's blade caught the back of the Beowolf's neck, and a sniper shot rang out, the bullet grazing an approaching wolf's face while the blade tore the head off Ruby's current foe. The smaller girl skipped backwards, her heavy boots crushing cold grass, before her heel landed on a thin sheet of ice.

Her foot slid out from under her, and caused her to crash back to back with Weiss, both girls stumbling through the field of frozen corpses before Weiss caught her footing and stabilized Ruby with a quick thrust of her shoulders. "Watch it, Ruby!" Weiss snapped. "Keep your head on straight and mind your footing!"

"S-sorry." Ruby blushed, but without a further word she twisted her wrist and spun Crescent Rose. Weiss's pale blue eyes widened as Ruby created a circle of death around them both. The constant hiss of the spinning blade was raking against Weiss's nerves, the sound sending cold, disturbed shivers down her spine, but she didn't whine as Ruby slowly walked around her, almost in a dance as the pole and blade whirled around them. The Beowolves skid to a halt and stared, remembering the limbs taken with this technique. Ruby's voice was very small and weak as she slowly stepped around Weiss, who held her rapier with the point held to the ground so as not to break Ruby's defense. "I-I-I di-didn't think y-you'd come b-back."

"Idiot." Weiss sighed gently. Every now and then, as Ruby stepped into her field of view, she would catch sight of those red and black eyes; just the corners of them. They made Weiss's heart beat painfully, but Ruby herself was keeping calm and rational, staying human. Ruby's near-assault on her earlier briefly flashed through her mind, but Weiss dismissed it as Ruby had kept them both safe. "Didn't you say it yourself? We're hunters, we help each other," Weiss huffed.

"But I-"

"Look. We don't have time to talk." Weiss began to slowly move with Ruby's dance. The stress of Ruby's wider steps around Weiss was relieved as they moved together, and it let Weiss avoid looking at Ruby's eyes. When a Beowolf wandered a little too close, a quick stab to its face made it reel back, howling in pain. Weiss kept herself from smiling in triumph.

"It's important though." Ruby whispered, her voice low and defeated.

"Not as important as us surviving." Weiss insisted. She reached out and wordlessly pinched Ruby's ear, making the girl wince in surprise and pain; snapping her out of her self-demoralizing thoughts, but also making her stop spinning. "We need to make it to the end, we need to live, and if you don't pick yourself up-" Ruby silently turned and stepped around Weiss, cutting her partner's speech short with a swift swipe.

Crescent Rose whistled through the air behind Weiss, cutting through a Beowolf's ribs and yanking the wolf to the ground. Weiss stepped forward and thrusted, sending Myrtenaster into the back of the Beowolf's head, causing it to fall limp and disintegrate.

Ruby looked to Weiss. Weiss steeled herself and tried to look at Ruby, but immediately dropped her gaze before she could even focus on those eyes. Around them, the Beowolves were circling, confused, angry, but cautious. One wrong move was all that was needed, on either side, to start dropping like flies.

Weiss raised a hand and set it on Ruby's shoulder, and spoke low and firm. "I can't meet your eyes, and you're going to tell me why when this is over. For now… let's win."

Weiss turned her head to stare at the circling Beowolves, and an ugly feeling filled her belly as she realized they were surrounded. However, a small hand squeezed hers.

"Okay. Let's win." Ruby responded with very gentle optimism. "I'm going to throw you now."

"...What?" Was all Weiss managed in her disbelief. Ruby whipped Crescent Rose around, the swift cutting motions making the Beowolves take a step back, before bringing the blade down into the earth. Ruby nodded to Weiss quietly. "You're kidding me." Weiss murmured, in silent despair, as she stared at the offered 'ride.'

"We need to break the circle and make a pincer attack, it'll be fast and won't draw on your dust, right?" Ruby asked. The Beowolves around them were snapping their teeth, slowly crawling forward as if to test whether or not this was a trap.

Weiss looked at Ruby's mouth, trying to evaluate the firmness of her cheeks and her resolute expression, then sighed. "If you miss, I'll be mad. And likely dead." Weiss warned. She hopped onto Crescent Rose's pole, keeping her balance through years of dance and acrobatics training.

Knees bent, arms out, eyes forward, deep breath. Weiss held herself at the ready as Ruby readjusted her grip and pulled, swinging Crescent Rose like a catapult to launch Weiss over the circle of wolves, and into the middle of the frozen field. Weiss landed with her heels, crushing the head of a frozen Beowolf and hopped off onto her feet. She stuck the landing, and held Myrtenaster up to meet the three Beowolves that had given chase.

She turned her torso sideways, stuck her left foot forward, and skipped to the right, letting a Beowolf crash through its frozen packmate with the grace of an out-of-control car.

Claws bore down on her from the front and the left, and Weiss furrowed her brow. 'Martial mindset,' She reminded herself, 'Slow it all down, and counterattack.' Two quick stabs and the wolves fell at her feet, nursing their impaled hands as Weiss took a measured step backwards and struck, sending the point into one's eye, ending whatever semblance of life it held, then striking the second.

A last-second movement sent the rapier into the Beowolf's shoulder, and in its pain, the wolf clamped down on the blade with its teeth, trying to chew through the aura-enhanced metal. Weiss grit her teeth and pulled Myrtenaster out of its jaws, stabbing again, pushing Myrtenaster up through the bottom of the wolf's jaw and out through the top of its snout, ceasing its flailing.

Macabre as it was, Weiss allowed herself a moment to appreciate the artistic nature of the strike before a bullet flew over her head. Weiss froze for a second, then flinched away from the bullet's trail and looked to see Ruby aiming directly at her, then whirling Crescent Rose around to fend off an attack from her flank. Weiss turned to see the smoking remains of the first Beowolf, the one that had failed to tackle her, its head blown apart by the sniper shot. Weiss set her jaw angrily.

There was no way that shot had been on purpose. That girl couldn't have possibly had the battlefield awareness to fight off a handful of Beowolves and land a perfect headshot on an enemy in a totally different fight! That would have required a professional level of precision, speed, and awareness!

And there was no way Weiss would be outdone like that! Bringing Myrtenaster in a prayer pose before her, Weiss focused her semblance. Unlike many other semblances, the Schnees' was unique in that it was passed down through the generations. Many Schnees could summon glyphs, and Weiss had even been taught how to control her semblance from her grandmother, mother, and her older sister. Through years of practice and refinement, the Schnee family gift had become as iconic as their product: utterly unique, endlessly versatile, quality strength, and minimal resources spent in its production.

Weiss clicked a small button on her handle, and the revolving Dust chamber spun until she released it. Fire Dust, bright red, hot to the touch, one of Weiss's favorites when she wasn't throwing Ice Dust around. With a small, confident smile, a glyph formed around her.

It was much easier fighting Beowolves when their pack numbers fell below ten. At least, Ruby felt far less pressured to guard herself, even throwing herself at a few of the Beowolves that put a little too much distance between themselves and the rest of the pack.

With a rapid release of "kiais", Ruby slashed at a lone Beowolf's shoulders and neck, its movement and head armor keeping her from landing a decisive blow until the fifth strike, Crescent Rose a vibrant red blur until Ruby pulled the blade's tip out of the dead Grimm's back, letting it drop to the grass with a smoky puff of defeat.

Ruby turned, swinging Rose wide to put space between her and the beast's charging packmates, then geared up for her next attack. Rose spun over Ruby's head as she launched herself towards approaching pack. The wolves were losing and both sides knew it. Ruby could keep the pressure on, the Beowolves would have to fight their hearts out to keep up while Ruby still had her energy.

Ruby lept through the air, putting all her power into her next blow, but then fire filled her eyes and engulfed the recoiling Beowolf. With a high-pitched shriek, Ruby landed on the tips of her toes, Crescent Rose barely missing Weiss's back foot as the girl-in-white-and-on-fire slid into view like a walking explosion.

Weiss was peppering a poor wolf with flame-swathed stabs, each blow followed by a second lashing of flame as the girl's burning silhouette seemed to follow each of her movements but a second behind her. Weiss's smile and gaze was burning with pride and confidence, and Ruby had to pull her jaw off the ground as her partner smote one wolf, then flicked Myrtenaster at a second and sent a thin whip of fire to strike its nose, making it roar in pain and grasp its burnt snout.

"Weiss." Ruby said breathlessly. "You're kind of on fire."

"The Schnee family's legendary Fire Shroud." Weiss spoke almost clinically as she raised Myrtenaster high, then swept her sword low, the flames matching her movement while she remained completely ambivalent to the possibility of burning to death. "A perfect mixture of offense and defense." Weiss turned to smile smugly at Ruby. "After all, who would be stupid enough to-"

Weiss was blown back by a solid punch to her jaw, the fire around her fading instantly as her white aura crackled from the hit. Weiss lifted herself onto her elbows, staring down the offending Beowolf that dared to interrupt her bragging. Without a word, she stood up, dusted herself off, and stepped forward as Ruby watched her go from smug to stunned to… enraged. She flinched as Weiss parried the beowolf's claws, and thrust the tip of her sword into the wolf's rib, making it reel back with a pained yowl.

Weiss's expression turned to dark fury as Myrtenaster's dust cylinder spun, settling on a dark gray dust. A glyph swirled around the blade, making it glow a menacing black as Weiss's semblance infused it with gravity dust. "You disrespectful... monstrous... disgusting…! Animaaaal!" Weiss screamed as Myrtenaster pushed into the grimm's chest, her semblance pulsing and blowing open one side of the screeching beowolf's chest. "How dare you lay a hand on me!" The beowolf backpedaled with pained yips as Weiss closed in, the tip of her empowered sword thrusting into the retreating wolf's hip, sending the beast crashing to the dirt as its leg cracked and splintered in a rather grotesque way. "I went through half my Fire Dust for that technique, and look at what you did! I have never been so insulted, so disrespected by a grimm, and what has this attitude gained you aside from a few new holes?!" Weiss raised her sword over her head, and the beowolf instinctively covered its face as Myrtenaster fell on its head with the power of a goliath's foot behind it. The force of the strike blew back the grass around them, dirt puffing up in a Weiss-sized plume.

Weiss stopped, panting, a pile of barely recognizable beowolf sludge in front of her as Ruby silently wondered just who was supposed to be the scary one between the them. Weiss wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, watching the remaining beowolves flee into the forest to preserve what little of their pack was left. She sighed as she turned towards Ruby, putting on her much more recognizable frown.

"You don't tell anyone you saw that." She ordered, rubbing her cheek where she'd been slugged.

Ruby quietly tapped the tips of her fingers together and nodded, not sure what else to do to placate the girl. She watched Weiss simmer down, taking deep breaths and slowly walking towards something on the ground. Ruby's curiosity peaked and she strained her eyes to see what it was before Weiss reached down and picked it up.

Her goggles.

Ruby's cheeks burned red, and she immediately held an arm over her eyes, shame and self-disgust now filling her belly. She kept getting reminded of how badly she kept her secret, and she knew she deserved the constant needling and reminders for her horrible vigilance. Her professors would give her an earful, and she knew she was toast. There was no way this wouldn't get reported, no way she'd be allowed to stay in Beacon.

"Hey." A quiet voice got Ruby's attention. A fist pressed to her chest, holding something that thumped her belly. A quick glance down revealed Weiss was holding her goggles, and Ruby slowly lowered her arm. Weiss was making a point to not look at her at all, her face a little more pale and tense than usual until Ruby took the eyewear. She slid them on, and Weiss tried to relax herself as she summoned the courage to look at Ruby's face again. The memory was still fresh, she could still see those disgusting veins along her temples, but Weiss silently repeated to herself that she owed Ruby at least one more. With a small sigh, Weiss finally spoke up. "Look." She stared back down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

"... S-sorry?" Ruby repeated.

Weiss's face grew red, her eyes widening as she began to shout. "There you go again! Just repeating everything I say, and mumbling and stuttering and I'm trying to say: 'I've been too hard on you and you deserve a second chance.' But then you do that and all of a sudden I hate you again and how- oh god why?!" Weiss had no idea how, in all of that, Ruby had gotten the implication that hugging was okay. She stood painfully stiff with discomfort as a pair of arms wrapped around her torso, and Ruby buried her face into Weiss's shoulder.

One white eyebrow twitching, Weiss forced herself to relax and not freak out. Hugs were normal to other people. The Schnee did not need hugs, not from painfully incompetent little girls who somehow saved her life. It was nothing to get upset about. Nothing to let her eyes water over. She quietly wrapped her arms around Ruby, unsure what the proper response was now that they were, well, hugging. Like people. It was kind of humiliating at how pleasant the shared warmth was, not to mention having somebody, even somebody so infuriating, comforting her.

It was supposed to be the other way around. Ruby was the emotional one, Weiss was the comforter and apologizer here, there were certain standards and roles they had, so why were Weiss's eyes getting all teary?! It wasn't like she hadn't hugged before! Well, not recently, she didn't cry the last time she was hugged. Not much. Not because of the hug, not because of Winter leaving, not because she was suddenly alone...

Weiss blinked rapidly, rubbing her cheeks against her shoulders when she could. She slowly rubbed Ruby's back, though it was less of a comforting massage and more like Weiss was patting away dust and dirt, but it was the most she could manage right now. When Ruby lifted her face out of Weiss's shoulder, their eyes met as best they could, and Ruby looked down.

Weiss rolled her eyes. Their hug had yet to end and already the little novice was getting herself worked up. She bit down on her tongue to silence the hypocrisy.

"I'm sorry too." Ruby began in a small voice. "I-I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I embarrassed you, I'm sorry you had to be my partner…" The apology was so genuine that Weiss began to wince. "I-I wanted to try so hard to prove I'm more than my eyes and my powers. I want to help people, and all I did was make you mad. I'm so sorry Weiss, I just- just-"

"Save it." Weiss interrupted, though in a much softer tone, planting a finger on Ruby's lips. "Just let me go." Ruby did so, taking an awkward step back. Weiss rolled her shoulders, now that she was free, then wrapped her arms around her torso without thinking about it. "You and I both made mistakes. You were stupid, and clumsy, and I let that get under my skin. Too much so." Weiss took a deep breath and let it out, her mind racing for the right things to say, banishing the opportunity to tear into Ruby and ignore her own mistakes. "I-I should have known better. Leaving my home meant I'd find all sorts of new problems, but I didn't handle them… constructively. I blamed you for everything, which is… kind of unfair. You're not a bad person, just- just clumsy. I'm sorry I've been so rough on you, I've never had to- err, I mean, you didn't deserve it." Weiss was turning red as her speech faded to mumblings. All of her apologies and excuses flew out of her head as Ruby watched her with a curious head tilt and a sappy smile. Weiss finally huffed, and her tone turned angry again. "I'm still not happy with this. Us, I mean!" Ruby's smile shrank. "I'm thinking about talking to the headmaster after this. I know it's not in the rules, but if it's for the best..." Weiss worked her jaw, frowned, and looked up to Ruby.

Weiss was still bitter. Ruby, the girl who had taken ahold of her emotions unknowingly, and trumped her in combat with little trouble. She'd made Weiss feel small and weak, she made Weiss feel furious, and alone. All without realizing it. If Ruby had actively been malicious Weiss would have hated her, but she was anything but. Whether that was genuine or some mask of heroism the girl wore to hide her power, Weiss did not know, but it made the girl hard to hate, and piqued Weiss's curiosity on who she was…

… and why she was.

Ruby looked sullen and unhappy with the idea, but Weiss turned her head away to avoid looking at the younger girl. She was like a beaten puppy, and it made the guilt that had settled in her stomach grow. Ruby wasn't actually a bad person, she just needed guidance, but Weiss had her own trials, her own goals, she didn't want to be anchored down to somebody like Ruby.

Not that she herself had been a much better example...

With a sigh, Weiss lowered her head and looked directly into Ruby's eyes as best as she could. "I said I was only thinking about it. We need to finish the test first, and we have to finish it together. If you can prove you're not just a dumb klutz with a stutter, I- I might reconsider. Okay?" Weiss extended a hand.

Ruby looked to Weiss's hand, then Weiss's pinched, red face, and a tingle of relief sprang up from her chest. She held her hand out to take Weiss's, putting on a small smile, but hesitated. Confused, Ruby pulled her hand back, and Weiss stared at her in confusion, then looked up as a new sound filled her ears. Weiss threw her arms over her face with a frightened scream.

A feather only a little smaller than her slid along her arms and forehead, the sharpened down sending searing hot pain through her before she fell to the ground with a gasp of pain, her eyes wide with terror as Ruby ran to her side to grab her arm.

"Weiss- ?!" Ruby was about to ask if the girl was okay when a shower of sharpened feathers peppered the ground around them, one feather sending Ruby stumbling for balance and losing her grip on Weiss. The white-haired girl curled up on her side and stared out of the side of her eyes as a black streak raced towards them.

A horrid, corvid cry filled the air, and her eyes widened, remembering the Nevermore from before… she grabbed her head and curled up tight, hearing the rush of air around her as it slipped over head, one loud beat of its wings sending it skyward.

Weiss opened her eyes and strained her ears. The sound of its beating wings were fading. It was leaving. She slowly uncurled herself, watching the black shape in the sky leave. She rolled onto her stomach and she let out a relieved breath, wanting to laugh, but the breath was caught in her lungs. It missed! Weiss let out a small, haggard cough and looked around slowly.

All around her were black feathers sticking out of the dirt and grass, but something important had disappeared. Weiss blinked slowly, trying to figure out exactly was missing. Her eyes quickly found something. Laying on the ground was a long, red, unfolded scythe, with no girl attached to it. It took only a moment before a bubble of panic appeared in Weiss's stomach. She forced herself to her feet and looked back up at the fleeing Nevermore, focusing her eyes to catch sight of a tiny, squirming figure in one of its talons…

Weiss felt a multitude of emotions hit her at once. Fear, anger, worry, and most distressingly, a hint of relief: this was her chance. Ruby was gone, she could go. She wouldn't have to worry about her powers, her klutziness, her anything. Ruby was gone.

It was a short-lived thought. Weiss wanted to kick herself for even having the gall to think that. Whatever the hell she was, Ruby was still a huntress, one that had stuck out her neck for Weiss's life. Weiss grit her teeth silently, wanting to beat her head against a tree to remove the awful idea, but she had to focus. She had a new mission.

Her mission had been to retrieve the relics… but as much as she hated the idea of prolonging it, Ruby was far more important. This could have been a potential failure from a scholastic perspective, but if her professors failed her on the basis that she was too busy saving another human being then…

… then this was not the school for her. She would not be like her father, she would not disregard basic human decency for personal gain; she would work for her country, her employees, and her race. She would work for Ruby, because that was what a decent human being would do.

It's what Ruby did for her...

Weiss took a calming breath through her nose, and despite the way her limbs shook at the prospect of fighting the massive Nevermore, she pushed aside her fear and filled herself with a sense of duty. 'Ignore your emotions, focus on the task at hand.' She told herself.

She ran forward on unsteady legs, picking up Crescent Rose. She had little time to examine the weapon's craftsmanship, not that she wished to examine it further given its owner's current predicament. Weiss slung it across her back, the auratic enhancements allowing it to adhere to her aura seamlessly, negating the need for a sheath. The weapon was heavy, but Weiss had run with heavier for her training.

She just needed to keep her eyes on the sky and her focus on rescuing Ruby.

A surge of excitement went down her spine as she ran forward, watching the black wings soaring high above. She would be a hero. No sad endings, no loss of lives, not on her watch. She would do the impossible, and find a way to conquer the odds.

Weiss ran into the forest, heading north, after her partner.


	8. Eight-Player Co-op

Blake was carefully seated on top of a partially-destroyed stone wall that wrapped around the relics. At the moment, she was unable to focus. Looking into the forest made her anxious; she was sure Ruby was fine, but listening to the pitter-patter of the pacing blonde's footsteps below was getting to Blake. She felt no relief now that Yang was finally taking this seriously. If anything, the change in mood made her more uncomfortable, since it gave her the bad feeling that Yang might do something drastic.

A huntress coming to Beacon was expected to be skilled and smart; the preliminary tests were by no means difficult, even for somebody who had not attended the intermediate academies, but unlike Haven—which accepted pay in place of skill—or Atlas—which accepted all students provided they took the Mantle Soldier's Oath and stayed in service—or Shade—which accepted anybody who passed even the bare minimum of the entrance test—Beacon was selective.

This wasn't a necessarily a bad thing. Many students planned to join Haven or Shade, unless they were from the Solitas continent, in which case Atlas was the expected choice. Beacon, however, got between four-hundred to five-hundred applicants a year, and only a little under half of those were accepted. It was said that Professor Ozpin himself presided over selections, choosing only those with 'potential.' Many Beacon students came out strong, and from what she'd read at home, one team of Beacon hunters was worth at least a platoon of Atlas soldiers.

Blake's preliminary test had been nothing special. She'd been fourth overall in combat, first in reconnaissance, and third in field recovery. She was exceptional without dwarfing every other hunter. Her skill was born from years of special operations and fighting on the edge of civilization against better equipped opponents, and Professor Ozpin himself seemed to recognize precisely what she was, both what she was and why she had come to the Academy. He seemed sympathetic, gentle, friendly, willing to give her what she wanted. It made her suspicious, but this was apparently his default state.

Blake looked down at her fellow hunters, silently judging them. Yang was strong, but full of herself. Ren and Nora were clearly in this together for the long haul, yet Blake remained none-too-keen on inter team romances. The other four, however, one was astounding, one was intriguing, one was a fool, and the last one…

Blake grit her teeth. It would be easy to send an anonymous tip to her old stomping grounds, to let them know exactly where to ambush in the coming weeks. The gain they would get from having a Schnee in their camp would be phenomenal. Morale would be up, they'd have political clout with a hostage, they'd have their hands around the throat of their oppressor…

And even then, all Blake could picture was the white-haired girl thrown into a dingy little cage with the barest scraps to nibble on, dirty water to drink, while her former comrades would take any excuse to let loose some stress. Blake couldn't bear the thought. She was a revolutionary, not a terrorist, she would never stoop so low. Even if the girl's presence was utterly insufferable, she had no desire to hand her over to the monsters her former friends had become…

Blake squeezed her elbows and suddenly shivered as dark words whispered in the back of her head. _'That's why you're weak, that's why you ran, because you don't have the guts to do what needs to be done…'_

She closed her eyes, and silently counted to twenty-seven before the shivers and acid-pit in her stomach dissipated. She was not a monster. No matter what the news said, no matter what anyone said, she was Blake Belladonna. She was a fighter for the civil rights of her people! Not a killer, or a kidnapper, or a slanderer. She would not dirty her hands in Schnee blood out of revenge. That was petty.

And Blake was _not_ petty.

Yang slowed her pacing to stare out into the forest one more time. She'd be back to her normal speed in another couple steps, but she kept waiting for a sudden show of red to rush out of that green, hopefully with Jaune or Pyrrha immediately behind her. Yang had to repeatedly remind herself that her sister was a trained huntress, just not formally trained, but kind-of roughly trained by a soggy old drunk who was skilled. Though Ruby barely kept herself on her feet in a one-on-one fight, she did fine against Grimm, and-

"Blake!" Yang suddenly spoke up, forcibly jarring her own thoughts to stop the rising bubble of fear in her chest. Yang looked up to where her partner was seated and stopped herself from calling again. Blake was sitting in the lotus position, torso slightly leaned forward, head tilted down, staring at the bricks she sat upon with furious intensity. She was deep in thought and looked troubled, and Yang wasn't sure if interrupting her would be appreciated.

Yang looked down at the ground in quiet discomfort. She'd be just fine once she knew where Ruby was. She kept pacing.

A few feet away, sitting at the edge of the stone circle, Ren and Nora watched the treeline expectantly. Theoretically, nothing was stopping them from heading straight back to their proctors and presenting their find. Such a thought passed through Ren's head.

"Hmm. Nora?" He spoke up, though his voice was still too low for the other two girls to hear. He sat with both legs hanging off the ruin's edge, his hands comfortably crossed in his lap.

"'Sup Ren?" Nora asked, sitting with both legs curled, knees to her chin as she watched the trees.

"Why are we still here?" Ren asked gently, sneaking a hand onto Nora's thigh for a small squeeze. Nora flexed her leg, responding to his advance playfully.

"Y'know, I dunno."

"In that ca-"

"Like, what did we do to get this far in life? Why are you and I the way we are?" Nora let out a contemplating hum as Ren ignored the impulse to sigh. "Is the universe really that random? Is there no real reason other than the decisions we've made and random chance? You think there's actually gods running around dictating the way the dominoes fall?" Nora fell silent as Ren admired how strong her thighs had gotten. "I dunno Ren, but it keeps me up at night."

"Mm." Was all Ren had to lend on the matter. He'd give them another five minutes before he'd bring the topic up again.

Things fell silent for the most part, with the four teenagers lost in thought and wondering where their fellow test-takers were. The silence and inaction was making them nervous, for a variety of reasons. Blake was ready to recommend to Yang that they go into the forest and look for Ruby—and escape the uncomfortable thoughts having to deal with Weiss Schnee—when she spotted something bright between the tree trunks.

She stood. The sudden movement caught Yang's attention, and she followed Blake's gaze out at the forest. Yang jumped over Nora and Ren, both immediately tensing and pulling themselves to a ready position as Yang landed on her feet, crouched to take the shock, then sprinted forward a couple of steps with her heart beating.

"Ruby?!" Yang called out. All that answered her cry was the sound of rustling brush and a snapping twig. From the trees, a girl in pure white ran out, slowing down as her eyes met Yang's. Weiss stared at Yang, sucking in deep breaths, Myrtenaster hanging by her side, and Crescent Rose looming over her shoulder like death creeping up behind her. Yang stared at the panting, anxious Weiss, then to Ruby's scythe.

Blake leapt off the stone wall and ran after Yang as the blonde wrapped her hands around Weiss's throat. Nora and Ren were both ahead of her, the three of them latching onto Yang as the taller girl held a squirming Weiss up with an angry roar.

"Brute!" Weiss managed to squeak out as she was lifted and shaken.

 _"Where is my sister?!"_ Yang shouted, trying to shake Weiss harder, but four hands grabbed her bulging upper arms and pulled, forcing her to drop Weiss as Nora and Ren tugged Yang back and held her. "Let go of me, damnit, that's _Ruby's_ scythe!"

Blake swiftly stepped around the struggling blonde and knelt down next to Weiss. The girl in white was coughing into her hands, looking defeated and exhausted as Blake stared at her, at the Schnee. Weiss looked back at her with a small frown, her blue eyes wide with worry and confusion, and Blake had to bite back a strong inclination to let her fend for herself. She would not be petty. "Weiss Schnee." She said the name robotically, trying to hide the venom in her tone.

"Ugh." Weiss got to her feet unsteadily, using Blake's shoulder to held herself up. Blake didn't like the touch, but she wasn't sure what throwing the girl off would help. She grit her teeth. She had to act normal, even towards the Schnee. "Ruby's been captured." Weiss announced.

Yang's furious struggling stopped, her eyes focusing on Weiss again. Ren and Nora sighed in relief, then were swiftly thrown back the moment they relaxed. Yang stormed forward, sticking a finger into Weiss's face. "What the hell are you talking about? _Where is she?!"_ Yang demanded.

Weiss grabbed Yang's finger and tugged it away, gritting her teeth as she suppressed her anger. "Don't point fingers like it's _my_ fault. We fought off a pack of Beowolves, but a Nevermore grabbed her. I've been trying to track it but I lost sight of it."

"A Nevermore?" Ren's surprised voice sounded. He moved to Yang's side, watching Weiss with the color in his already-pale face draining away. "Where?" Nora was quiet and stiff by his side, her normal playful energy turning into something far more worrisome.

"Where?! The sky, where do you think?!" Weiss was noticeably shaking, her eyes wide and anxious and her eyes closed in tight fists at her side. "If I knew where the nest was I'd be heading straight for it, but I don't know where it went and if we don't hurry, Ruby's as good as dead." Weiss spoke the word with strong finality in her tone, and the other four hunters shared a very real moment of fear.

Blake looked to the sky quietly. She had some experience with Nevermores. She'd lost a couple of comrades to sudden caravan raids. They were swift, so fast that the sound of rippling air gave the unsuspecting hardly the time to react before somebody was already in their claws. When the rush of wind was over and the group looked around and realized there was somebody missing, the massive Grimm was already far out of reach of most conventional weaponry, with a struggling prize in hand.

She'd never seen what a Nevermore's nest looked like, but from the stories, it was gruesome. Like many common ravens, they were smart, inquisitive creatures, but filtered through the Grimm's cruelty it meant they were _sadistic._ Search parties coming back to camp were often sullen and squeamish, describing one of their companions left with a single arm, a chest full of holes, and missing both eyes while the Nevermore, having flown away at the sign of trouble, seemed to crow mockingly at them from a distance.

Nevermores were bad news. Blake thought about the little huntress in red, and a stone formed in her stomach. The thought of somebody getting killed made her queasy enough, but the thought of it being somebody so innocent and bubbly made it so much worse. She looked to Yang, to see how the blonde was taking this.

Silently, it seemed. Weiss flinched as a hand shot past her head, and pulled Crescent Rose off Weiss's back. Blake, Weiss, Nora, and Ren all watched as Yang held the shaft in two places, releasing the catches and collapsing the weapon into a blocky red sniper rifle. She lifted the rifle, adjusting its scope to her liking as she stared down the sight, then looked to Weiss with a serious expression. "What am I looking for?"

"What do you-" Weiss began to rant, but she was stopped cold by the dark look Yang gave her. "Nevermore, up near the clouds, about the size of an airbus." Ren shared a look with Nora. Nevermores were typically car-sized, Nevermores that massive were the product of old age. "Flying north, Ruby's in its left talon."

Yang swung the rifle north, staring down the scope. Blue skies and white clouds would make it easy for a pitch-black Grimm to be seen, but the sky appeared empty. She slowly scanned, sector by sector, like her father and school had taught her, until she spotted something. It looked like a perfectly normal bird in the distance. Flapping black wings, riding the wind trails, it was impossible to tell… until it flew towards a cloud.

In Yang's experience, birds typically flew beneath the clouds, not through them. This one was trying to not be seen. She focused her eye, and made small adjustments using the bottom left of Crescent Rose's frame. Yang set her jaw, held her breath, and squeezed the trigger.

The other four jumped at the sharp retort of the sniper rifle, but immediately strained their eyes to see what Yang was firing at. Just barely visible in the distance was a black speck flying so high, it could have been mistaken for a piece of dirt in the eye. Yang fired off a second shot with her teeth gritted.

"Nora." Ren spoke up, marching away from the group. Nora was by his side in an instant, holding his shoulder in quiet worry as they began to head north.

"Think we can catch up?" Nora asked, her voice trembling.

"We have no choice." Ren began to sprint, Nora following close behind him. Blake was going to say something, tell them to wait up, but instead stared at Yang, the blonde begining to openly sweat as she kept herself calm, and her eye still looking down the sights.

Ren and Nora crested the hill to the north of the ruins, and were gone from sight after a few seconds. Blake rested a hand on Yang's stiff shoulder. "We should follow them." She said, an edge of command in her voice.

"I can make the shot." Yang insisted. She didn't sound confident about it.

"Yang, it's a hard shot, we need to go after them. The sooner we track it to its nest-"

 _"I can make the shot."_ Yang's teeth clicked together as she spoke. She pulled the trigger again. The black speck in the distance didn't falter.

"It's _too far,_ the bullet will lose its momentum! Even _if_ you somehow hit it, you're-"

Yang interrupted Weiss with a hiss, "It has my sister. I will make the shot."

Blake and Weiss shared a quiet look. Weiss took a deep breath, ran a few ideas through her head, and worked her jaw. "Yang, I will help you if you listen to me." Weiss spoke slowly. Yang said nothing, did nothing. Only the shifting of her eyes let Weiss know she was listening. "Aim a few meters ahead of it." Weiss drew Myrtenaster off her hip, and, like a director before her orchestra, slowly waved the sword's tip back and forth in front of Rose's barrel.

Blake had heard of the Schnee family's semblance, how it defied all known logic of semblances, self-perpetuating itself through a single family. In the past, it was considered proof of their "cheating" or their "superior genes." Blake personally felt it was just too unfair for such a rich family to have a semblance that wasn't just incredibly strong and versatile, but also genetic. In that moment, however, watching the sparkling yellow snowflake form in front of the sniper rifle's barrel, she could only hope that it was as powerful as it was made out to be.

"I got this." Yang murmured.

"Make sure you aim ahead of it."

"I _got-"_

"Just _make sure."_ Blake interrupted her. Yang swallowed thickly, then did as she was told.

After a second of hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

* * *

It took everything in Ruby's willpower to stay conscious. The air was so thin this high up that a single gasp barely filled her lungs, but even worse was the Grimm clutching her, squeezing the air from her lungs every time she struggled. Above her, the rancid-smelling Nevermore flapped its wings with casual grace, unconcerned with the world below it now that it had a prize.

Ruby was putting a lot of energy towards not freaking out. She heard what Nevermores did to their victims. She'd never figured that just being carried was so painful. The Nevermore liked to play with her, loosening its grip _just enough_ for her to suck in a breath before it clamped down, making her choke and lose the air.

Its claw carefully squeezed her, making her left arm ache as it was crushed against her ribs. Ruby let out a quiet moan of pain, then panted for breath in the thin upper atmosphere. The world of green below her seemed surprisingly peaceful from up here. She was so far out of touch from the troubles on the ground in the sky...

Ruby could barely focus on her thoughts. Her head was aching from the forced panting; the lack of oxygen was making her body feel weak and tired. The Nevermore's grip on her loosened just enough for her to take a deep breath of air, but then it squeezed down harder, making her cry out in pain. Even her aura was struggling to keep it at bay. Without it, she likely would have broken her bones just trying to breath.

The Nevermore continued its leisurely flight back to its nest, knowing full well its plaything had no chance of escape. It relaxed its grip to let her breath, then squeezed to listen to her pant and whimper. Age gave Grimm rudimentary emotions, beyond pure rage, and the Nevermore had recently discovered the feeling of "satisfaction." This little human, a treat it would enjoy making yip, scream, and cry, would give it the satisfaction of patiently waiting to end her life.

Ruby feebly gripped the squeezing talon with one hand, trying to loosen it even a little, but it only held on tighter. Her eyes went fuzzy as the breath was forced out of her. It was too tight to take in a breath. Her lungs were burning, sweat pouring off her face as the dreadful reality of death began to set in on her. She could hear the feeble scratching in the back of her skull.

They were afraid like her.

When its grip loosened, she took as deep a breath she could and hung her head, staring at the ground, resting as her body ached and her head pounded. She could barely think.

However, her ears picked up a sound.

Like a circuit breaker being flipped on, the sound of electricity filled the air, and Ruby opened her eyes in time to see a pure white beam to fill her vision. She barely had time to gasp as the Nevermore screamed in pain, the crackling beam punching a large hole through its tail feathers.

Ruby screamed as the Nevermore's flight became erratic. The horribly slow, torturous flight was suddenly turbulent, a smoke trail having taken the place of the Nevermore's tail as it began to fall. It flapped its wings, keeping a steady descent, but without its tail it was having difficulties steering, and the pain rendered it difficult to keep its high altitude.

The Nevermore let out a frustrated cry as it realized its nest would be too far beyond its reach at this point. It shifted its wings and began to dive, trying to control its flight path as it sped towards a temporary roost.

Ruby remained still in its tightening grasp, too weak to fight back. The scratching in the back of her head turned to soft whimpers, then silence. Ruby hung limply, taking shallow breaths as the darkness at the edges of her vision closed in and sucked her into a dream.

* * *

"Whoa." Jaune stopped, having rounded the corner of the stone archways and walls he and Pyrrha been jogging along.

Pyrrha silently agreed with his assessment.

Jutting out over the mist-filled canyon they'd been following was the proud remains of what had been an incredible accomplishment of mankind. The passage of time had left the once-glorious structure worn, and covered with twisting vines and mosses, but the temple that had audaciously gleamed in the wilderness in ages past now rested in silence, swallowed up by the very nature it had defied.

With carefully crafted catwalks and tall towers, the ruins carried questions of _"what?"_ and _"why?"_ With no answers readily given, it seemed to draw a childlike curiosity from the two teens.

"I doubt the relics the headmaster would want us to find are here." Pyrrha said mindfully. Despite her doubts, her feet moved in step behind Jaune as the boy wandered closer to the stone bridge connecting the edge of the low cliff to the tower in the center of the canyon. It seemed to serve as a sort of hub for more bridges to connect to several other towers, as well as an odd building set into another, taller cliffside.

"Like, do we know for sure?" Jaune asked. He pressed the tip of his toes against the stone pathway, testing its sturdiness, then rested his entire weight on said foot. The stones, aged and worn by weather, still held true. With a reckless grin forming, Jaune stepped out onto suspended road as Pyrrha stood between the pillars marking where the pathway started.

"He never described them." Pyrrha acknowledged, watching Jaune cautiously, listening for the sounds of shifting stone. "I suppose they _could_ be here."

"Then what's the hold up?" Jaune waved her over.

"I just have a... bad feeling about this place." Pyrrha called after him. She couldn't shake the idea that, despite being dealt a definitive blow, and disappearing into the cloudy, rapidly-steepening canyon, the Deathstalker was still pursuing them. Grimm had some semblance, for lack of a better word, of logic, vague inklings of survival instinct, but more than either of those things, they held an unrelenting grudge against mankind. Nobody could explain their existence, anatomy, or purpose. But that was a question for scholars and philosophers. Hunters existed to protect their fellow men and women through blade and bullet, not through questions and beliefs.

"Well _I_ have a good feeling." Jaune replied. He turned around, walking backwards with a smile on his face and his arms outstretched. "I have a feeling we're about to pass this test! I mean, why else would this still be here?" He turned back around to gesture up to the central tower, along with the numerous connected bridges between it and the other structures. Overall, it seemed quite random, and Jaune slowed down to give the layout a better look. "What do you think this was used for? The Color Wars?" He called over his shoulder.

Pyrrha examined the stone, noting the odd intersection of bridges and towers, as well as how overly _exposed_ the whole thing was. She cautiously walked down the steps, standing at one end of the bridge as Jaune stood on the other. She gulped loudly. "Well… I do not believe so. If I were to guess, it was more than likely built for religious purposes. Being so far out in the wilderness, it may have served as a testing grounds of some sort, perhaps as a place of respite and isolation from others."

"Cool." Jaune turned to face Pyrrha again, waving his arms as he spoke. "I'll check out the back, if you wanna see the upper floor of the tower! If we don't find anything, I'll take the left tower, you take the right!"

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle as she took a few cautious steps forward. "Shield left or sword left?" She called out, trying to ignore the growing feeling of dread.

"Shield left!" Jaune waved his left arm. "Always shield lef-!" Jaune's exclamation was cut off by the sound of something huge slicing through the air, and a massive, black shape dove between the two hunters.

Pyrrha stepped back with a startled gasp, Miló immediately in her hand as the largest Nevermore she'd ever seen beat the air with its enormous wings, pulling up at the very last second to perch at the top of the left tower, albeit unsteadily. Its tail feathers were gone, replaced by fading smoke, and possibly shame.

The raven Grimm stood on the tower on one foot, its enormity defying Pyrrha's belief. She had seen pictures of Nevermore that had dwarfed their prey before, but she always attributed it to fanciful over-exaggeration. No, the monster before her made the tower it stood on shake, dust billowing off with each steadying flap of its wings, turning a structure large enough for human habitation into a simple bird perch.

Jaune held Crocea Mors at the ready, expecting the massive bird to immediately attack, but it merely stood in quiet contemplation. His eyes outlined its form. He had heard a little about Nevermores, about their sadistic streaks and surprise attacks, yet he knew next to nothing of their behavior and fighting ability. Where did one hit a bird to kill it? Jaune always assumed wherever you could, but with Grimm it was a different story.

His eyes reached the beast's left foot, and his heart stopped. The vibrant red cloak, the black dress, the pale skin, he recognized her. The small figure was clutched precariously in the beast's claws, arms hanging limply, before the massive raven unceremoniously tossed her onto the tower's roof. Jaune glanced at Pyrrha, and saw her bringing out her shield.

Without a word, Jaune ran into the central tower, forcing his legs to carry him faster than he was used to. Power surged through him as strength he'd never felt before gave him the speed he needed. He twisted and slid, catching himself in order to run down the bridge towards the occupied tower. He looked up to the bird as it lifted its head, Ruby held in its beak by her stomach.

Sweat poured down his forehead. Jaune ran as hard as he could, crossing the bridge as the bird lifted its head to open its esophagus and let the young woman slide in. Panic filled Jaune as he saw her begin to slip…

The Nevermore's head jerked as the side of its face exploded, the girl in its beak falling loose and landing on the roof as the Nevermore turned to stare at Pyrrha. Miló, now a hunter's rifle, tracked the enraged bird's head before another explosive dust round filled its eyes with heat and pain.

The screaming beast threw its wings wide in an intimidating challenge and leapt from its perch, using its dulled flight to bear down on the autumn-haired huntress. Akoúo̱ flew to Pyrrha's right arm, and she begged her legs to carry her to the central tower as fast as they could.

A white talon tussled the very tip of her ponytail as she avoided raking claws and an angry beak. The Nevermore turned awkwardly for roughly land against the right tower's side. Bricks shifted, dust stirred, a dangerous rumble came from the ancient structure, but it held fast as the Nevermore crawled on top to watch for its attackers.

Jaune ran into the tower through a tall, skinny archway. He ignored the mauled, discarded papers and books, the snapped and rusted candelabras, and headed straight for the spiraling stairway. His heart pounded as his aura steadily depleted itself to empower his legs.

When daylight broke through his dark ascent, Jaune took the stairs two at a time, reaching the top of the tower. Resting on top of the shattered centerpiece was Ruby Rose.

Jaune hauled himself onto the slanted, broken structure, crawling his way towards the unconscious girl. She lay still and silent, with only the gentle rising of her chest to suggest she was still alive. A dangerous mixture of emotions ran through Jaune as he stared at the girl.

His fingertips touched her cheek, Ruby's brow wrinkling in peaceful distress. Jaune couldn't imagine Ruby was awake, and was tempted to remove the goggles for the reassurance that her eyes would open as he gently slapped at her cheeks. Her breathing grew stressed and erratic, her fingers twitched, and Jaune gulped.

His hands slipped underneath the tight rubber around her goggles to pull, but a hand wrapped around his wrist. "Don't you dare." She ordered, weakly. Jaune felt relief flood through him as he lifted her head, cradling her in his arms as he stared into her eyes, or rather, her goggles. "Jaune?"

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked her. She didn't seem okay, but slowly she roused and pulled herself into a sitting position, using Jaune as a support to lean against as she examined herself, and worked her limbs slowly and stiffly.

"Um... better. You?" Ruby asked, looking into his wide, blue eyes. His breathing came in short, anxious pants. He was staring at Ruby like she was some sort of anomaly. Jaune pulled Ruby close, holding her head to his chest with one hand as the other fumbled with his hip satchel. "Jaune?" Ruby murmured, quietly enjoying the physical affection. Her memory was reasserting itself; monsters were afoot.

"I'm fine." He held a granola bar to Ruby's lips, but they curled in disgust. "C'mon Ruby, your Aura-"

"Nooooo…" She whined, pushing the bar away. Jaune's expression hardened in annoyance at her childishness, but she opened her own belt pouch. His annoyance turned to private envy as Ruby pulled out two crumbly, slightly-crushed chocolate chip cookies. Ruby swallowed them both in the time Jaune would have taken to enjoy one bite, and with Jaune supporting her, she stared at her hands.

Jaune had just come to terms that aura came in different colors depending on its owner. Pyrrha was a piercing blood red, his own was a heavenly gold, but Ruby's aura, which surged to life around her as she digested her treat and enjoyed simple human contact, was black, like an ink stain spreading over her body. Jaune elected to ignore the omen, he was much more fond of the girl who produced it.

"Hee." She gave him a tiny, tired smile. "You look super worried."

"I thought you were gonna _die,_ Ruby." Jaune couldn't help but smile as he stood and carefully balanced himself on the slanted ground. He lifted Ruby with him, helping the girl to unsteady footing. Ruby leaned against him, took a deep breath, and shook her head.

"Not with you around, clearly." She smacked his shoulder fondly, and the two shared a small smile. The moment was interrupted as several metric tons of enraged demon bird crashed into the tower they were both standing on, making them grab each other for balance as the Nevermore lifted its massive head, stared at the two in barely controlled rage, and _screamed._

Ruby reached behind her back and grabbed at the air, her body twitching in shock. "Crescent Rose?!" She squeaked in terror, then stared back at the furious bird Grimm. Its head reared back, then dove forward, its pointed black beak destroying solid stone as the two hunters leapt out of the way.

Jaune had learned something today that proved valuable in this instance: retreat was totally the right thing to do sometimes. It was certainly a lot more noble if it was with a girl, or at least he assumed so. Protect the ladies, right? That's why he came here? Something like that. Either way, Ruby held bridal-style in his arms, Jaune's legs ached in protest as he fled down the staircase, the Nevermore's beak punching holes in the walls behind them. Outside the tower, the Nevermore clung to the sides using its talons and hooked wingtips, peering through windows and smashing its beak into the stone again and again.

Ruby clung to the blonde, her lips peeled back in fright, as they hit the ground floor and sped out of the bridge. She turned to look over Jaune's shoulder as the enormous bird turned its head to glare at them in fury. Clearly, this Nevermore was not used to disappointment. As Jaune sprinted to the central tower, he heard the sharp crack of a rifle from up above.

Pyrrha knelt at the top of the tower, peppering the Nevermore with bullet after bullet as it flit around the left tower to avoid her shots. It was a tough bird, letting out tiny whines with each hit, but nothing dislodged it or dissuaded it. Pyrrha ejected an empty dust-bullet magazine and slapped in a new one. By the time she refocused her aim, the Nevermore had slipped off the building and was flying low, into the mists obscuring the canyon below.

Pyrrha let out a small sigh. It appeared that she had driven it away for the moment, but Nevermores were notoriously stubborn. She kept her rifle at the ready as she jogged to the stairs, eventually seeing Jaune and Ruby standing at the bottom floor at opposite ends of the room, scanning the mist below. "Anything?" Pyrrha asked, her voice tight.

"Nuh uh." Ruby shook her head. She looked back to Pyrrha as the redhead put her hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha very seriously inspected her face, her body, touching her arms as Ruby puffed up her cheeks in a kiddy pout. "Heeey…"

"It is important to check for breaks or over exhaustion. Do you feel well? Is your aura optimal?" Pyrrha looked into Ruby's goggles, ignoring the slight annoyance at the obscured view.

"It's coming back." Ruby murmured insistently.

"Good. Jaune?" Pyrrha turned to the blonde boy, who nodded his head.

"I think we're safe." He took a breath.

As one, he and Ruby both spoke up, "We should get outta here."

Pyrrha blinked at the two of them as they completely ignored their moment of accidental unity. The redhead sighed. She agreed, however, now that the idea was in her head. Holding down the fort here was pointless.

The three of them stepped out onto the bridge, quickly looking into the mists below for any sign of the Nevermore, before jogging steadily towards the cliffside. Jaune had his sword and shield drawn, and Pyrrha kept Miló in its rifle form. The yawning stillness of the moment unsettled the three, Ruby especially, fretting over her missing weapon.

Jaune was not a man who appreciated cruel irony, if that was what the following moment could be called. Evil coincidence? Sadistic development? He was unsure, but his face slackened in disbelief as the three hunters slowed, skid to a halt, and stared.

From the mists, the Nevermore emerged, its wings beating with powerful down strokes as it rose with something in its talons. Somehow, someway, Pyrrha had been correct. Held between its claws, its deadly stinger held far away from the bird, the ancient Deathstalker clicked its pincers in eager anticipation of the slaughter to come.

The Nevermore set the big, old Deathstalker on the cliff, and the scorpion rapidly crawled to the bridge's edge. Its enormous claws snapped and crushed the stone pillars marking the entrance to the pathway, its many unblinking red eyes boring through the three shocked hunters as it patiently waited. The three turned to flee back to the tower when the Nevermore landed on the other end of the bridge.

"Guys?" Jaune asked. He looked from the massive, ancient scorpion Grimm to the massive, ancient raven Grimm, wearing a stunned expression. "That's cheating, right?" He asked, his voice thick with fear.

Ruby and Pyrrha had no answer. Grimm were not necessarily exclusionary creatures, but preferably stuck to their own kind. However, when humans came into the equation, anything resembling a territorial attitude was annihilated in favor for the mutual hatred spread across all Grimmkind.

The Deathstalker cared not that the Nevermore was what it was, just that it would readily join in the kill.

The two Grimm watched cautiously, knowing they had the advantage, but the precarious battlefield kept them on their proverbial toes. The three hunters looked to each other in distress.

"Ruby?!" Jaune looked to the younger girl in a panic.

"Pyrrha?!" Ruby looked to the warrior among them hopefully.

"Jaune?!" Pyrrha looked to the planner grimmly.

They looked between each other, then to the two Grimm that were waiting for the moment to strike. The Nevermore slowly took its first step, enormous wings extended. The Deathstalker was not going to risk falling, and Jaune quickly realized they'd be pushed back into the waiting pincers if they didn't do _something._

"... The bird." Ruby spoke up, staring at the advancing Nevermore. Her heart was beating hard as Jaune let out a tiny, unhappy sigh.

"The bird?" Pyrrha asked, turning to face the corvid beast. She leveled her rifle at the head, making it pause to consider its actions.

"She's right." Jaune looked back at the Deathstalker, then the Nevermore. He quietly examined Crocea Mors, then presented Ruby with the hilt of his sword. Ruby's shaking hands accepted the weapon, and she took deep, calming breaths as she held it at the ready. A hunter with no weapon was easy prey, it was better that she at least had a sword and he had a shield. "The doom- err, Deaththing probably isn't gonna walk out here, and pushing it out of the way is definitely outta the question. If we get past the bird, we get to the tower."

"We would still be trapped." Pyrrha pointed out in a tense voice, then let out a defeated sigh. "But, I would rather be trapped in the tower than on the bridge."

"Exactly." Jaune nodded. Pyrrha held her arm out, Akoúo̱ flying off her back and into her grip in front of Jaune. The blonde boy paled slightly at the offer, but took the shield. "Okay, so, Pyrrha? Covering fire. Ruby and I will rush it."

"What?! No!" Ruby looked back at Jaune with a pout, making him flail his arms in a rage. The Nevermore screamed at the three hunters, making them cringe before it took another challenging step forward. Pyrrha fired a shot at its foot, making it step back with an ugly squawk.

"Then _what_ Ruby?!" Jaune demanded.

Ruby slowed her breathing, taking deep, calming breaths as she stared at the Nevermore thoughtfully. Its feathers were beginning to bristle, it was done waiting, it knew they had no solid plan. "Cover Pyrrha. _I'll_ rush it."

"Wha—are you crazy— _RUBY!"_ Jaune reached an arm out as Ruby charged the Nevermore with a defiant cry. A rifle shot flew high over her head and struck the Nevermore's neck as the air was filled with enormous, sharp black feathers. Ruby slipped left and right, narrowly avoiding the flechette storm, her ears filled with slicing blades as Jaune's sword sparkled black with her power.

Pyrrha grabbed Jaune's shoulder and the two of them ducked, Jaune holding the two shields out and wailing in fright as a dozen razor sharp blades bounced off the metal protecting them both. Behind them, the Deathstalker screeched in rage and cautiously creeped out onto the bridge a few feet, its long stinger jabbing at the air, just out of reach of the two hunters. Pyrrha turned, repositioning her feet for a solid shooting stance and fired at the Deathstalker's stinger.

The Nevermore primed its head as Ruby sped towards it, silently evaluating distance, then lunged. Its beak smashed through the stone that made up the bridge, and the whole structure began to moan at the damage to its integrity as Ruby ran up the bird's neck, jumping high as it pulled its head back. She plunged downwards, burying Crocea Mors into the Nevermore's back between its wings, and a pained scream filled the air as the bird began to buck and step back, Ruby hanging onto the sword's handle for dear life.

"Ruby!" Jaune roared as he stood up, "Hang on, I'm coming!" Jaune took a step forward, when Pyrrha kicked out his legs and sent him crashing on his back. Panic and fury filled Jaune's gut until he looked straight up at the bulbous yellow stinger that had nearly perforated his spine. It began to dawn on him that, just maybe, this hunter business was far more difficult than it appeared.

He pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he could and let out a sharp gasp, dancing to the left and teetering on the edge of the bridge as the stinger struck again, narrowly missing its mark, and a stomach-churning weight pulled at his shoulders as he flapped his arms to try and regain his balance.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha reached out and grabbed his wrist, while Jaune grabbed the closest thing to him: the Deathstalker's tail. There was a half second where both hunters were given the opportunity to reflect on the stupidity of this action before the tail yanked back. Jaune screamed first, followed by Pyrrha's slightly more dignified whine of terror as the two teens were violently pulled off their feet. The Deathstalker, feeling the extra weight, recoiled its tail as hard as it could and sent the two teens flying over its head.

Pyrrha heard the wind shrieking in her ears, her body moving faster than it had ever moved before, before unceremoniously smashing through one of the old stone pillars, sending shockwaves of pain through her body before she hit the ground, skidding across the grass with a pained cry. She grit her teeth, eyes closed, resting on her stomach while her fingernails dug into her palms from agony. Her aura had taken the hit, and was quite brutally reminding her that that was _not_ a good thing. She opened her eyes in shock as a hand touched her back, and she lifted her chin to see Jaune standing over her with a worried expression.

"Jaune…" She whispered, her eyes sparkling with moisture as the boy gave her a comforting smile.

"Take a moment, partner." He told her. She gave him a pained smile, then Jaune looked up sharply. He stood, picking up his shield and Akoúo̱ and stepped over her. Pyrrha risked a look over her shoulder to see the ancient Deathstalker scuttling closer, stopping a few meters short as Jaune stood between it and Pyrrha. A shudder escaped the redhead as the Deathstalker made a chittering noise, sounding almost amused at the boy's defiance.

Pyrrha arched her shoulders and pushed herself up with her hands, ignoring the numbness that was trying to seep into her. _She'd nearly faded._ The realization sent a bolt of fright up her spine, but she could move, she could think-

"Hi- _yah!"_ Jaune shouted. Pyrrha looked over her shoulder again at the sounds of battle. The Deathstalker was more aggressive than ever, its stinger diving again and again, but Jaune kept battering the tail away with the shields. It raised its claws in annoyance, and scuttled forward with its pincers outstretched.

Jaune should have run, kept his distance from the scorpion, but he was not an experienced hunter in the slightest. One on one, he would most assuredly die, and yet he stood his ground, roared his anger, and thrust the shields out to catch the Stalker's pincers trying to surround him. Pyrrha pulled herself up, willing her legs to _feel._ She stood unsteadily on her heels, her knees trying to lock up from shock, but that stinger reared back.

Pyrrha let out a gasp, every instinct telling her to charge and grab her partner, pull him out of danger, but her shaking legs refused to listen. She managed a step, to reach out, to cry his name as Jaune closed his eyes while the stinger launched straight at his head.

The clash of metal-on-metal rang through the air, rather than the feared sound of Jaune's head exploding. Pyrrha stared with wide eyes, her arm falling limp. Lie Ren stood above the ground, legs braced on the Deathstalker's pincers as Storm Flower's sickles held the tip of the stinger to the left of his face, the boy's subtle strength keeping the tail still.

Lie Ren suddenly jumped, executing a perfect backflip-into-flip-kick to the bottom of the stinger's base, punting the tail high into the air before split-kicking the pincers open, freeing Jaune of the scorpion's grasp. The Deathstalker, Jaune, and Pyrrha both seemed utterly stunned at the acrobatics, with the Stalker hardly making any noise as it tried to figure out precisely _what_ happened.

Lie Ren landed, legs bent in a low squat as he took a deep breath, and launched himself backwards into Jaune. Jaune let out a yelp of surprise as Ren sent them both skidding away from the scorpion. With a comfortable distance between them, Ren raised his hand and made a signal Jaune didn't recognize.

A delighted whoop was the only thing the three of them heard as a half-ton of pure force seemingly fell out of the sky in the shape of a tiny young lady with a very big hammer. The sound of bones breaking, earth crumbling, and stone structures shuddering filled the air as Nora's hammer head found its home in the top of the Deathstalker's skull.

The massive scorpion was forced onto its belly, its legs crumpling from the impact, a tiny, almost pathetic whimper escaping it as its centuries-old bone plate armor cracked, flaked, and fell apart all around it. The massive creature slumped, pincers and tail falling flat with little flair as Nora lifted her hammer, took a deep breath, and beamed at Ren.

"Very good, Nora." Ren said glowingly, stepping out of Jaune's personal space as the redhead did a happy little dance. "Though we need to keep moving."

"Right!" Nora suddenly gasped. The two of them turned to face Jaune and Pyrrha, both of whom were staring at the couple in silent awe. Ren looked from Jaune to Pyrrha, noting the latter was doubled over, looking unsteady. Nora watched her man purposefully walk over to Pyrrha and take her shoulders. "Hands above the chest, Maximus!" Nora called over with a small growl.

"I know, Nora." Ren called back, touching Pyrrha's chin and looking her in the eye. They were clear, green, and focusing on his face with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment, but she did not pull away or look faint.

"What's he doing?" Jaune murmured to Nora, shaking himself of his shock.

"Making sure she didn't fade, or that better be all he's doing 'cuz ooooooh if that boy decides I'm not the only redhead he needs in his life there will be a full round of high explosives I gotta deliver." Nora hefted her hammer, shifting it to its grenade launcher form while grinding her teeth dangerously. Jaune wisely took a step away.

"Right… um…" Jaune looked to Nora curiously as Ren held up a finger for Pyrrha's eyes to follow, the two Mistral natives quietly conversing over her physical situation before Jaune let out a sudden gasp. _"Ruby."_

Ren and Nora quickly turned to watch Jaune as he ran to the edge of the cliff to look out at the stone ruins fearfully.

"You saw her?!" Nora called after him.

Jaune didn't respond. He looked left, then right, then turned towards the other three. There was wide-eyed fear in his expression, and Pyrrha forced her stiff legs to move. Ren and Nora frowned to each other, then back to the blonde, but before they could reach him, a piercing scream stole their attention.

The enormous black Nevermore flew up from the mists below, beating its massive black wings as a small, familiar girl hung onto the sword stuck into its back for dear life. Ren and Nora both went for their weapons, but the monster was flying too far out of range and weaving between the bridges, catwalks, and stone columns. Pyrrha worked her jaw, then took her rifle out again. She began to sweat a little as she took aim at the Nevermore as it attempted to scrape Ruby off of its back.

It would be a hard shot, even without Ruby dangling off of it. Pyrrha took a deep breath, focused her thoughts, and cut out all surrounding stimulus. It was just her and the bird in this moment. The great Nevermore was a little too reckless with Ruby on its back, and Pyrrha internalized the need to stop it. It only needed to be slowed so Ruby could get off.

Nora's shouts went ignored, Ren's anxious look to her went ignored, Jaune shouting for Ruby went ignored. Pyrrha opened her eyes, and allowed tunnel-vision to take over. The crowd fell silent in her mind; all she saw was her opponent and their moves.

The Nevermore was swift, but colossal. It was a very big target, but she wanted to hit either the head or the wings. She counted the seconds between the beats of its wings, watched the head turn as it prepared to swoop by. She'd need to make just the right shot.

She counted the seconds. One… two… three…

The crack of her rifle interrupted the enraged Nevermore's screeching, and a thick plume of explosive Dust erupted in its eyes. With a pained scream, it crashed head first into the rightmost tower, crushing stone and history alike as it roughly caught itself on the stone with its thick claws, wings embracing the remaining structure as it took a second to regain its senses.

With a kick, Ruby fell from the Grimm, Crocea Mors still in hand, and landed hard on her feet on the stone bridge below, before tumbling backwards onto her rump due to her shaking limbs... but she was safe. Jaune gave a low, relieved sigh.

Ren tensed, and suddenly shoved the other hunters aside before twisting around and throwing his palms out. His gentle, violet aura pulsed as the tip of the enormous yellow Deathstalker stinger tried to stab through the barrier. The Deathstalker had roused itself, its thick, bony armor falling to pieces around it, exposing softer black 'skin' underneath.

"Ren!" Nora charged, her hammer swinging down at the stinger, but it whipped back in time to leave her stumbling to catch herself. Ren's arm looped around her stomach and pulled her back to her feet as the Deathstalker gave an angry growl.

"Are. You. _Kidding me?!"_ Jaune shouted, staring at the giant scorpion in disbelief as Pyrrha quietly frowned, reached out, and held a hand out towards Jaune. The boy was startled as the Akoúo̱ flew from his grip, and Pyrrha charged the Deathstalker with her shield ahead of her, placing herself between the scorpion and her group. "Pyrrha-"

"Jaune, go to Ruby. All three of you!" Pyrrha shouted over her shoulder, Miló transforming into a javelin as the Deathstalker focused on her alone, its three natural weapons hovering dangerously around her. There'd be little room to breath, and predicting a beast of this age and caliber wouldn't be easy…

"You can't fight it alone!" Ren shouted, but Nora held his chest and gave him a disquieting frown.

"Perhaps not, but I can buy you time. We shall regroup at the central tower!" Pyrrha turned her head and shot the three a small, forced smile. "I promise!"

The three other hunters looked between each other. Before them, Pyrrha was being menaced by the massive, ancient Deathstalker, whose poison sting would ensure her a slow and painful death. Behind them, the Nevermore was pulling itself off the tower as Ruby made a run for the central tower.

"I-I don't-" Ren muttered, squeezing his temples as he tried to force himself to think.

"W-we should get Ruby, right Jaune?" Nora whimpered.

Jaune stared at Pyrrha's back. A hundred thoughts and ideas ran through his head. The Nevermore's screech made his knees shake, and he turned to stare back as the bird latched onto the central tower, shaking it with powerful flaps of its wings.

"I-I don't- I mean somebody should help Pyrrha-"

"Jaune, go!" Pyrrha roared over her shoulder, eyes on the grimm before her.

"I-I can't, you- we-we have to- w-we're-"

 _"Quit waffling and figure it out!"_ A new voice commanded over the sounds of battle. The Deathstalker slightly turned as if it could look over its shoulder, and the four teens looked up to the line of ruins leading up to the canyon. Weiss glared down at them, Myrtenaster held at the ready. Behind her, Blake and Yang were running on top of the flat stone roofs of the ruins to watch the massive raven harassing the stone tower.

Jaune's eyebrows lifted high, and he suddenly felt a surge of confidence fill him. More people meant more manpower to throw around… and Weiss meant he could finally make a good impression! "Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, the four of us will keep the Deathstalker busy! Weiss, can you-"

"Already on it!" Weiss shouted down, racing to catch up with Yang and Blake as the two leapt high over the other four and sprint down the bridge. Weiss was hot on their heels, her leap and landing significantly more graceful, if a little slower.

Jaune was silent for a few moments. He wouldn't be saving Ruby, that was up to Weiss, Yang, and the black-haired girl. In that case, his priority was protecting his partner, himself, Ren, and Nora. That meant killing a very angry, very tough Deathstalker. Running his thumb along his jaw in quiet contemplation, Jaune took a deep breath, and slapped a hand down onto Ren's shoulder.

"Ren, I like your moves." Jaune told him, giving the somewhat surprised boy a confident smile. "Pyrrha and I are going to play bait for a little while. You try and get it where it hurts, play distraction if the two of us are having trouble."

"Wh-what about me, Jaune?!" Nora asked, looking up to him with hopeful eyes, squeezing Magnhild's pole in a death grip as Jaune looked at her thoughtfully.

"You? You hit hard. I need you to break its armor. You're going to keep smashing this coconut until it cracks wide open, got it?" He gave her the same confident look. In that moment, Nora's chest swelled with pride, and she bobbed her head eagerly.

"Operation Nutcracker is a go, chief!" She saluted with girlish enthusiasm before Jaune looked to Ren.

"Your plan has my support. I will attempt to create openings for Nora and hobble its tail, if that fits?"

"Better than what I said before!" Jaune expanded his shield, his right hand quietly itching for his sword, but sword or shield, he'd rather have his shield. "Go!"

Ren sprinted to the left, Nora to the right, Jaune charged straight forward, shield-bashing one of the Deathstalker's pincers trying to crush Akoúo̱. Nora leapt up to the stone rooftops along the pathway as Ren ran a wide semicircle around the Deathstalker to get behind it.

The massive scorpion hesitated, shifting its weight left and right as it realized it was surrounded, but it was old enough to feel pissed off, and it wanted these little squeaking monkeys _dead._ Its tail plunged towards the girl in front of it, once again scraping against her shield, failing to land a solid blow. Its claws snapped at Pyrrha and Jaune, to take hold of them, but they swiftly shrunk away from its attack, charging forward before it could think to try and push them back towards the cliff.

Its tail swung around in a circle like a flail, and though Pyrrha caught it on her shield, both she and Jaune were knocked to their sides by the power behind the strike. Its tail followed through to complete the circle and get back into prime position, but Ren delivered an aura-charged palm strike before the tail could right itself, crushing it into the dirt.

The force of the blow sent a wave of confusion through the scorpion, and Storm Flower's blades dug into the tail to keep it still.

 _"Nora!"_ Jaune shouted, scrambling to his feet as the Deathstalker wrenched its tail from Ren's grip, but not fast enough. The world seemed to shiver as a second meteor strike, courtesy of Nora, forced the scorpion to its belly, legs splayed out as a garbled whimper escaped it. Pain wracked its body as huge chunks of its armor flew off from the force of the impact, and it barely managed to wobble to its legs to lash out again.

Nora cackled in delight as she pulled Magnhild's trigger, revelling in the Deathstalker's surprised squeal as she was thrown out of range, while Ren scrambled out of range Jaune and Pyrrha held their shields against its claws and held them wide open. The Deathstalker screamed in unbound rage, rearing its tail back as it tried to force the two hunters away, but they held it open just long enough…

Nora leapt high, whooping loudly as she raised her hammer over her head, and the Deathstalker could only quietly realize it had been played once more. The front half of the scorpion left a deep imprint in the dirt as Magnhild crashed against the top of its head. Bone armor flew off from the strike, the world now murky and painful as the three hunters reared back to flee. A grenade detonated against the top of its head, blasting armor away and sending the smaller girl sailing back. It could feel the cool air against the soft, spongy skin beneath its armor.

 _It did not like that._

Its claw lashed out without warning, grabbing Pyrrha and flinging her to the side in a desperate rage. Jaune fell to his stomach as its other claw lashed out, and Nora's surprised yelped filled his ears as she was flung backwards.

Nora landed on her back hard, her grip loosening and inadvertently allowing Magnhild bounce off her stomach and over her head. She took a deep breath of air and opened her eyes wide, sitting up to get her head back in the game.

Massive pincers plunged into the earth around her torso, making her shriek in fright. She planted her palms against the pincers and pushed, but age gave Grimm strength, and the scorpion had plenty to spare. It closed its claws around her hips and held the struggling girl in place as its tail reared back.

 _"NORA!"_ Ren roared, charging towards his partner as fast as his legs would take him, that cursed yellow barb now plunging towards her heart… Ren felt the world slow as the realization hit him: _he wouldn't make it, she'd be stung._

Nora held her hands out in a feeble attempt to catch the stinger, but it wouldn't have made a difference. She barely registered what happened next as two feet planted around her head, gold light erupting from the man standing over her.

A sound, much like that of a ringing gong, filled the canyon as Jaune threw the entirety of his weight into his shield as the stinger struck. "No… luck… pal!" He grunted through grit teeth, his aura a shining beacon that caused Ren to skid to a halt in wide-eyed awe.

Jaune felt it in the moment. He didn't know this girl very well, he had only just learned her name today, but he'd throw himself into hell for her. That much, he knew for sure. He didn't know why; no proper, logical, survivalist reasoning would tell him to sacrifice himself for a her, but instinct and anger drove him to do so.

How _dare_ this _Grimm_ try to _hurt her?!_ Jaune knew if he'd had his sword, he'd pay back this attack tenfold, no, _a hundred-fold!_ The monster deserved it, not just for Nora, but for every human it had hurt in its long life!

The reverberating sound reached its peak, the golden silhouette around Jaune grew blinding, and as the stinger tried to push, it crumbled. The Deathstalker made a hideous noise of pain as deep, ugly cracks shot up its stinger and sprayed the top of its exposed head with black, effluvial toxins. The Deathstalker sunk back, woozy and weary, its stinger now hanging limp and loose from the end of its tail.

Jaune stood on shaking legs, his shield glowing and pristine before his aura dissipated. The scorpion was whimpering, wracked with pain and torn apart from the repeated strikes, so Jaune allowed himself to fall to his knees as exhaustion took him. Behind him, Nora sat up and stared at the boy in wonder. "You…" Jaune panted, barely able to hold himself up on his hands and knees. "You okay… Nora?" He gasped for air.

His answer was a silent, appreciative squeeze of his muscled butt. "Dude, if your pants were any tighter, your balls would have torn out of 'em right now." Nora whispered in an amorous purr. Jaune's face did its best impression of a tomato.

Nora stepped forward, Magnhild held in front of her. Ren had no words as he looked to the blonde boy crumpled on the ground, and then his perfectly healthy, alive girlfriend. A small voice in the back of his mind declared that he owed Jaune a healthy drink.

"Ren!" Jaune's called out, snapping Ren out of the moment. Jaune was pointing at the Deathstalker's tail. "The stinger!" Ren looked. The stinger seemed to be connected by only a few loose threads; it looked ready to be torn off with just the right move…

"Pyrrha?" Ren looked to the autumnal girl, who simply shot him an understanding smile. She moved without a word, closing the distance as the Deathstalker took several uneasy steps back and desperately snapped at the charging girl.

Had the hunters always been this fast? They seemed to move like lightning, and there was barely time to respond. The Deathstalker couldn't get a bead on the redhead that weaved between its pincers like pesky branches. It tried to charge forward, to headbutt her as she closed in, but her foot connected between its eyes. How long had it been since it felt such simple _pain?_ Her heel dug into its soft, damaged skull, sending needles and barbs all along its body, drawing out an agonized cry.

The Grimm felt something balancing on its tail, a pair of light feet. Its tail was already burning with crushing pain, but then blades, sharp, horrible blades around its stinger! The Grimm thrashed its tail backwards, but whatever stood on top held on. It threw its tail forward, to buck it off, but then the slicing pain got worse. With a spray of black mist, its stinger was sliced from its tail, and the momentum of being carried forward threw the yellow, sharpened bulb through its pulverized armor and into the back of its head.

Its eyesight gave out as the rudimentary nervous system that supported its body went haywire, whatever absurdity serving as its brain speared by the toxin-weeping barb. It couldn't see, its body wouldn't move. The ancient monstrosity had learned many emotions in its long life, the joy of the hunt, the satisfaction of the feast, the anger towards man, the selfishness of territory…

In a brief second, the old Deathstalker knew a new emotion: fear.

"Nora! Hammer that nail!" Jaune ordered hoarsely. The stocky girl threw a cocky thumbs-up to her savior and charged with a growing roar. Pyrrha crouched, shield held over her head, and Nora leapt on, Pyrrha shooting upwards like a spring to send the hammer maiden high.

With a graceful flip, Nora's hammer arced over her head, and as she fell, Magnhild came down on the severed stinger like the fist of an angry god. The ground trembled, the dirt fleeing the blow, the ruins around them shifting and moaning at the almost-nuclear disturbance, and the yellow bulb exploded like a squeezed grape as it was forced into the Deathstalker's skull.

A wet crunch had filled the air, like the sound of smashing a particularly large bug, and the Deathstalker slumped to the ground. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha each moved back to surround Jaune, Ren offering his arm to help him to his feet so they could watch. Completely limp, and splayed out like a discarded toy, the broken scorpion twitched twice, and slowly began to sully the air, fading into a black mist.

Nora let out an excited, happy cheer, throwing herself onto Ren in a tight, relieved hug. Ren possessively crushed Nora into his chest as tightly as he could, one hand running through her short orange hair with a tender look. Her happy giggles faded as she melted against him, simply satisfied with being alive.

Pyrrha stood by Jaune's side, looking to the other two enviously. She quietly blushed, looking over at the blonde by her side as he held a knee and caught his breath. A hand settled on his shoulder, and he looked up at his partner. Pyrrha smiled gently, and felt a hint of red creep into her cheeks as Jaune rested his hand on hers.

Jaune's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. He turned swiftly to face the three towers in time to see the canyon explode.

* * *

Thick, black talons scraped against the stone bridge just behind Ruby, before she threw herself, as quickly as she could, between the stone pillars holding up the central tower. The Nevermore gave an annoyed hiss as it wrapped around the tower, then took off to circle the structure as the other hunters were distracted by its kin.

Ruby pulled herself off the floor and watched the titanic raven circling the tower threateningly. Ruby sat in the middle, taking deep gulps of air to try and calm herself. Crocea Mors rested in her hands almost comfortingly, but Ruby still missed Crescent Rose.

She didn't know what to do. The Nevermore was still flying, despite having had a sword in its back. She didn't have Crescent Rose, and what could Jaune's sword do? No matter which way she ran, the Nevermore would get her. It took a few seconds for it to set in. She was trapped.

Jaune and Pyrrha were safe, at least, but they had to deal with the Deathstalker. She silently hoped they could untangle themselves quickly, but if her books were right, then they were in for a difficult fight.

Ruby turned her head to follow the slow flight of the Nevermore as it wheeled around the tower, its red eyes on her. She squeezed the sword's handle silently, stifling a pathetic whine. She would not give up now, she just had to think. How could she get out of here, get away from the Nevermore, or kill it?...

… The answer seemed simple, but a quiet, scared part of Ruby reminded her of what she had nearly done to Weiss. She had already used her powers on her first mission, something she had promised the headmaster she wouldn't do. Was she really so painfully weak that she would have to rely on the Grimm again? One couldn't call themselves a hunter if they were part of the problem, and she didn't want to scare anybody, or hurt them…

But if it was just herself here, and if she died…

Born from her own shadow, a pitch-black circle formed in front of her eyes. Quiet snarls filling her ears as a piercing, red eye peered out at her from the portal below. Her breathing slowed as her body suddenly itched, wanting out of this horrid situation...

Sudden loud crashing filled the air, and caused Ruby to instinctively duck and grab her head. A massive beak filled her vision, and the Nevermore snapped in agitation that Ruby remained just out of its reach. The Nevermore gave an almost amused chirp at the situation, then, with an enraged squawk, pushed its head through. The pillars cracked and bent around its bulk as the Nevermore forced its way in, ignoring collapsing ruin as Ruby screamed in terror, Crocea Mors held out in a weak defense.

Rubble tumbled down the Nevermore's back as the tower above was toppled, falling into the mists below. The gargantuan raven, hardly encumbered by the weight, arched its back and threw out its wings, throwing off mounds of stone. With a triumphant cry, one of its claws lashed out.

Ruby jammed Mors between the Nevermore's clawed toes, using it as a lever to push herself out of its grip as its talons closed in. With a clawful of old stone, the Nevermore smashed the rocks down onto Ruby, crushing her flat. It lifted its claw, jabbing the pile of stone with its beak to get the morsel underneath, but stared in confusion as the girl slid out from underneath and ran away as a fading black mist poured from the rubble.

Ruby ran as hard as her legs could take her, but her cloak suddenly caught around her neck and her feet flew out from underneath her. The Nevermore pulled her back, sending her onto her back just beneath it. Its beak struck, and Ruby scampered between its legs as the Nevermore left a solid hole in the stone. Ruby stood between the bird's legs and stabbed Mors up, right between the thighs, making the Nevermore screech in pain as Ruby cut open a new cloaca.

One of its talons raised, and Ruby took a step away, out of its effective range, but then the beak took its place as the Nevermore all but danced on one leg to snag its prey. Ruby gasped in pain as the Nevermore's sharp mouth closed around her ankle and pulled her out from underneath, tossing her into the air as it opened its jaws wide for her to fall right in, but then the girl's cloak rippled.

Confusion gripped the Nevermore as it watched thick black wings spring out from the girl's back, flapping twice to send her backwards, out of its reach. Unfortunately, the wings began to squirm, refusing to keep her airborne. She flailed as she fell, hitting the floor with a small cry. As she rolled onto her stomach, her wings flapped erratically, the pinions slicing at her hands as she tried to crawl away. With a frustrated cry, she bit into one wing as several arms reached out of her shadow and grasped her legs.

A black puddle appeared beneath her, and she seemed to be slipping in as limbs of the beast's kin grabbed at her, trying to pull her into the pool. The Nevermore cocked its head. This girl was kin, but _wasn't_ kin? The kin were trying to devour her, and as she kicked, screamed, and slashed with her sword, she freed herself from them long enough to leap out of the puddle onto her knees. They pursued.

She backed herself against the remainders of a pillar, gasping in fright, barely able to keep her limbs from shaking as the Nevermore regarded her in confusion. From the black puddle, a malformed thing arose, the far-too-elongated head of an ursa trying to climb after the girl, enormous, black claws scraping the stone. The girl was screaming, throwing her full weight into the sword, cutting at the head of the pursuing Ursa.

The Nevermore watched, its primitive mind trying to puzzle this girl out. The girl slashed at skinny, black claws, and plunged the sword into the semi-formed Ursa's mouth to kill it. More claws grabbed at her feet, her legs, her cloak, pulling her to her knees. She reached for the stone around her as the pool of darkness widened to swallow her, and only by stabbing the stone with Crocea Mors could she hang on and pull herself out of the grasping shadows.

She leaned against the stone pillar, looking stunned as the pool shrank away, one final black arm leaving a score of scratches in the stone in one final, weak bid to grab their host. It, too, was swallowed by nothingness as the Nevermore slowly thought through the scenario.

She smelled like a human. She acted like a human. She _screamed_ like a human. She felt like a human. She was prey. The Nevermore let out a satisfied scream at its conclusion and dove towards her with its beak open to swallow the little huntress whole. The girl waved the sword rapidly, trying to fend the Grimm off as shadowy claws dug into her boots and red eyes peered up at her from below, and the Nevermore felt satisfied it would finally catch its meal…

Until the world turned white. Fire appeared before it, with red eyes, burning gold hair, and a snarl worthy of an ursa. Something impacted between its eyes, sending the massive bird back a step, its whole head a pulsating ache as it flapped its wings to gain distance from whatever it was. Another huntress, another small girl, but this one not so weak! Her anger poured off of her in waves of searing flame, burning away the moss around her.

This newcomer was _dangerous_ prey. The Nevermore let out an angered shriek and swept its wings forward, raining feathers on the two huntresses. The massive numbers of sharpened feathers closed in like falling spears, with the blonde pumping her arms and holding them over her face as she stood over Ruby. Then _another_ light.

A large glyph, a shining, cold white appeared in front of the angry huntress, and a thick glacier suddenly grew in front of her, for the feathers to snap against harmlessly. The Nevermore turned its head and ducked, gliding underneath an enormous icicle flung at its head, and it slipped down into the mists below.

Ruby held Crocea Mors out instinctively, her face pale, her jaw unable to close from shock. In front of her, Yang puts her arms down, firmly keeping them at her sides as the glacier rapidly melted into a wide, clear puddle. Her glowing hair released a thick plume of steam as it turned to a normal gold. On her back, Crescent Rose was barely visible underneath Yang's golden hair. The older sister whirled around. Ruby flinched, dropping Jaune's sword. Small, happy whimpers escaped her as Yang's eyes went from furious to gentle, and before either of them knew it, they were clinging to each other for comfort.

Weiss sprinted forward, Myrtenaster bobbing in her grip, at the ready in case the Nevermore came back. She slowed to a stop, Blake appearing to her right with a small frown. "Is this really the time?" Weiss murmured to the other girl. Blake tightened her lips to stemmy her nervousness and shook her head.

"No, it's not, but are you going to get between them?" She asked dryly. Blake watched the two sisters untangle themselves from each other. Ruby's smile of relief was wide and bright; Blake could only imagine that her eyes were heavy with moisture under her eyewear. Yang was chuckling between anxious hiccups as she stroked Ruby's face and did everything in her power to not crush her little sister again.

Weiss stared. An hour ago she would have found the sight infuriating, another moment where Ruby Rose needed a hug and calm words, but after what she was shown today… she considered it an acceptable waste of time if it meant getting their heads on straight. "Ahem." Weiss stepped forward. Yang shot her a less-than-happy look at the intrusion, but Ruby took her hands off Yang's shoulders and awkwardly moved in front of Weiss. "Are you well?" Weiss asked, subconsciously pressing the back of her hand to Ruby's forehead.

Ruby gave her an embarrassed smile. In hindsight, Weiss realized, it was a stupid thing. Ruby would have been worried about crushed ribs and broken limbs, not a _headache._ Weiss removed her hand with a blush. "I-I'm okay. Thank you Weiss."

"... It's not a big deal. It's what we do." Weiss simply nodded. She bit her tongue and tried to not flail as she was suddenly embraced. She kept her arms out, away from Ruby as she wriggled and cringed in the girl's arms. "Not acceptable! _Not acceptable!"_ Weiss babbled. When Ruby let her go and stepped back with a worried posture, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "We're having a big talk about boundaries when this is all over."

"Um…" Ruby shuffled her feet. "Aren't you talking to the headmaster after this?..."

Weiss's face morphed into an exaggerated frown. "I said I was _considering it."_

"Right! S-sorry."

"And stop apologizing!"

"Sorry!"

 _"Ruby!"_ Weiss stomped her foot, looking ready to go off as her eyes widened and her face turned red. Ruby reared back, hands held up to protect herself from the enraged heiress, but Weiss caught herself. She stood up straight, coughed politely, and groaned in aggravation. "Anyways, I'm glad you're safe."

 _"Really?!"_

"Yes, but don't read too much into it!" Weiss crossed her arms and looked away, her cheeks turning the same shade as Ruby's cloak as she tried to look as disinterested as possible. "It would look bad on my student record if my partner was killed before classes even started!"

"R-right." Ruby nodded, standing stiff and confused as she glanced to Yang. Yang and Blake were standing side-by-side, staring at the two shorter girls with their heads tilted in quiet fascination. Ruby made a face, and Yang shrugged.

'No clue,' Yang mouthed, eyebrows raised in amusement.

Each of the girls flinched and widened their stance as a sudden shudder ran up the tower. Ruby looked at Yang again, and the blonde gave her a confused look. Another rumble, this one much rougher, nearly sending Ruby to her hands and knees. The four girls dug their heels into the stone as it began to tilt, and a screech from below reached their ears.

"It's trying to bring the tower down!" Blake announced in panicked realization, Gambol Shroud in her hands immediately. Yang seemed frozen in thought, but after a few seconds, another shudder ran through the tower.

Ruby took a second to think, and immediately grabbed Weiss's arm. "We have to get to land now, everybody—" She was interrupted when the bridge to the cliffside exploded into a hundred rocky pieces, and in its place, the enormous Nevermore rose from the mists with a challenging cry.

Weiss, Blake, and Yang held their weapons at the ready, and Ruby looked to the spot she had dropped Crocea Mors. Missing. She quickly glanced to the edge, to which the shuddering tower had knocked the weapon precariously close. The Nevermore dove with a cry as Ruby lunged for Jaune's sword.

The massive raven crashed into the tower's side, using the damage it had done below to push the tower towards the opposite, taller cliff, from which escape to land would be nearly impossible. An icicle slashed its shoulder, and a missile-like projectile smashed into its head, but the Nevermore ignored it all as the four girls quickly found themselves losing their footing.

Yang gave a beastly roar and charged up the tilting floor towards the bird, Ember Celica firing repeatedly to give her the boost to rush the Nevermore. Weiss planted Myrtenaster into the stone for stability, but a hand grabbed her arm. She looked to Blake, whose lack of surety and confusion made her stomach drop, even as the black haired girl held her as tightly as possible. Weiss grit her teeth as she willed a white glyph to appear beneath them.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, falling to one knee and plunging Crocea Mors into the stone. "My scythe! _Yang!"_ She called after her sister. Yang planted a foot on the edge of the platform just before it collided with the wall and launched herself. The Nevermore let the huntress fly towards it, arm cocked back to hammer its beak, but the bird was a little more clever. _"YANG!"_ Ruby screamed as the Nevermore jerked its head to the side and chomped down on her sister's legs, making Yang cry out. The bird flapped its wings and shook its head as Yang flailed, and Ruby gasped as she felt something wrap around her mid-section.

Blake's ribbon was curled around her tightly, with Gambol Shroud sticking to her aura, and Ruby grit her teeth. She stared up at Yang as the blonde tried to bury her fist into the Nevermore's eye as she the bird violently thrashed its head to stun her. The massive tower collided with the side of the canyon and shattered.

There was no time to talk, only move. Weiss crouched, Blake doing the same by her side, and the glyph dispensed itself in a burst of force, sending the two girls rocketing through the air past Ruby and over the edge of the tower. Blake grabbed the slack of Shroud's ribbon, and as soon as it went tight she pulled as hard she could.

A scream of surprise came from behind her as she threw Ruby past her and Weiss, the red-cloaked girl flying the bird with Mors in hand. Blake held fast to Weiss's arm, in the moment forgetting who the girl by her side was, and the two landed on a flying chunk of rubble, another white glyph propelling the two farther forward.

"Let! Go! You! Big! Birdy BASTAR—uby?" Yang stared as her sister tackled the surprised Nevermore's face, clinging to it tightly as the bird squawked in distress, Yang falling from its grip with a surprised yelp. She threw her arms behind her back and fired twice, her explosive choice of dust slowing her descent, then shooting her back up at the Grimm.

Her fist impacted its chest, making it screech and buck wildly, taking off as Ruby clung to its head, Yang to its foot.

Blake and Weiss landed on another white glyph, the latter panting heavily as she stared at her Dust canister. "Okay, I can _not_ make another one of these." She glanced to Blake. Blake was carefully watching the action, ignoring their sudden suspension over the misty abyss.

"Those two are seriously stupid." She mumbled, a small smirk crossing her face as she considered their options.

"Absolutely awful. We _have_ to help them." Weiss acknowledged flatly. Blake bobbed her head.

"How's your gravity dust?"

Weiss spun her revolver and narrowed her eyes. "Nearly full, though I wouldn't rely on it. My control isn't the best. Yet."

"Can you make us really heavy and then really light?" Blake cocked an eyebrow as she spun Shroud's katana by her side like poi. "In that order?"

"... Easily." Weiss gave Blake a suspicious look. Blake gave her a daring one. Weiss gave a tiny sigh. She threw her arm around Blake's neck and held on tight as the white glyph began to turn pitch black.

Gambol flew across the empty air and punched straight into one of the remaining bridges, Blake's aura giving it the strength to hold strong as the two girls suddenly plunged with an extra five-hundred pounds of weight. Weiss was growling quietly in exertion as she fought to keep control of her spell, keeping her eyes wide for the moment they'd release. The bridge above them shuddered as they looped underneath, Gambol retracting in time for them to shoot up into the air gracefully, flying towards the clouds with enough momentum for Blake's vision to start tunneling involuntarily, but it mercifully slowed down as air friction and normal gravity caught up to them.

Blake had a dozen odd feelings about this moment, as Weiss held her as close as she possibly could, as Blake slipped an arm around Weiss's waist to secure her, as the two of them hurtled through the sky like an improvised missile from a trebuchet, as Weiss waved Myrtenaster like a wand and they fell through another gray circle… and as they slowly floated downwards…

On the Nevermore, Ruby held Mors in a reverse grip and plunged the blade straight into the massive bird's eye. A hideous scream erupted from its throat as it began to spin, enormous wings spread out and its head bucking back and forth. Ruby held on with a cry of fear as Yang, down below, couldn't stop herself from letting out an excited cheer.

The Nevermore slowed its spin and slammed its back into the rightmost tower, nearly throwing off Ruby. If she hadn't held onto Mors' handle, she would be falling into the abyss. The blade sliced further along the bird's eye, catching on the edge of the socket and making it wail, kick, and nearly lose control of its wings as it began to fall.

Yang lept from the bird's legs and hit the tower wall as hard as she could feet-first, then buckled, aimed Celica, and jumped as her gauntlets punched new holes into the stone as she launched up the Nevermore's back. The bird squawked in distress as Yang's arm looped around its neck and grabbed Ruby by her cloak with the other, then pulled, throwing her sister onto the tower behind them. She punched the Nevermore's back, firing an explosive slug into its black hide, simultaneously launching herself back onto the tower.

"Ow…" Yang glanced to her feet, squeaked, and quickly got off Ruby's back. "Yang?..."

"You alright Ruby?" Yang knelt down and lifted her sister up, helping her get to her feet as the young girl swayed in place and rubbed her head. She gave her little sister as big of a smile as she could when she looked.

"Flying sucks super hard." Ruby griped. Yang just let out a soft chuckle and ruffled Ruby's hair.

"Sure does."

"Crescent Rose." Ruby grunted, holding a hand out. Yang stopped, smiled in apology, and whipped the compacted scythe off of her back. Ruby took her beloved weapon and twirled it, releasing all the catches at once, the spinning rifle unfolding into its enormous scythe form, still wheeling through the air. Ruby's bemused expression turned pleased, and a pair of soft thuds caught their attention.

Weiss and Blake stood up, untangling from each other to give the sisters appraising looks. "We still have a long way to go." Weiss reminded them as she strode forward on shaking legs, her sword's dust cylinder spinning. Most of the bright colors of dust were missing, with only a small amount of gray, half a red, and a full container of icy-white left. "We either need to kill that thing or escape, _then_ get our relics, _then_ return to the cliffs to the south."

"Sounds easy enough." Blake noted, clearly not thrilled with the prospect, but she maintained a relaxed tone as she watched the Nevermore land on a tower far opposite them, waving its wing-claw against its eye, at the sword embedded in it.

"No." Ruby stated bluntly. All three of the older girls turned towards her, silently asking for an answer as she walked to the edge of the tower and stared at the Nevermore. "That's Jaune's sword. I'm getting in back for him, then killing the bird, then getting the relic." She looked to her team with a serious expression.

"He can't get a new sword?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. There was an uncomfortable shuffle from the other three. Asking a hunter to give up on their weapon was like begging them to leave behind a hand. In many cases, it could be done, and be replaced, but not without serious morale issues. "... Fine. But if we _die—"_

"We won't die." Ruby stated, slamming Crescent Rose's pole into the rock with a firm glare at her target. Her _prey._

"What makes you so sure?" Blake ventured, moving up to stand by her side. Yang took Ruby's other side, hands planted on her hips, a daredevil's smile on her face.

"'Cuz there is _no way_ I came all this way, spent all my life dreaming about this, only to die _right here_ and _right now."_ Ruby pointed to the enormous raven as it turned its head to glare at the four girls it was struggling to kill. _"We are hunters._ We're not their prey, _they are ours."_ The sharp tap of Crescent Rose hitting the stone filled the air again. "They won't ever stop, so we can't either. We have everything to lose, so we have to protect it with our _lives._ Weiss, Blake, Yang, we're killing that bird, getting Jaune his sword back, and passing this initiation. Is that clear?" Her question was rhetorical, and her tone brooked no argument. However…

"No." Weiss answered, walking up by Yang's side. "But I'm willing to try. This'll look _amazing_ on our student records."

"... No sense in running away from our careers." Blake mumbled, but her yellow eyes were stuck on the Nevermore as it raised its wings and screamed at them in fury.

A large hand rest on Ruby's back, and the girl looked up to her sister's overly pleased smile curiously. "Ruby, I'm real proud of you." Yang threw her little sister a thumb's up, making the younger girl turn bright red and return the smile. "So… what's the plan?"

"Well…" Ruby looked to Weiss. All four girls whispered to each other and listened as the Nevermore flapped its enormous wings and took off from its perch. It closed the gap as the four of them reached a consensus and turned to face down their opponent. The Nevermore glared at them with its one remaining eye, the pain muddying its decision-making as it flew to end this hunt.

It turned and twisted, curling its wings around itself as it narrowly avoided a volley of bullets and icy spears, ducking low enough to hide itself beneath the high ground and circle around the tower from below. It emerged with a defiant caw, casting a storm of razor-sharp feathers onto the tower roof as its prey scrambled to dodge. The yellow one deflected the feathers with quick jabs of her fists, the white one gracefully danced around them, the red one twirled and spun away while taking shots between each spin, making the Nevermore duck out of the way…

… There had been four. Where did the black one go?

A boot smashed its beak, making the Nevermore falter in surprise as the black-haired huntress swung around the tower on a long black ribbon. She turned, pulling her gun's trigger, dozens of stinging bullets making the massive Grimm crow in annoyance as it swiftly wheeled around the other direction, beak open to intercept the girl.

She had disappeared again, her ribbon nowhere in sight. No, she had played this trick once already, the Nevermore glanced up, then down, and raised its claws as the small huntress twirled between its talons and used her blades to quickly scale up its legs; thin, barbed bolts of pain shooting through the Nevermore as she crawled along it. With a frustrated huff, the bird flew upwards, dragging its side against the stone, and screeched as it suddenly lost control of its wing.

A huge sheet of ice covered the tower's side and the bird's wing, pinning the Nevermore in place. It screamed its rage as the three girls above unloaded sniper rounds, missiles, and icicles into its face as the girl on the Nevermore's back dug sharpened blades into a groove where its wing connected to its body. It twisted its head to peck and bite as she sprinted up its shoulder, and the fire from above stopped as she held onto the back of its head.

The sword in the Nevermore's now missing eye shifted, and the bird _screamed,_ beating its wings against the stone as the girl riding its shoulder jostled and pulled the deeply embedded blade. She grunted, her voice straining as she got it to free an inch, and then was swiftly smashed into the stone wall. Her black aura flashed in an instant, her body a little numb and her eyes dazed as pain ran through her. She jumped back, slamming her sheath deep into the bird's back as it thrashed against the tower harder. Ice fell on its face, sharp enough to dig deep into its flesh, as a new volley of sniper rounds and missiles rained down on its head, sending biting, searing pain across its body.

It bucked, throwing its head back and slamming itself into the tower. The ice around its wing began to crack, flaking away under the midday sun and the constant squirming. Another searing bolt of pain went through its back and it twisted its head painfully, nearly like an owl's as it grabbed the surprised huntress on its back in its strong beak.

Her shout of pain was music to its ears as it tore its wing from the ice, flapping wildly to stay aloft, and it bit down hard enough to hear the small girl scream. Its satisfaction was short lived, as what felt like a sledgehammer crashed down onto its skull, a deep girl's voice roaring into its ear as repeated hammer-like blows bashed on its head until the girl in its beak slipped.

"Blake!" Ruby cried from above. Weiss waved Myrtenaster, a glyph just starting to form as the black-haired girl fell, but Gambol Shroud flung up, embedding itself in the stone. Weiss retracted her spell as Blake swung into the tower's column, resting for a moment and hanging precariously over the mists below. Ruby watched her burning sister scream and throw punch after punch, making the Nevermore shake, squawk, and fly off lamely as it tried to shake the blonde off, finally succeeding after biting her ankle and whipping its head. Weiss made a move to pull her sword, but as the flailing blonde fell, Blake launched herself off the tower, grabbing her partner mid-air and swinging around the stone.

Ruby panted in silent relief as the Nevermore flew in a slow, unsteady circle around the tower, one of its wings moving with careful precision so as not to agitate its wounds, its face and beak full of cracks and soft spots. She watched it, knowing at any moment it could catch one of them off guard. Weiss, by her side, frowned. "It's way tougher than it looks."

"So we need to hit it even harder." Ruby murmured. Crescent Rose twirled once in her hand thoughtfully, and she worked her jaw. Its neck didn't look heavily armored, and it was flying much more slowly with the damage Blake had done to its wing. An idea sprang to mind… a very _bad_ idea. "Weiss…" She whispered, looking to her partner with a tense face.

"I don't like that expression, Ruby." Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Well, I thought of something. I'll need you to trust me." Ruby said warily.

"If I die-"

 _"I'm_ going in."

Weiss was silent for a moment, then bobbed her head. "Lemme hear it."

"Hungry you bird-brain?! You want some _more?!"_ Yang screamed, before being swept away in Blake's arms, feathers peppering the tower behind them. They swung up the tower's side and Blake ran along the wall as Yang threw punches behind her, the force of Celica's fire giving Blake the extra boost she needed to maintain her run.

"Yang." Blake grunted, holding the blonde in a one-armed bridal carry as the heavier girl continually shouted threats and challenges to the circling Nevermore. "Have I mentioned I'm not all that strong?" Blake wheezed the tiniest bit.

"Just keep me steady and- _OH COME ON! SCARED OF ME YOU FEATHERED BITCH?!"_ Yang roared, making Blake wince as they crossed underneath the bridge. They wheeled around it, and Blake landed on her feet on the bridge. She dropped Yang without warning, earning a surprised yelp and an angry curse.

Blake turned her head to watch the Nevermore twist and turn as it flew up, dodging sniper rounds from Ruby and throwing feathers at the edge of the tower to give itself some cover. It flew up, its beak nearly spearing Ruby through the head as the girl fell back; Weiss glancing up in surprise at their foe.

The Nevermore let out a frustrated shriek, its whole body one, large ache by this point. In its mind, the simplest solution seemed best: get out. But, an ancient anger, held towards mankind and their works, gave it one final priority.

"Ruby! _Now!"_ Weiss shouted. A blazing red glyph spun around Ruby as the girl held still. The Nevermore dove, and Crescent Rose swung towards the beast's belly as her whole body burst into flames, the furious shroud encircling her harmlessly as Crescent Rose left a wake of fire behind it.

It never connected.

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise as the Nevermore twisted, a single moment of brilliant clarity allowing it to avoid the decisive strike, and a shriek let it know it had succeeded. Its claw ripped Weiss from the rooftop, crushing her with all its might as she wailed in pain. Ruby shouted in horror as the Nevermore made its way to the upper cliff, ignoring the activity behind it.

It would accept a small victory.

Ruby stared, her body burning, her mind swamped in a combination of fury and terror. Weiss screamed and tried to jab Myrtenaster into the bird's foot, but to no avail. She was weakening, going limp as the Nevermore tried to crush her to death. After all this work, Weiss would die if she didn't do anything.

Ruby felt her eyes grow wet. _Like hell she'd let that happen._ Even after a full morning of fighting for her life, even after narrow escapes, crushing defeats, and brief respite, she wouldn't bend, bow, and let the worst come to pass. She would hate herself, she would hate this bird.

Everything in the back of her mind _screamed._ A _joyous_ rage filled her as she ran towards the edge of the tower. The roaring and snarling in the back of her mind echoed in agreement at her sentiment of vengeance and demand for death. Her legs felt so light as she bent her knees and threw every ounce of power into her feet.

Thick cracks and the sound of shattering stone filled the air as Ruby jumped, throwing herself as hard as possible, the fire around her forming a blazing trail as she rocketed towards the Nevermore.

The bird squealed as Crescent Rose bit into its back, and Ruby threw herself over the raven, ripping her scythe out from between its wings, the blade looping through the air to build burning momentum. Rose slammed down onto the bird's neck, and Ruby threw all of her weight towards the canyon below.

Pain shot through the Nevermore as a razor-sharp, burning fire ran from its neck, to its skull, and down its spine. Its body went limp from the attack, but the vague semblance of life Grimm had still prevailed; weak flaps of its wings stirring the air around it. The humans were not heavy, it just needed time…

"Blake!" Yang shouted, grabbing Shroud's katana out of her hand. Blake stared up in shock as the bird began to fall, and flinched as Shroud's sheath threatened to pull out of her hands. She gripped tightly as Yang ran to the edge of the bridge and threw a thumb's up. Blake didn't know what to expect, but with one hand, Yang held the katana and jumped off the bridge, away from the Nevermore. She fired twice, sending her far over the edge until Shroud's slack ended, then the she began to fall, shooting behind herself the whole way to gain momentum.

Blake dug her heels into the stone, gritting her teeth, feeling the rock beneath her feet crack as she did everything she could to not get dragged to the edge. Yang wheeled under the bridge, the bark of Celica filling the air as built momentum and Shroud started sending her up.

Yang let go of Shroud at the height of her swing and flew upwards, her blonde hair burning a fiery gold, arm cocked back, her fist plunging straight into the Nevermore's gut as Ruby pulled down on its neck.

The Schnee family's signature fire shroud tickled at Yang's blazing aura, and as fire is wont to do, it devoured itself, grew bold, their shared energy mixing explosively. The two sisters shared a cocky smile, and the spark of power between them grew as the bird wheezed its last breath.

The sky turned red as Yang's semblance and Ruby's shroud ignited. Blake nearly fell off her feet as the largest explosion she'd ever witnessed filled the air, the conflagrant cloud detonating further as it grew and devoured the oxygen around it. The sound of the multiple eruptions caused Blake's ears fall flat in terror and pain as the stone around her shuddered, shook, and rapidly began to collapse.

Pieces of dissipating Nevermore flew through the air, disappearing into thin black whisps. Ember Celica's now familiar roar was heard as Yang launched herself out of the blast, Ruby over one shoulder. Blake stared at the violent fire before her eyes, and saw a trail of smoke heading for the pits below. With a growl, she forced herself to move, leaping off the cliffside.

* * *

"... Uh…" Was all Jaune had to contribute to the matter. Sitting in front of him was the decapitated head of what was once a very large Nevermore, his sword jutting out of its empty eye-socket as the head began to turn black and fade away.

Yang fell to the ground in front of the four hunters with Ruby in her grip, the two of them wrapped in a blazing flame as she took three steps and fell to her knees, the action dismissing the flame instantly. They were both smoking, Yang's eyes still burned red as an enormous smile split her face. Ruby, over her shoulder, gave the smallest, unhappiest squeak as she coughed up feathers.

"Are… are you okay?" Pyrrha spoke up, seemingly afraid to approach the sisters. Yang looked to Pyrrha, her face full of confidence and joy, and hefted Ruby onto the ground in front of her. Ruby landed on her butt. She and Yang were both covered in Grimm ash, their hair, faces, and clothing sporting a thin layer of gray. They took one look at each other… and laughed. Ruby fell onto her back and Yang held her face, and Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren looked to each other, then back to the two of them, like they were insane.

Before they could raise their voices, Weiss was tossed over the cliff, groaning in pain, her normally pristine, pale skin and white clothing matching Ruby and Yang. Blake vaulted over the cliffside onto her feet, her legs shaking. She looked from Ruby, to Yang, to the other four hunters. Wordlessly, she sheathed Gambol Shroud and tossed her weapon to the ground, and collapsed face-first onto the grass with a pathetic whine.

* * *

"That was your _plan B?!"_ Nora asked incredulously, her expression a mixture of awe and wonder, "I like plan B! I saw plan B through my _eyelids!"_ Nora was a giddy ball of energy as the eight teenagers walked, limped, or were dragged south. "Jaune!" The girl barked, making the blonde boy flinch and look back, leaning heavily against Pyrrha. "Next time, less falling on your butt while I do the heavy lifting, more _explosions!"_

"I'll keep that in mind." He stated dryly, Pyrrha giggling by his side. Behind them, Ren walked firmly, sipping from a thermos that smelled like a mixture of a vegetable garden and a compost heap.

"I would really like that we _never_ do _anything_ like plan B again." Weiss grouched from Yang's back. The blonde was chipper as ever, hardly minding the extra weight as Weiss piggybacked on her with a groan, the full day of exertion, falling, getting chewed on, and finally crushed having caught up to her in a bad way.

Blake was bleary-eyed and tired, preferring the solid ground to the branches above for the moment. She'd done her fair share of high-flying today, and even without danger present, she wanted to enjoy solid, firm, non-shaking, non-collapsing ground.

Ruby and Nora walked side-by-side ahead of the group. Ruby… was full of energy. She wasn't hopping in place like Nora, but despite the day's events, she felt strong enough for another round… not that she wanted another round—quite the opposite, in fact—but she was pleased with her current accomplishment and felt ready for a big lunch and a long, hot bath.

"Well, I'll try to make it a last resort in the future, but it did work." Ruby pointed out.

"At what cost?" Weiss whimpered, examining her stained clothing. Ruby hid a laugh as they crested a hill. Before them was the ruins containing the relics, and relief flooded her. She wasn't about to fail just yet! She sped forward, Nora close behind her. She jumped up onto the raised platform, and examined the remaining relics.

Her face fell, spotting just one. "Um…" Behind her, Pyrrha helped Jaune up, and the rest of the hunters joined her on top. "Jaune, Pyrrha, did you two happen to get a relic?" She asked. Sitting on one of the short stone platforms was a black rook piece, and Pyrrha and Jaune both shook their heads.

"No, we took the long route to those ruins." Jaune answered, pulling his arm from Pyrrha's shoulders to walk forward. He grabbed the remaining relic with a small frown, idly tossing it up and down.

"Hey! Don't take it, we need to decide who's passing!" Weiss said in a flustered squirm, prompting Yang to dig her elbows into her passenger's hips in warning.

"This doesn't seem right." Blake's squinted at the floor in a small scowl as she examined their surroundings, trying to see if one fell. "Why would they only have enough for all the teams but one?"

"Well, see—" Yang started, but Ruby interrupted.

"Jaune and Pyrrha should get it."

"What?!" Weiss squirmed again. Yang rolled her eyes and dropped Weiss onto her butt to reach into her hip pouch. "After all the work we did?! Why shouldn't we get it?!"

"Why shouldn't _we_ get it?" Pyrrha parroted, fixing Weiss with an unamused look that made the heiress feel very small. She reached out to Jaune and took the relic. She stared at the object thoughtfully… and snapped it in half. A low gasp rang out from the surrounding hunters as Pyrrha set the base of the black rook piece in Jaune's hand, then put the head in Ruby's. "Either we _both_ pass or we _both_ fail, fair is fair and I will not settle for petty squabbling."

Ruby looked down to the piece in her hand with a tight smile, and didn't resist when Weiss picked up the broken relic piece in one hand. With a low sigh, the white-haired girl held it close to her heart. "Oh I hope it's enough." Her whisper carried a grieved tone, and Ruby quietly wondered what she had to be so dramatic over.

"Hey, uh, Pyrrha?" Yang waved her hand. The rest of the hunters looked to Yang as she pulled her hand out of her hip pouch, and very nervously presented two relics, one gold knight, one black knight. A slow, steady cloud of apprehension settled as everyone took the sight in…

"Oh." Pyrrha frowned, looking to the piece Jaune was holding. "Well, I suppose a little glue will be needed."

"Whoa, whoa, one sec." Jaune raised an eyebrow at Yang, giving her a questioning look. "You took two? Why?"

"Err…" Yang scratched the back of her head as Blake gave her a curious look, Weiss turning to glare at her as she strutted over and picked the gold piece out of her hand and tossed it to Ruby. "See, I was… I mean," Yang ran her fingers through her golden hair as everyone else stared. "I was kinda worried because Ruby was taking so long, and, well, I thought, if they're gonna make four person teams, it's probably going to be matching pieces, right?" She held up the black knight as Weiss examined the gold one. "So, I thought…"

"You didn't think I'd make it." Ruby muttered bitterly.

"What?!" Yang flinched at the accusation, _"Don't be stupid,_ of course I thought you'd make it!" She huffed indignantly, crossed her over her bust in a rare moment of shyness. "I just… I did some thinking, and if we weren't partners, I at least want us to be on the same team."

Ruby looked up at her sister. Yang's lilac eyes were soft and pleading, hoping for an understanding, and though there was still a hint of frustration and annoyance, Ruby readily dismissed it. She gave her sister a small smile. "Well, okay then."

"No, not 'okay then'! That's cheating, isn't it?" Weiss demanded with a scowl, holding the black rook's head out to Jaune. The boy took it and nervously clinked the two pieces together. "Don't you have _any shame?"_

"In keeping my sister close? Hell no." Yang walked forward. No sway in her hips, shoulders firmly set, an unhappy tightness around her eyes. Weiss took a step back and felt the blonde's finger dig into her chest. "If you're going to be her partner, then I'm at least going to be on her team."

"Wh- what are you accusing me of?!" Weiss demanded.

"You may have been a pretty alright hunter out here in the forest, but I still don't like your attitude. Ruby needs somebody she can trust, who she knows; you don't know what she's gone through to get here and you-" A hand squeezed her shoulder, and Yang paused.

Ruby shot her a very awkward smile as she stepped around her sister and stood by Weiss's side. Weiss tensed as Ruby took her hand, giving it a squeeze, but she stopped herself from pulling away. "It's okay Yang. Weiss and I are partners now, we've come to an…" Ruby glanced to Weiss thoughtfully, "an understanding. I-..." Ruby gulped loudly. "I think I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Yang frowned, examining her sister carefully. "I mean, I don't want to be on your team just for you, we'd work well together either way and I wouldn't mind having you sorta close, I mean I guess either way we'd be within walking distance of each other but… I'd just worry."

"I want to be on a team with you." Ruby bobbed her head. "But Weiss and I are partners, so we all kinda have to get along, right?"

There was a very long moment of thought, and Yang inclined her head in defeat. Weiss looked to Ruby with an uncertain expression. After all their infighting, Weiss wasn't sure about being on the same team as Yang, and still wasn't sure about being Ruby's partner, but for all her silliness, brattiness, childishness, and awkwardness, she was an earnest young lady with a reasonable set of skills. Weiss let out a sigh. Well, this was her life for the next four years.

"Okay then." Jaune spoke up. He walked over, setting a hand on Ruby's and Yang's shoulders. "Look, a lot happened today. We all made some weird decisions, fought some tough battles, and we came out on top. We have everything we need to pass the test, so, let's go. I could _really_ go for something other than granola." Jaune put on a cheeky grin.

Yang's shoulders lifted, fell, and she let out a thick sigh. "Well, alright. C'mon everyone, we got a long walk." She turned and headed south. The rest of the hunters followed behind, enjoying a much more leisurely stroll under the midday sun.

The journey was uneventful. Eight hunters, packed together, heavily armed and ready to exterminate their way to the other end of the forest made even juvenile grimm hesitant. The only real danger was the heat, and canteens were passed around or, in the case of Ren's canteen, tossed at his head accompanied by the sounds of mild vomiting.

As they walked, Blake, recovered somewhat from her earlier exertion, trotted ahead to stand by Yang's side, looking up to the taller girl with a small frown. Yang glanced to her curiously. "Nobody asked my opinion." Blake muttered, gesturing to the pouch where Yang was keeping the black knight.

"Sorry Blake." Yang pouted, "Just sisterly business is all."

"I'm fine with Ruby. _You_ will take some work." Blake gave her a very pointed stare, which, counter to what Blake was trying to accomplish, made Yang grin cheerily. "But I'm not comfortable being around the Schnee. I know what her family's done." Both girls glanced over their shoulders. Weiss was walking between Ruby and Pyrrha. Pyrrha was examining Crescent Rose with an impressed expression as Ruby ooh'd and aah'd over Miló and Akoúo̱. Weiss was trying to wipe the ash and soot off of her dress with little success, and, for all they could see, was being perfectly reasonable and non-hostile.

"She stuck her neck out for Ruby." Yang stated with a small roll of her shoulders.

"And _that's_ good enough for you?" Blake hid a growl in her voice as she whispered. "Even after knowing they have years and years of selfish business practices? Of lying through their teeth? Of screwing over everyone and everything that doesn't instantly line their pockets?"

"She stuck her neck out for Ruby." Yang said again, looking to Blake with a curious raise of one golden eyebrow. "That doesn't scream _'embezzlement'_ to me. I get it, her family's done some bad crap, but, I dunno… she could be different. She's her own person, nobody is exactly like their parents."

"Are you _sure?"_ Blake snorted.

"I haven't run out on my family to do who-knows-what, so I'm not my mother." Yang grunted bitterly. Blake slowed down a few steps as she stared at Yang, not sure whether that tidbit of personal information was purposefully or accidentally shared, but Yang didn't stop to answer the unasked questions, moving on without a look the other way.

With a small frown, Blake kept pace and stared at the forest floor, sighing.

She'd risked her own life and energy to save the Schnee heiress more than once today. Uncomfortable as she was, she may have no choice but to accept they might end up a team.


	9. Team RWBY

"Well now," Professor Ozpin raised one silver eyebrow as he looked upon the two pieces of black rook in his hands. He looked back up at Jaune, who was visibly stiff but putting on his best smile, and Pyrrha, who had the posture of a tin soldier and the expression of somebody trying their hardest to not sneeze. "I'm glad I didn't arrange for a hostage rescue if _this_ is the result." The headmaster chuckled.

"Sir, excellent joke, sir!" Pyrrha barked automatically, the color having long left her face and shoulders as Jaune winced.

"Well, you see, sir, we couldn't find one of the pieces, so we decided we'd split the piece, an all-or-nothing sorta thing with the rest so nobody would be left behind, I mean it was _purely_ out of fairness!" Jaune insisted, laughing airily, his hand rubbing the sweat off the back of his neck.

Behind the two of them, Nora, Ren, Blake, Yang, Ruby, and Weiss watched in silent apprehension as the Headmaster hummed and hawed over the broken rook. Ruby stared at the pair with the unspoken fear that damaging the relic was grounds for expulsion…

"No way he'd expel _Pyrrha Nikos,_ right?" Weiss whispered to nobody in particular.

"I mean, especially if you think about all the bad press that would generate…" Yang still sounded genuinely worried, bouncing on her toes. Ruby and Blake both watched her wrestle with herself on whether or not to admit her trickery, both with very different opinions on what she should do.

The headmaster finally seemed to make a decision. He took the two pieces of the rook in one hand, holding them back in their original positions. His free hand moved over the rook, hiding it from view briefly, and as if performing a magic trick. He snapped his fingers and passed his hand back over the piece. With a flick of his thumb, the solidly intact rook flew into Jaune's waiting hands.

Jaune stared down at the chess piece in surprise, running the tip of his thumb along the tower's head to feel for the break, finding none. He glanced up as Professor Ozpin tapped the ground with his cane. "And that's the whole truth? Nothing _else_ you'd like to add? Since you clearly found the missing piece…" His eyes scanned the other three pairs. There was a collective gulp, as each was openly holding their relic.

"W-well, we were tired, y'know?" Jaune's eyes slid to the right, away from Yang. "We, er, we kinda stepped on the missing piece, y'know? Just 'oops it's on the floor!' So we, uh, kinda jumped the gun I guess, y'know?" He held his hands out in a helpless shrug.

Ozpin turned his appraising eye over his shoulder, where his right-hand woman stood with a most unconvinced expression. "Well, Professor Goodwitch seems convinced." The headmaster smiled. Glynda's eyebrow twitched, but she made no other movement. "Very well. Congratulations on passing your initiation. Take the path back to Beacon and turn left once inside. Staff will be on hand to provide directions to the showers and the cafeteria. You eight must be hungry."

On cue, Pyrrha's stomach made the most gnarly growl Jaune had ever heard. He glanced to his partner in surprise as Pyrrha squeaked in embarrassment. "Sir, thank you, sir!" She managed in a high, tight voice. They both awkwardly left the cliffside gathering, Jaune walking in a slow, haggard plod while Pyrrha parade-marched the whole way.

Each of the remaining six teens had a moment of relief, then snapped to attention when the headmaster turned back with an amused look. "Next up?" He asked, holding out his hand. Nora skipped forward with a happy expression, slapping the golden rook into Ozpin's hand with a huge, toothy smile. Ren stepped up to her side as the headmaster gave them both a smile. "Congratulations Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Exceptional work."

"Thank you, headmaster." Ren politely inclined his head, and it was returned in kind. Nora made a move to race past the professor, but Ozpin raised his hand to stop them both.

"I understand you two are more than simply partners?" He inquired. Ren stopped an offended eyebrow from rising up his forehead, and simply nodded.

"Yes sir." Was all he offered.

"Me 'n Ren are _tight."_ Nora twisted the fore and middle finger on one hand together and gave the headmaster an enormous smile. Ozpin nodded.

"I see." With a small nod of his head, he swept his hand towards the path to Beacon. "Romance among hunters is quite common. I wish you two the best as you strike out into the world together. Do not let it interfere with your studies here at Beacon, however. We're a school for hunters, not for playing kissy-face in the broom closet." He waved his finger in warning.

Ren shifted uncomfortably at the implication, but was pulled into a tight, one-armed hug by Nora as the shorter girl saluted. "Heard ya loud and clear Headmaster!" Then, conspiratorially, she leaned forward and stage-whispered to Ozpin. "Just between you 'n me, where _would_ be the best broom closets to play kissy-face?"

Ren was about to roughly shoot down Nora's inquiry and apologize to the Headmaster when the latter leaned down and joined her in not-whispering. "West wing, third floor, after six o' clock. It gets cleaned first so the closets are unlocked." Professor Ozpin stood up straight and cleared his throat as he passed the golden rook back.

Nora squeaked in delight as Ren blinked owlishly, then yelped as he was dragged by the collar towards the school.

That left the girls who collected the knights. Professor Ozpin turned to face the four of them, hiding his eyes behind the shade of his small glasses to appraise a most interesting batch of girls. The princess escaping her kingdom, the runaway fleeing her demons, the innocent child who summoned monsters… and…

"Boom!" The black knight was dropped into Professor Ozpin's hand by Yang, whose confident smile and relaxed posture easily masked her prior distress. The headmaster smirked and examined the piece carefully. Out of the four of them, she was by far the most normal. No buried secrets, no abuse, no criminal record worse than a dismissed DUI charge, yet she still melded into the group of runaways and rejects seamlessly.

"Well done, Yang Xiao Long." He then nodded towards Blake as she stepped up next to her partner, looking up at the headmaster curiously. "And Blake Belladonna, you have both performed most excellently out in the field."

"We _have_ to have beaten some kind of record, right? I mean, that Nevermore was _huge!"_ Yang threw her arms out. With the decades of practice Professor Ozpin had accumulated around risque and curvy teenage girls, he did not look down. "You can't tell us that wasn't worth some extra points, eh?" Yang continued in a hammy tone.

An elbow to her side made her yelp and give Blake a pout as the more reserved girl took point in the conversation. "Ignore her. Thank you for the opportunity, headmaster."

"Please, your successes are your own. Your fight against the Nevermore was indeed impressive and will be evaluated. There are more important matters, however…" He slipped the black knight into Blake's hand and fixed her with a comforting expression. "Both of you, take time to relax. You both earned it." Yang pumped an arm at the chance to go wash up, and the two started down the path.

Ruby watched with quiet anxiousness as Yang walked away with Blake, her sister briefly turning to wave to Ruby, her glorious smile conveying both pride and joy as she wordlessly urged Ruby to catch up.

Ruby glanced to Weiss with a small frown. Weiss didn't meet her gaze, but kept her passive, flat frown as she walked forward and placed the golden knight into Professor Ozpin's hand. Ruby moved to her side in a slow shuffle, glancing up at the headmaster curiously as he inspected their piece.

"While, normally, I'd offer you two congratulations for your exemplary performance during the initiation…" He lifted the knight piece to his chest and squeezed it in his fist, obviously not ready to give it back. Ruby's heart sank, and she swallowed loudly as she stared down at her feet. "...I believe there is something we need to address first."

"Ruby's powers." Weiss said stiffly, her eyes wide and clear. She did not bow her head, but her posture noticeably straightened—a well-practiced stance that Ozpin took note of immediately. "I haven't told anyone else." She added quickly, her pupils beginning to quiver.

Professor Ozpin eyed them both thoughtfully. Behind him, he sensed Glynda move to bar the way back to Beacon, though she kept her stance relaxed, even if her hard gaze focused on the two remaining girls. The four stood in a calm silence, though Ruby focused on her feet.

She was in trouble, she knew that much for sure. She'd failed, revealed her big secret, and was now standing in front of the person who'd told her _'don't do that.'_ She clenched her hands into angry fists as she silently wondered what the punishment would be. Would she be expelled? Would _Weiss_ be expelled? Would she be exposed, put in a lab somewhere?

A bit of panic hit Ruby's heart. She pictured Yang's beckoning smile as the blonde walked up the trail, of disappointing her, of never seeing her sister again. Her eyes began to water…

"This is a situation I had been expecting…" Professor Ozpin interrupted Ruby's spontaneous grieving, making the girl stop and strain her ears without looking up. "Just not so soon, of course. But, the circumstances _did_ permit drastic actions to be taken."

"Even if those actions are summoning Grimm?" Weiss asked with a small voice. She slowly looked to Ruby. When Ruby turned to meet her eyes, Weiss swiftly turned back towards Ozpin and took a deep breath. "So, she's supposed to keep it a secret? Her eyes, her power, her…?" Weiss waved a hand towards Ruby.

Ruby looked to Weiss with a hidden expression of betrayal. Professor Ozpin cleared his throat and nodded slowly. "Correct. You-"

"So why is she here?" Weiss asked, her cheeks tense with uncertainty. "Isn't she in danger here?" The question caused those present to pause. Ruby's jaw slackened as she focused on Weiss, the girl taking a few steps backwards to get some space. "I saw her fight. I owe her. But why is she here? Somebody could find out, and if they did, they could hurt her. _I_ could have hurt her." She concluded in a soft, weary tone.

"Did you?" Professor Ozpin asked. Things were silent for a second, and Weiss looked to Ruby. Ruby looked back. Their eyes met, as best they could. In a way, they had a moment of understanding, and Ruby shook her head. Weiss looked to the headmaster and repeated the gesture. "Then I don't see the issue."

 _"I_ might be willing, but others aren't. People panic, they get scared, they _attack_ what they don't understand. We might know she's… she's _safe…_ but others…"

Professor Ozpin held up a hand, slowing her train of thought to a halt. "Weiss, I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think you're giving your fellow hunters enough credit. I have no intention of unveiling Ruby in front of everybody and letting her take their reactions in full, but I'm not afraid of her being attacked, or her attacking anyone. I don't want to reveal her to the public because it could potentially deny her her place here at Beacon. She has shown me she has what it takes to be a huntress, and that she is more concerned about others than herself." The headmaster looked between Ruby and Weiss carefully, then chuckled. "And, it seems to me, others are concerned with her as well. She's not alone."

At that, Weiss's cheeks turned red as a pout took over. "She's my partner, it's not like I had a _choice._ It was pass together or fail alone." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, you _can_ always submit an application to exchange partners…"

"What?!" Weiss squeaked, looking wide-eyed and panicky. "And leave her to put somebody who's unprepared in danger with her snivelling and… crazy grimm powers?! I couldn't call myself a huntress if I did something so… heinous!" She stomped her foot, looking exaggeratedly angry at the suggestion. Ozpin and Ruby both shared a mystified look as Weiss shuffled her feet furiously. "We're partners. I've agreed to give her a chance and she passed my expectations… and I still owe her."

"You really don't…" Ruby mumbled.

"Hush! This is a matter of _honor._ I don't expect a little girl to understand." Weiss retorted. Ruby watched Weiss with a confused expression, the girl in white acting high and mighty, indignant as she pleased, while still shooting Ruby small, curious looks.

Ruby worked her jaw slowly, then spoke hopefully. "I like you too, Weiss!" Weiss devolved into embarrassed and enraged sputtering, fixing Ruby with a red-cheeked glare as she stomped her foot and rambled through a cliche list of 'how dare you's and 'I never!'s. Ruby found herself amused as Weiss's shoulders slumped, and she finally shut up on the matter.

 _"Anyway."_ Weiss returned to her polite, upright posture. "I will stay her partner, and… I'll keep her secret." Weiss didn't meet the headmaster's eyes, but Ozpin decided it was better than nothing.

"... Very well. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, you have both passed your initiation. Please, enjoy your relaxation time." He gestured to Glynda to step out of the way, then turned to look back at them both with a sharp, serious look while handing over the golden knight. "And remember, girls, discretion is key. I look forward to seeing your progress."

Ruby and Weiss both glanced between Ozpin and Glynda, as if there may have been more, then hurried along down the path towards Beacon. The professors stared after them, but did not follow. When they were well away from the cliffs, their hurried pace slowed to a casual walk. For once, Ruby used her goggles as cover to sneak a look at Weiss.

The rich, noble, young woman intrigued Ruby. For all her anger and indignation, she was pretty compromising. Ruby's misgivings with Weiss before their initiation was all but forgotten, and Ruby silently bobbed her head. "Weiss?" Weiss turned to look at Ruby as the latter slowed to a stop in the middle of the dirt path. She gave Weiss a small, but happy smile. "Thank you. I-I know things started pretty badly, but I'm glad you're my partner." Ruby smiled wider as Weiss gave her an annoyed frown. "I really want to try and make you feel the same way."

Weiss's frown shrank. She stared at Ruby in silence. Weiss knew that if she had become anybody else's partner, perhaps besides the hick's, the same obstacles they had encountered would have been resolved more easily. Despite this, Ruby would have continued to have that unintentional grip on her emotions, drawing her anger that, looking back, seemed irrational and utterly foolish. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "You know, this is a _huge_ mistake…"

"A mistake?" Ruby asked softly, her smile wavering.

"A _huge_ one." Weiss corrected. She groomed her ponytail with her fingers and closed her eyes. "You're a mess. A dangerous mess. You're emotional, control the very things we're supposed to hunt, and _all_ of your plans, _for some reason,_ involve _me_ going airborne." Weiss looked down at the dirt.

The stench of the beowolf's breath, the teeth in her arm, the ursa trying to open her throat… so many chances for her to have failed because of her own inadequacies. Her family would have sneered. Perhaps they'd believed she'd have deserved her death for fleeing her inheritance, her cage. Despite this, Ruby never once looked down on her. In her own way, they shared a suffering. Weiss was curious, but didn't see it as prudent to ask about Ruby's history…

"But, you're a good person. Far better than I could have asked for with the way I treated you." Weiss's arms slumped, eyes closed. "You saved my life, _despite_ the things I said…"

"They weren't that big of a deal…"

"You exposed yourself to protect me…"

"You did the same!"

 _"And_ you _keep interrupting_ me!" Weiss snapped, making Ruby squeak and fall silent. Weiss took a deep breath and continued. "You keep acting like we're friends, telling people it'll be okay, that you trust me. Do you… do you actually trust me?" Weiss asked in a small, gentle voice, as if she was afraid of the answer.

Ruby stepped forward and put her hands on Weiss's shoulders. The heiress seemed much less imposing now that Ruby had gotten to know her. Ruby smiled, and gave Weiss an earnest nod. "You keep saying you owe me, that I saved your life, but you saved mine too! You came back to help me, and _you_ trusted _my_ plans. We have to believe in each other, or we won't accomplish anything." Ruby let her hands drop to her sides and shyly kicked the dirt. "And I was sorta hoping we _are_ friends. After all the butt-kicking and stuff, I thought… I dunno, is that how you become friends?"

"Not at all." Weiss answered immediately, making Ruby go stiff. Weiss swelled her chest and shoulders, removing the weakness from her expression and cocking her head at Ruby. _"This_ is how you become friends." She held out a hand. "Good evening, Ruby Rose. My name is Weiss Schnee."

Ruby stared at Weiss's hand, the sparkling in her eyes hidden from sight, and with a slight tremble, she took Weiss's hand and smiled. "Hi Weiss, I'm Ruby Rose! Or, uh, Ruby Xiao Long, but _officially_ it's Rose. You technically don't have to know the Xiao Long part but-"

"Uh-huh. Do you always ramble?" Weiss asked, resuming her walk towards the school, Ruby moving quickly to catch up.

"I just never know what to say! I never left the house much. You're… kinda my first friend."

"That's… _really_ sad. It's good to meet you, Ruby." Weiss smirked, quietly hiding her joy.

* * *

"So, one-to-ten, what are my chances?"

The first person Yang pointed at was Nora. Ruby examined the redhead in front of her curiously, from her bare back, to her undie-covered butt, down those short, thick legs. She was built like a brick house, lots of solid muscle on a short, girly frame, with some prominent hips and thighs. She was delectable, and cute, and looked alluring even next to Pyrrha.

"With Ren around? Like, maaaybe a one." Ruby mumbled quietly with her sister, looking back down at her own undershirt, which she had failed to remove in the past three minutes.

"A one? Damn, girl, I was thinking at _least_ a five." Yang rubbed her chin. She stood next to Ruby, radiating a confidence that Ruby _wished_ she could match. Her older sister was in her yellow undershirt and black shorts, both of which hugged her curves like a glove. Ruby was never annoyed by her sister's good looks, but it was hard to not draw comparisons between the two of them and come out feeling cheated by genetics.

"She has a boyfriend, Yang." Ruby deadpanned with a glare full of disapproval. Yang gave a small laugh, sharpening Ruby's glare.

"Purely hypothetical, I swear on my hair, Ruby!" Yang brushed her glorious golden mane over her shoulder, making her sister's pout turn into a struggling smile. "But, say, I put on the moves, she totally seems like she'd be into chicks. If she was single, I'd say a full on ten."

"But the five is _purely_ hypothetical, right?" Ruby arched an eyebrow. Now that she was here, she was hoping to curb Yang's more impulsive decisions and keep her out of a repeat of the half-dozen love triangles she'd started back at Signal. Yang didn't like telling their dad what she was up to, but Ruby got to hear of every spicy second of her exploits and drama…

"One-hundred percent _not_ gonna happen without a threeso-" Ruby slugged Yang's unprotected arm, making the older girl yip in surprise and rub her arm, guffawing at her sister's sudden ferocity.

Blake idly leaned against one of the hotrod-red lockers lining the far walls of the girl's shower room. She blinked slowly, keeping her ears still as she tried to listen in on all the chatting going on around the room. She kept a relaxed posture, though anybody who looked too closely would notice she was moving her weight from one foot to the next every so often.

Her golden eyes focused on Weiss Schnee. In a small white bra and matching panties, her long, silvery hair loose, Weiss was like a little doll. A pretty kid's toy, her pale skin completely flawless, aside from the scar over her eye. She had a little muscle to her, but not a lot—again reminding Blake of a toy—like one of those expensive porcelain dolls, a piece of decoration, dressed to reflect her owners.

She was beautiful and gracious, not looking at all like a huntress. Had she not known better, Blake would have mistaken her as a lost guest at the school. _But,_ Weiss was here as a huntress. Blake's fist unconsciously curled into a tight, tense ball, and then she slowly relaxed. With a silent flare of her nostrils, she turned to her locker and opened it up.

"Okay okay, how about her?" Blake's ear twitched at Yang's voice. She couldn't decide whether or not it was irritating. Glancing over at her partner for a second, Blake sighed. If Weiss was a toy, Yang was a dream. She was something out of one of her… more questionable novels; 'such supple, sensual curves, her skin glowed a flushed red like a ripened tomato, her heavy breasts heaving with each breath, threatening to spill out of her huntress's top, I could see her eyes blazing like the pyre of a mighty warrior…' Blake hid a chuckle. She was young when she picked up that particular piece of girl-appeasing trash, but even now, horrid prose or not, Blake still… _thought…_ about Krignor the Barbarian Prince.

"... Two." Ruby answered.

"Wow, really low-balling me with these numbers, sis."

Yang was a dream, with a mane of gold, a body molded by some sex-starved deity, and a fiery, hungry personality that would have made her appealing to the opposite sex if she'd showed any interest. Yet, she was somehow related to Ruby.

"Pyrrha's straight, she said it herself!"

"So why a _two?"_

"Because you're the crazy woman who somehow got to Rees."

"Oh, yeah, that was _awesome."_

"Shaddup…"

Blake smirked. Ruby was nice. By no means perfect, and Blake barely knew the girl, but she was passionate about civil works in literature, she had the skill to fight through the forest and keep fighting after her capture, and took easy command with a sense of duty and righteousness. It was like looking at the cute, cuddly little seed that would one day sprout into somebody like…

… like her father, before he grew old, tired, and defeated.

Blake silently dismissed the thought, a practiced measure that instantly suppressed the bubble of emotion forming in her belly. Sighing, she turned to the locker she had been attempting to claim before getting lost in thought. She began to undress.

"Her?" Yang pointed to Weiss.

"She's my partner. Zero."

"Wha—? You think I can't—"

 _"No."_

"Why not?! C'mon, she's loaded, she's adorable, she looks just so mmph when she bends over..."

 _"Yaaang!"_

"Spoilsport! You want her to yourself!"

 _"W-what?_ No! I'm not like _you."_

"Oh, _Ruby,_ you wound me. There's gotta be _some_ of my blood in ya! I bet you wanna get right up behind that li'l butt and-" Any further conversation was ended in a flurry of wimpy slaps and enraged wailing.

Blake slowed her stripping as she reached behind her back and held the clasps of her bra. Silently glancing to the sisters, Blake wondered what sort of damages this would inflict on them both. She kicked her panties up to her hand and put both of her undies into the locker, shutting it with a click. She touched her ribbon.

She'd be the first in, and make her way to the private stalls in the back. She could wash in peace there. Nobody would notice the obvious issue. Blake wasn't sure why she thought a public shower would ever be an issue before coming to a school, but now it seemed blindingly obvious just how easy it would be to accidentally expose her true identity.

"Okay okay, one more."

 _"Zero."_

"What, seriously?!"

"We're _related,_ Yang!" Blake paused mid-step to shoot a wild look at the sisters.

Ruby squeaked at the punch to her arm, and Yang covered her eyes with her other hand. "Don't even _joke_ about that."

"What, I'm not pretty enough for you?"

"No! You're cute, and have a nice body, but we're sisters."

"Didn't stop Atiom and Entyom…"

 _"And it was a really uncomfortable part of the book."_

"So I really _am_ ugly…"

"You're not ugly! Wh-what- why are you- what's wrong-"

"Joking!" Ruby announced with a gleeful smile, while Yang groaned and buried her face into her hands. "You didn't think I was serious, did you?"

"Of course not!" Yang threw her arms out, looking heavily annoyed. "You could have the nicest ass in Remnant and I'd rather jump into a Taijitu's mouth before I tapped it! Oh- oh god it's in my _head now._ What did you do to me?!" Yang's voice rose as she trying to aggressively shake the disgust out of her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby sounded victorious. Blake hid a laugh, leaning against the wall behind them. "I mean, who else could you be talking about?"

"Oh don't you play dumb, Ruby Rose!" Yang huffed. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, little miss perfect butt on perfect legs with perfect hair and that stone-cold glare that just says _mrrroawr."_

Blake's ear twitched. "Stone-cold what that says what?" She asked.

Both girls whirled around on their heels, Yang's eyes wide, her smile nervous, and Ruby managing to look horribly embarrassed even with her headgear. They both stopped moving, looking like they were encased in ice as they stared at Blake, lounging against the wall with her body on brazen display.

Ruby's head tilted down, then up, and Blake could almost hear the creaking from her neck. Yang was totally silent, the gears in her head failing to turn as she tried to blankly take Blake's body in, but she was stuck in a perpetual moment of wonder. Blake was never one to flaunt her looks, even if she prided herself in good, daily maintenance and exercise, but it sent a tiny shiver of pleasure through her to have the two sisters so obviously enthralled with her.

She cleared her throat, fighting a blush forming on her cheeks. "Can I go shower now?" She forced her ears to stay still, despite her embarrassment. A pair of gulps escaped the girls as they parted, allowing Blake to walk between them. She felt their eyes immediately glue themselves to her passing rear until she turned the corner into the showers.

She slowed her heartbeat as she walked past the rows of showerheads on the wall, between the columns in the middle of the room, and straight to the private stalls. While their reactions had been well within her expectations, putting them both to silence and seeing the normally chatty Yang lose her attitude for just a second was far more rewarding and fulfilling than she could have dreamed.

Little did she know, another girl had been following her movements the whole time.

Weiss stayed utterly silent, her cheeks already turning a burning red as she focused solely on her locker. Weiss was halfway through pulling her bra off as she evaluated what she had seen. A quick look back towards the showers confirmed Blake was hidden inside one of the stalls, but her… _majesty_ still lingered in her mind.

Weiss shook her head and sighed thickly, slowly sliding her underwear off and immediately crossing an arm over her small bust. Her blush was starting to creep into her shoulders now. She had been naked around other women before, but in more… intimate settings. This was meant to be a casual, non-sexual shower, this wasn't a post-concert celebration in private with one of her roadies, surrounded by scented candles, with the light turned low, the shower slowly turning lukewarm as she worked off a week's worth of stress, success, and excitement in one slow, warm moment…

She squeezed her eyes shut. Normal students didn't have their own private showers before they went to dinner. _Normal_ students would flock to their gender-specific locker rooms and _wouldn't_ feel ashamed of undressing and showering together. Weiss was a normal student now. She couldn't run to the dorm room's personal showers every time she wanted to wash up, she'd just have to suck down her embarrassment and be confident in her looks.

She turned around and _dear sweet god._

"Hey chicken legs." Yang winked, wearing only a broad smile. Weiss gawped. Blake may have been pure grace, smooth lines, and a few mysterious scars, but Yang was on a whole different plane of beauty. If 'audacious' could be personified, it would take the shape of _Yang._

"Ah-hah…" Was all Weiss managed in a strangled voice. From the powerfully built legs connecting to wide, curvy hips, dipping into the canyons of her exposed abdominal muscles and swelling into her downright jaw-dropping bust, all the way up to her broad, strong shoulders, and completing the whole package was the face of a young, beautiful woman with hair like strands of gold. Weiss grabbed her jaw and forced it up, her face briefly contorting into a number of expressions that left Yang snickering. "Don't _brag!"_ Weiss ordered, turning her head away and crossing her arms over her chest to hide herself.

"No clue what you're talking about. You coming to the showers?" Yang asked, clearly enjoying the way Weiss squirmed in discomfort every time she peeked at the blonde.

"Yes! Shut up. G-go away." Weiss wilted the tiniest bit.

Yang didn't comply. She took in Weiss's posture and form, how she shrank in Yang's presence and seemed to tense up the idea of joining the rest of the girls, and in a moment of humility, covered her breasts by crossing her arms and leaning down to catch Weiss's eye. "Never showered with other people before?"

"That's none of your business!" Weiss snapped. She looked into Yang's eyes and found herself trembling. The young _woman_ before her was pure confidence and had a body like whoa, and didn't seem intimidated in the slightest, by Weiss or the thought of showering with her. Weiss frowned and tried to reign in her bratty attitude. "I-I've trained with private tutors, I haven't been in a situation like… this." Weiss waved her hand around. This seemed to catch the attention of Nora and Pyrrha, who both turned, revealing they were equally shameless in their nudity. Weiss tensed up, eyeing the two rounder, fuller girls, one built like an amazonian goddess, the other like a weightlifter with access to a bicycle pump. Nora winked and whistled at Yang, while Pyrrha's complete lack of embarrassment as she walked towards the showers left Weiss weak in the knees.

Yang, to her credit, seemed unaffected other than an obviously intrigued smile. She watched the pair of girls enter the showers and turned back to Weiss with a little chuckle. "So new to the whole shower thing and part of the seventy-four percent?" Yang asked with a grin.

"Seventy-four percent?" Weiss repeated slowly in confusion.

"It's some stupid statistic." Ruby answered. Weiss leaned to the left to look past Yang, and spotted Ruby sitting on a bench, wearing just her panties and goggles while covering her small breasts. Weiss felt embarrassed, but immediately caught on that Ruby was far beyond embarrassed and well on her way to shame. Weiss pursed her lips quietly, catching herself from telling her to suck it up. It's not like she was in a much better position.

"It's not a stupid statistic! It's totally, probably, nearly, in-my-experience _true."_ Yang explained, stomping her foot. Weiss shook her head.

"What are you two talking about?" Weiss asked with an uncomfortable grunt.

Yang whirled on her, forgetting to cover her bust, making sure Weiss was unable to look up. "A poll taken by the Weapons and Women's Magazine two years ago found that seventy-four point three percent of all polled female huntresses had positive lesbian experiences with fellow huntresses, with over _ninety percent_ of those polled having had a prior sexual relationship with a huntress, and just under forty percent having had or currently in a long term lesbian relationship with a huntress!"

Weiss's eyebrow twitched as she stared at Yang's proud expression and heroic posture as she spoke. "And this is a statistic that you've memorized." Weiss's tone carried only the slightest hint of irritation.

"Yup!" Yang bobbed her head, sending an indecent ripple through the softer parts of her body. "Mama Yang likes to know her _chances._ Wanna know the boys'?" Yang offered giddily.

"I'll pass." Weiss stepped around Yang, leaving the blonde slightly dismayed, but she still whirled around to watch as the Schnee heiress hesitantly walked over to Ruby. The two girls, both small, both soft, looked to each other. Weiss's blush filled her cheeks. "We should get you to a stall." She offered in understanding.

Ruby slowly looked up to Weiss, and Weiss watched with embarrassment as Ruby not-so-subtly looked over her nude body. Weiss tried to remain rigid and not cover herself, or yell, but she couldn't shake the humiliation of being stared like a piece of meat. She had to remind herself that Ruby wasn't a bad person, that there were no expectations on either of them. Despite this, Weiss watched Ruby's chest as the younger girl stopped hugging herself.

Seventy-four percent was a stupid number, but even so, Weiss tried to keep her own inspection much more subtle. Ruby was built more like Weiss, but with thicker forearms and thighs, a more motherly-width to her hips, but with shorter legs. Weiss was (secretly) irritated to find she couldn't instantly tell who wore the larger bra, something she'd most likely find out when the laundry came in. "It's okay. Your big sister's going to get all the attention anyways." Weiss surprised herself with the joke, and even drew a tiny laugh from Ruby.

Ruby stood slowly, conscious of the eyes on her, and hesitated as she slid her thumbs into her panties. There was a second where the younger girl hesitated, then swiftly tugged her undies down to her ankles. She lifted them like a piece of garbage she'd found on the floor and swiftly flung them into her locker, then slammed it shut. She looked to Weiss. "They'll think I'm weird."

"Oh _hush,_ you _did_ tell everyone you have an eye-condition, right?" Weiss huffed, trying to feel comfortable in the buff with her partner. It was harder than it seemed, since they both kept sneaking looks at each other.

"Yeah…" Ruby trailed off, working her jaw slowly.

"Then it won't be a big deal, nobody can force you to take your goggles off." Weiss nodded. Ruby seemed somewhat pleased with that, though when Weiss turned, Yang's expression and posture were no longer playful.

Weiss met Yang's eyes, the two sharing a silent, comprehending moment, and Yang stiffly lead the way into the showers.

The warm humidity hit the three of them like a breath of fresh air. The wide room could easily fit two dozen girls trying to wash up, but at the moment, it only catered to six. Ruby scampered over to the stalls and took an unoccupied one by Blake, while Yang and Weiss sized each other up. Weiss made a move to join Pyrrha and Nora along the far wall, but a hand around her forearm made her stop.

Weiss resisted the impulse to tear away, and calmed herself with a gulp of air. "Is there a problem?" She asked.

"Just a bit. C'mere princess." Yang ordered. Weiss obeyed for the moment, her arm itching under Yang's hand. It was forceful, squeezing her arm painlessly, but nonetheless reminding the heiress of when she was being guided through a party by her father.

Yang's cheerfulness was gone, and Weiss suspected she may end up flying again if another fight broke out. She'd be prepared this time…

Several shower heads were turned on by Yang's free hand, and she finally let Weiss go. Weiss stood under the hot water of one shower, her worries momentarily forgotten as heat and pressure soothed lingering aches and pains, but she knew Yang was using it merely as cover. "How much do you know about Ruby's condition?" The blonde spoke in a low, demanding tone, clearly trying to not aggravate Weiss before she got her answers.

Weiss considered the question for a moment. It was highly likely that, as Ruby's sister, Yang knew everything. Weiss knew most of her own sister's secrets, and Winter knew plenty about Weiss. Before Winter escaped their family through the military, they served as each other's close, personal confidants. Now… Weiss shook the thoughts out of her head. "... Everything."

"Everything?" Yang pressured, stepping closer to Weiss to stare her in the eye. Weiss found herself more nervous around serious Yang than flirty Yang. "So, light-sensitivity, kinda creepy to look at-"

"Kind of?" Weiss's voice rose in a somewhat shaky tone as she recalled those eyes… "They're _horrifying._ And she can summon-" A hand clamped around her mouth and she was jerked face-to-face with Yang. The purple in Yang's eyes were slowly swallowed by crimson fury, and Weiss found her heart threatening to stop in terror.

"Shut up! Keep your voice down." Yang hissed. Weiss could only manage a small, anxious nod, and Yang slid her hand off of Weiss's mouth. It settled on her shoulder and Yang looked around carefully for listeners. "I don't know what you're thinking about her 'condition', but she doesn't have a choice, okay? She was born with it, it's been with her all her life, she never had the option to just… turn it off, or get rid of it!" Yang's swallowed thickly, almost as if she was pleading… "This is the one time somebody outside our family has given her the chance to be nearly normal. Not cooped up in a house somewhere, but learning to be a huntress. It's all she ever wanted, and if you go blabbing your mouth, you could take all that away from her, and… I'll _never_ forgive you if you do." Yang's voice, despite being forceful, nearly broke at the threat.

Weiss stared into the taller girl's watery eyes, taken aback by the sudden spill of emotion. "I-I'd never- she told me it would be bad…" Weiss mumbled, shaking her head. "I-I thought she was dangerous at first, but she saved me life. Twice." Weiss whispered, refusing to meet Yang's eye.

"See?" Yang insisted. "She's a good girl." She begged for Weiss to understand, but the white-haired girl's eyes sank. A persistent thought ran through her head repeatedly, a question that she had wanted to silence but knew she couldn't just shake it off.

She stared down at the floor and her voice rose only above a whisper. "Has she hurt anybody?" Weiss asked. Yang didn't answer immediately, so Weiss worriedly looked up, focusing on Yang's eyes, watching them quiver and fret at the question. _"Has she?"_

"Me." Yang answered firmly, showing her upper arm, revealing a thin white line where her forearm connected to her shoulder. "It doesn't look like much but it hurt like a bitch at the time. My dad and my uncle too, but it was always an accident, Ruby never hurt anybody on purpose, her power's just hard to control, she never had the-"

"And has she killed anyone?" Weiss demanded. She silently dreaded the answer, but she had to know…

Yang stood tall, silent, and uneasy. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a calming breath. Weiss grit her teeth. "Not a person." Yang murmured. "A dog." Weiss unclenched her jaw. "Not _our_ dog… it attacked her in the yard, she got scared, and… it wasn't much of a dog after." She shuddered, despite the warm water pouring down her skin.

"And you think she's safe?" Weiss asked as a question, not an accusation, but Yang didn't hesitate to nod.

"She's worked so _hard_ to keep herself in check, Weiss. She's tried her heart out, she's worked for this day for years! I've trained with her, I've watched her grow, I know better than _anyone_ just how far she's come." She looked down at Weiss, meeting her eyes, and maintaining solid eye contact. "I believe in her."

The blonde's steely expression and self-assured stance made Weiss hesitate to answer immediately. On one hand, she had seen what nepotism could do to a company by watching several rivaling businesses fall to ruin when the woefully incompetent children took over. Weiss had every intention to keep the Schnee Dust Company afloat and more prosperous than ever, but she knew how familial fondness could cloud one's' decision making skills.

Yet Yang was as genuine as Ruby. More of a horndog, much quicker to anger, but honest. At least, as far as Weiss could tell, the blonde was upfront and quick to pursue her feelings. Weiss closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she thought. "I owe her twice over." Weiss repeated, looking down at her hand as she raised two fingers. "I nearly abandoned her in the forest after seeing what those powers could do, I threatened to kill her before I even knew, and she still risked her life to protect me. She saved me twice, a third time stopping that Nevermore, though I sort of paid her back for that." Weiss wiggled her fingers, closing her eyes. "I'm not saying you have the best judge of character, but I _trust_ her. I won't tell anyone, I won't try and hold back her education, I'll try to repay-"

Weiss found herself trapped in a bone-crushing hug that left her cheek mashed against Yang's chest. Warm, warm, so _very warm,_ and soft, and yet tough, and her body ached but she felt pretty good otherwise _but why was this family so huggy?!_ "Thank you." Yang whispered in a shaky voice while rubbing Weiss's back. "I know it's stupid, and selfish, but it means a lot… to both of us." Yang dropped Weiss, giving the smaller girl a chance to breath. "I was wrong about you." Yang sighed, turning to face the shower to let the warm water pour down her golden mane. "Y'know, assuming you're not lying to me—and not even the _Grimm_ can help you if you are—you're a lot better than I thought you'd be. I didn't think a Schnee could actually _fight."_ Yang snickered, alleviating the dramatic cloud that had settled over them.

Weiss stared, surprised at the complete one-eighty in mood, unable to control her mouth. "And _I_ wasn't aware a pair of blimps could punch." Weiss answered dismissively. Yang shot her a high-browed look, making Weiss briefly fear she'd gone too far, but then Yang let out a snort. Weiss joined in on the small laugh. "I-I don't mean it. You're pretty strong." Weiss corrected herself.

"And you're pretty skilled." Yang nodded, brushing out her hair with her fingers. Then, she extended a hand. "Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's half-sister. I like chicks, fighting, pop, rock, and a good thrill."

Weiss stared at the hand, then took it with a warmth spreading across her cheeks. "Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. I like music, dancing, movies, and fashion."

"Fashion, huh?" Yang asked as they shook, her grip light on Weiss's fingers. "We should go shopping together sometime. I can show you a few good places around Vale." They both let go, and Weiss stared up at the ceiling so hot water could soothe her throat.

"I'd appreciate that… maybe grab something to eat? I haven't stayed in Vale for too long, so…"

"I know the _best_ places to grab a bite. Mmm, not all of it's high-class though…"

"Please, if I want high-class I'll go home and ring up my cake butler. I-I'm curious about how…" Weiss tried to think of a word that wasn't immediately insulting, "About how non-Atlesians eat."

"Oh ho, so Weiss Schnee wants to bum around with the lower class?" Yang asked with a naughty smile, making Weiss pout. "Well lucky you, Mama Yang knows all the best dives, diners, and drive-throughs in town!"

"Hmm." Weiss acknowledged. She sighed in relief under the hot water and quietly looked at Yang out of the corner of her eye. First Ruby, now Yang. She hadn't expected her first… _friends_ to be like this, but she didn't have any complaints…

* * *

Relief flooded Ruby's face as she stood underneath the hot shower, eyes closed, letting the heat and pressure soothe her aching muscles and irritated skin. She hadn't thought of how often she'd be wearing her goggles at school. When she was home, she could get away with keeping them off all day, but here she didn't just have classes, she'd also have to worry about them in her own _dorm_ room.

Yang knew about it, so if it was just her around, maybe. Weiss… maybe if she asked? Weiss seemed on her side, and didn't utter a peep about what she'd seen to anybody. She also seemed fixated on returning her "life debts" or whatever to Ruby. Ruby pushed her jaw out. On one hand, having her in her debt could be helpful in keeping a secret, but on the other, it felt _scummy_ trying to enforce it.

Maybe some gentle suggestion…

She hoped Yang was right in that having the same pieces would put them on the same team. She was putting up with so many new things left and right, she wanted something, or better yet, somebody, familiar. Though, if Yang was correct, that also meant Ruby would be on the same team as Miss Dark-Haired and Delicious…

Ruby's knees began to tremble a little remembering Blake strutting by. It only took a quick flash of her bare body and it completely derailed her and Yang's conversation. Ruby turned to wash her hair and a terrible thought struck: she was becoming like her sister. She looked at a pretty naked girl and inwardly purred! She had been unable to keep all of her dignity talking to Weiss.

Ruby held her cheeks recalling how pure, pale, and pretty her partner was. She could feel herself blushing and it took a stubborn bite down on her tongue to stop the image of Weiss's breasts from sneaking into her mind.

"Damnit Yang…" Ruby whispered under her breath.

"What'd she do this time?" Came an unsurprised voice from the other side of the stall.

Ruby slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, and then slapped a hand on her forehead just in case Blake could hear her thoughts too. "Nothing!" Ruby mumbled from behind her hand.

"Uh huh." Came the reply.

Ruby continued washing her hair, subconsciously running her middle finger over one of the thick, black veins around her eyes. Underneath the thick, leathery tube she could feel the steady pulse of her blood being pumped through her body and was annoyed at how rapid it was. She should not be this embarrassed…

"You know, Ruby…" Blake spoke up again, sounding a little closer to the wall. Ruby glanced up to the top of the stall, fearing Blake might appear over it and see everything, but Blake kept out of sight. "I was impressed with you during the fight."

"Oh, um, thanks. Which fight?" Ruby immediately began to chide herself. "Th-the Nevermore fight! Right. I wasn't the only one…" She tapered off awkwardly, bridging her fingers in front of her chest nervously. She turned to face the shower head again, trying to hide the heat in her cheeks.

"I know that, but you were really surprising." Blake's tone turned from casual to praising, and Ruby gulped loudly. She flinched as she heard a thump against the wall, and briefly glanced to the top of the stall, then the bottom. She saw Blake's feet, turned away from Ruby's shower. She was leaning with her back against the stall. "Even if it didn't one-hundred percent work, it was a good plan, and you were willing to sacrifice yourself for somebody as irritating as the Schnee."

"Weiss." Ruby corrected immediately.

"Hmm?"

"Her name is Weiss. Not 'the Schnee.'" Ruby asserted firmly, but even so, she was rubbing her stomach anxiously. She didn't like confrontation, but… "She wasn't the... nicest… person before, but she's way better when you get to know her."

"... Even so." Came Blake's late answer. Ruby paled, wondering if she'd accidentally caused her to become annoyed. "You did good out there. You and Yang are much different in a fight than- well, actually, Yang's exactly what I thought she'd be, but the moment somebody was in danger, she stopped messing around."

"Yeah, she's a real pain in the neck sometimes." Ruby smiled to herself. "But I wouldn't trade her for anyone else. Was she freaking out trying to find me?"

"The moment she found out you were captured, she was all business."

"She was totally freaking out."

"I thought she'd explode."

"She does… sometimes." Blake's amused chuckle made Ruby smile. "But really, if your back's to the wall in a fight, or if you just feel lonely, she's the best person to have around. I know she kind of oversells the whole 'lady-killer' thing, but… she's my big sister. I'm…" Ruby swallowed thickly, feeling the black lines around her eyes. "I'm really blessed to have her."

Blake was quiet for a moment. Ruby was a bit antsy, wondering if she'd spoiled the mood, but Blake's voice broke the silence after a minute. "Are you religious, Ruby? You or your family?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Ruby thought about it. Her mother owned both a Hinjan and a Holy Trilogy set, and Ruby distinctly remembered her voice when they read them together late at night… she remembered her mother's warmth, her fingers caressing the pages as she carefully turned them… But Ruby only remembered the 'cooler' stories from Yang the storyteller, who only told stories about the heroes as opposed to paying homage to the gods. "My mom might have been." Ruby spoke just loudly enough for Blake to hear. "I don't think the rest of us are. I'm not, at least."

Blake shifted against the wall, and Ruby ran her fingers through her hair as she waited for her reply. "Do you think we have a purpose?"

"As hunters?" Ruby asked.

"No… well, sort of. I mean in general. There's humans, faunus, animals, and grimm, do you think we each have a role in life? A place? A station? Some pre-determined purpose we're meant to fulfill?"

Ruby hung her head and closed her eyes. She relaxed her body and thought for a few seconds before she answered. "I think the Grimm do. They're kind of the simple ones, right? Kill people, and that's it. I mean, there's so many questions about them…" Ruby stared at her shadow against the wall, imagining glowing red eyes within it. "But they do one thing and that's it."

"I guess so." Blake hummed out loud, and Ruby looked at the stall wall curiously. "So what about the people, the human and the faunus? What purpose do they have?"

"I dunno…" Ruby pursed her lips in thought, wondering where the question was coming from. "I think whatever we feel like."

"You don't think it's to answer all the great mysteries of our world?"

"Well, that's not what _I_ want to do, so I don't think that's what people are _meant_ to do. I want to protect the people that do, and the people that don't, and just… give everyone a chance." Ruby answered softly. She crossed her arms under her small bust and sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter to me if they're human or faunus, 'the grimm should not be the judge of our worth nor existence, it is us and us alone that can decide our fate.'"

"Mmm, Elan. Highly underrated." Blake said warmly.

"It was the only passage I remembered because the rest was just… so… _bloated…"_ Ruby grunted. Blake's amused snicker put her at ease.

"Ruby, we really should read together sometime. I think it might be fun."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up, and despite having a stall between them, she nodded at Blake. "I'd _really_ like that."

* * *

Ren was calm under pressure in even the most abnormal situations. He didn't stress when the grimm were nearby, he didn't panic when their rancid breath blew in his face, and he hardly felt it when they dug into his aura. Ren was a warrior, an ascetic when it came to his aura control, and had cool, calm confidence, granting him incredible reflexes and decision-making skills under fire, giving him options beyond a pair of SMGs most would scoff at for being "underpowered."

There were three things that knocked him off kilter, caused him to bite his tongue, squint his eyes, sigh, smile, or scream: horses, Nora, and Jaune's impressive manscaping job.

"It's, uh, hygienic." Jaune said in a small, embarrassed voice. Ren didn't crack a grin, but he at least looked above the waist.

"I've heard as much." Ren sat on the bench in just his white pants, turning away to hide his raised eyebrows. He used a relatively unknown aura technique to help heat his green shirt and flatten its wrinkles, making it look fresh and unworn by the day's trials. He glanced to Jaune again as the naked blonde walked to a nearby locker with shy steps.

Jaune had an odd frame. He clearly wasn't built to support a lot of muscle, yet Jaune's bulk pushed it to the edge, balancing on toe-tips, between being physically appealing and disgustingly swollen. His slender torso, hips, and legs made him a tad feminine, but he had prominent pectorals, defined abdominals, thick deltoids, and rounded biceps. They were offset by his slender, boyish face, though his thick, tough fingers suggested somebody who had worked difficult manual labor. He was also quite the heroic boy.

Ren felt the coming blood rush and closed his eyes, clearing his mind in an instant to stop his cheeks from turning pink.

Jaune slipped on his Pumpkin Pete hoody, letting out a relieved sigh as he covered himself up. He groaned a little as he sat down on the bench next to Ren, watching as he held up his stainless, flat shirt. Ren never made a noise, not even one of contentment in the shower. In fact, creepily enough, he stood facing the water, open-eyed, though whether his aura subtle enough or Ren tough enough to deal with hot water in his eyes Jaune couldn't tell.

Ren was such a strange guy, barely showing anything resembling human emotion even after Nora was saved, his voice always calm, his words always carrying this feeling of neutrality that Jaune didn't understand. He was far from robotic, he showed a definite loss of cool before, but now he was scenery again.

"I never thanked you." Ren suddenly spoke up, making Jaune shoot him a quick, surprised look. Jaune rubbed his forehead. What was he getting jumpy for…?

"It's no big deal."

Ren looked at him, his eyes slightly widened. Jaune didn't notice until he saw a particular glint in those pink irises. "Yes it is. It's a very big deal." His eyes softened, and once again he had a passionless gaze that seemed to shoot straight through Jaune. "You protected Nora."

"We all would have. I mean, what sorta hunter wouldn't? I had a shield, I could move, badabing badaboom, she's okay and we won." Jaune shrugged.

Ren's puzzled frown was returned by Jaune. To Ren, saving a human life from certain death shouldn't have been treated so casually. Sure, in the moment everyone was moving to protect their comrade, but Jaune had put himself directly in danger, not sure if his shield would protect him, and succeeded. Nora could have been crippled, or killed… did Jaune not realize that?

"She's more than okay." Ren looked down at his knees in thought, and he stopped a particularly powerful shudder from running up his spine. "That deathstalker's sting…"

"I know, and it's okay. You're welcome." Jaune simply rolled his shoulders. Ren entertained the idea that Jaune was simply dense.

"Jaune." Their eyes met again. Jaune's were an innocent blue, alive with hopes and dreams, steeped in fear and worry, the most plainly human eyes Ren had ever seen. There was no masking his emotions. "If you ever need anything, please, don't hesitate to come ask me."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It's only the first day." Jaune gave an anxious chuckle. "You'll probably save my butt enough times to make up for it and then some, so don't worry-"

"I _will_ worry." Ren's voice rose, just enough to make Jaune squirm in place at the sudden show of force. Ren softened, let his shoulders sag, and he let out a sigh, then immediately set himself up straight as if he hadn't slipped. "Nora and I are an… item."

"No way." Jaune snarked.

"We have been since we were both ten."

"Oh." Jaune blinked in surprise, then began to count on his fingers. "So you two have been together for seven years?"

Ren did not smile, but his cheeks tensed in unspoken fondness. "Correct. We've been close for seven years, and have become official in the last two. Nora and I have shared everything, from the loss of our families to the dreams of… restoring them." At that, Ren crossed his legs. "She _is_ my family, I look into her eyes and see an iron-clad destiny. Jaune, if she had died, a piece of me would have gone with her, and I don't know if I could have lived without it." He subtly shot a look to Jaune, his lips only marginally tighter.

A hand landed on his shoulder and shook him, making him instinctively rebalance so he wouldn't topple. Jaune's eyes bored into Ren's seriously. "Look. As long as I'm around, I don't care who you are, you're behind my shield. In the future, when I'm a big-time hunter and I'm autographing T-shirts, I'll have all the recognition, money, and food that I'll ever want. Right now? I'm just doing what's right. So don't give me this whole 'if she died blah blah blah—' because she didn't, and she won't. Not while we're here."

Jaune's smile was bright and lovely, though there was a tug of doubt at the corner of his lips, something in the back of his mind stopping him from fully believing in himself. Ren didn't notice that as he felt his heart soar, and he allowed himself a moment of silent, stone-faced elation before he clamped down on it. Ren simply looked back in dull surprise.

With another, softer pat to Ren's back, Jaune got to his feet with a wince. "Dude, I don't know about you, but I am _starving._ I am gonna eat 'til I'm sick." He strapped on his armor, unaware of Ren's trembling hands.

Red stood up, his stance slack and totally calm. "Jaune?" He called, causing the blonde to glance over his shoulder curiously. "Nora and I have your back. That I will promise you." Jaune adjusted his buckles and belts for a moment, his curiosity slipping into confusion. Ren walked past him, pausing at the locker room's exit. "For the moment, however, we should get going. There might not be much left to eat if Nora gets there first." His words carried just enough levity to avoid being an insult, and Jaune groaned.

"Okay, but not _too_ fast, my knees are doing that popping thing…" He staggered forward, trying to walk straight as best as he could as he and Ren left.

* * *

 _"No…"_ A soft, insistent voice broke through the darkness. "No… no! No no no nononono! Bad! _Very bad girls! VERY VERY BAD!"_ Oobleck roared, flailing in Port's grip as he tried to rush the holoscreen.

With the professors watching, the mighty Nevermore disappeared in a hot orange cloud that only grew, deafening explosions causing the speakers to crackle. The Nevermore, the second oldest being of the Emerald Forest and by far its mightiest denizen, had been reduced to little more than a few disintegrating feathers and a melting head.

The screen went quiet as the hover drone flew to a new position to see through the smoke, just in time to capture Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang hauling themselves out of the canyon to recoup.

Ozpin silently rewound the recording back to the beginning of the fight, where the present instructors could rewatch Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren fight and slay the Deathstalker. Nobody blinked as the four, having only just met, moved like an experienced team to cover each other and harass the aged grimm.

Professor Peach rested her cheeks in her hands as her mouth hung slightly open throughout the battle. Port was speechless, his eyes wide open as the Deathstalker twitched in the throes of its deservedly painful, humiliating death. Then it was back to the other four girls.

Glynda watched silently, her nerves calm, her face slack. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she rewatched the fight among the towers. The girls played it risky, willingly using bait tactics to trap and punish the Nevermore, following it into the skies at times to get in a few extra hits, and finally, the explosion.

The up-and-coming hunters who had finished before them had run into half as much trouble as these eight had. Cardin Winchester and his partner had taken down twelve ursa minors in a row with little damage, enough for Glynda to silently offer a compliment at the impressive show of strength and skill, but watching these teams…

Maybe they hadn't started out impressively. Half of them had little trouble reaching their goal, but the other half had run themselves ragged even before the fight by the canyon. The rather clever disposal of the Deathstalker was enough to ease Glynda's worries about Jaune Arc's unsubstantiated records, but what truly worried her was Ruby.

She had broken a rule. Yes, it was in defense of her partner, somebody she had had nothing but troubles with, but no amount of lying could cover the truth about Ruby. Despite this, Weiss Schnee had shown considerable maturity and, Glynda dared to say, heroism in choosing to rescue Ruby and swear to secrecy.

Glynda didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she felt Ruby and Weiss both needed to be much more seriously talked to, perhaps made to sign a waiver to never bring it up again. On the other hand, they had genuinely prevailed over their initially rocky meeting, overcome their obstacles as fellow hunters rather than as uneasy allies, and had taken down the goddamned _Nevermore._

Ozpin merely looked pleased with himself as he re-watched the explosion, all present ignoring Oobleck's agonized wailing. The headmaster had been right, again. Glynda sighed. His ability to identify a hunter's potential was a greater asset to Beacon than all his clever words and organizational skills.

Silently, Glynda closed her eyes and let relief flood through her. Young Ruby still had a long way to go, but her promise was apparent. Perhaps she _could_ be a force of meaningful change…

She opened her eyes and snapped to attention as the video ended. Ozpin clicked a button on a remote control to turn the lights on and bridged his fingers in front of his face.

"The Knight team and the Rook team have proven themselves, I think." Ozpin said thoughtfully, looking between the four other professors curiously. "What do you think?" He prompted. Oobleck's shout made them all wince.

 _"The knight team is hereby disqualified from Beacon FOREVER!"_ The tall, wiry man's voice fell to sorrowful whimpers. "The Ignopolus, _gone!_ And for what?! One _measly_ dead Nevermore?! Those ruins were perfectly preserved pieces of Ignus history! The observation towers, the prayer hall behind it, collapsed! Destroyed! _Annihilated!"_

"While their tactics were solid, they barely understood Grimm anatomy!" Port tightened his grip around Oobleck as the taller professor went limp, nearly sliding to the floor in defeat. "The Deathstalker should have been flipped, as I _always_ said. They were quite lucky miss Valkyrie still had enough of an electric charge powering her to break its armor."

"And all that wasted _Dust."_ Peach sighed thickly, running her fingers through her dreadlocks. "Miss Schnee was far too liberal with her semblance usage, all of them wasted bullets for nothing, and that poor sword… if Mr. Arc comes into my class tomorrow with that sword unpolished, I am giving him a whupping like no other." Peach smacked her hands together in mock imitation of a slap, her brow furiously set.

"If miss Belladonna was any less agile and quick-witted, the Nevermore would have not been so readily handled. Indeed, there were _multiple_ instances where miss Xiao Long and miss Schnee should have plummeted to their deaths." Glynda added, drumming the table top with her fingers. "Their final gambit was _terribly_ risky; that we aren't sending them home in _multiple_ coffins is simply lucky."

"Indeed, quite rough."

"Horribly inefficient."

 _"Father Ignus forgive us…"_

Professor Ozpin looked between the four others silently, waiting for any additional comments, and when none came, he lifted his chin onto his bridged fingers to speak. "True enough. Have they passed?"

 _"Flying colors!"_ Port beamed, bobbing his head as his hands swept out in delight. "Such daring, such heroism, such excellent teamwork!"

"And they packed a _mean_ punch. I've seen far too many hunters underload their equipment and get mauled for it." Peach chuckled, while Glynda…

"Despite their risk-taking and their overall foolishness in getting themselves trapped, they did what few other students have: slay the ancient Grimm of the forest." Glynda quietly scanned her data presented on her scroll and checkmarked eight names. "I believe the Branwen twins were the last pair to make such a claim, and in far more favorable conditions."

"Ahem." Oobleck shot straight up, then settled into his chair with a stiff posture. "Despite the atrocities committed against the church of Ignus, I believe they've proven themselves. As the educators of Beacon, it is our duty to refine them into _true_ protectors of humanity, and not simply wrecking balls with _little concern for the history of an ancient organization!"_

Oobleck's forehead hit the table, and a low, defeated moan escaped him as the others ignored him. Ozpin cleared his throat. "Excellent. Then it's agreed: team Knight and team Rook have earned their place here at Beacon Academy. Let's prepare their welcoming. Glynda?" He looked to his right hand woman with a small smile, and Glynda nodded.

"I'll have their leaders chosen and names given by ceremony time."

"Good. Dismissed." The headmaster announced. The five figures stood and walked single-file out the door. Ozpin, Port, and Peach turned right down the hallway, while Glynda and Oobleck turned left.

Glynda walked slowly, quietly musing over this development.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. The knights of Beacon. Highly mobile, endlessly versatile, working in and around confusing and dangerous locations to achieve their goals, but far too easily trapping themselves in predicaments through short-sighted actions.

Ruby had proven she was a mature girl, despite her age, and spurred her comrades to greater feats for their fellow man. Despite her powers and her age, she had been controlled, calm, quick to act, and charismatic…

Then there was Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren, the Rooks of Beacon. Strong defensive capabilities, with an equally impressive offense. They'd be sturdy and trustworthy, but their straightforward combat skills left them predictable and easy to outmaneuver.

Something told Glynda that Jaune's transcripts weren't completely honest, if at all. Despite this, when sufficiently motivated, he moved like water, created a fast and efficient plan, and did not hesitate to put himself between danger and a stranger.

Glynda paused mid-stride so she could re-check the orders she was giving. What was the world coming to? Two amateurs like them in charge of a pair of teams full of a dangerous mix of personality and skill? Yet, as Glynda glanced over her shoulder at Ozpin's retreating form, she reminded herself that it wasn't experience and intelligence alone that could lead. It took a certain character to do so, a willingness to make and execute plans as everyone shuffled their feet, afraid of the consequences of their next move.

Sometimes, a group of people just needed a shining example to gather around.

Glynda submitted her orders and continued her walk to her office.

This would be a most interesting semester…

* * *

"I can't believe you two _still_ have enough room for dessert." Jaune sighed heavily, rubbing his full, gurgling stomach. He lounged lazily in the cafeteria chair as he watched Pyrrha and Nora peel the tops off of their ice cream cups. Across from Jaune, Ren sat quietly, observing his surroundings.

Known only to the couple, Ren's hand was resting in his lover's lap. It was one of his few, private indulgences, and an innocent one. He liked his partner's body heat, and she liked to share it.

Pyrrha was sizing everyone up. She knew perfectly well that she was safe and that the mission was over. Their initiation had been unexpectedly brutal and harrowing—something she suspected was not _intentional_ —but they were in a safe place.

Her spoon dug into the soft, velvety surface of her vanilla ice cream and slowly stirred, turning the smooth, but solid treat into a goopy flurry. Jaune watched with a raised eyebrow as she sprinkled a few shakes of salt into the slurry to be mixed in by a slow, gentle stir.

The cafeteria was jam-packed with first year students eating, relaxing, and chatting. Many of them looked a little worn, some dog-tired, but none as so thoroughly beaten up as their new allies. The table behind Nora and Ren were occupied by Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, each pulling from a giant plate of chocolate chip cookies.

Such a strange little group. Pyrrha wasn't sure what to expect coming to Beacon. She had chosen Vale's historical academy not just for its history of successes, but because it meant she wouldn't go to Haven. Her rivals were gone, her enemies were gone, her old managers, coaches, nutritionists… _everyone_ was gone. Everyone but the friends she'd never had.

Pyrrha savored the sweetness on her tongue and closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath. It had started out fine. She was thirteen, she'd won her first big tournament. It was such a big deal at the time, it wasn't exactly _unheard_ of for a first year intermediate student to win the Mistral Regional Tournament, none of the big-name fighters from prior years had signed up for various reasons, and Pyrrha had a lot of ambition and drive at the time. Her semblance also helped her adjust things into her favor just the slightest bit, and ultimately pocket the prize money, wear the titles, and get paid more to appear on talk shows and give interviews.

As time went on though, things changed. She became revered, feared, beloved, and despised, but never on a personal level. Everybody was all about business, fighting, worshipping at her feet, or disparaging her for her continued successes. At some point, Pyrrha began to feel less like a person and more like some deific _thing_ that the people of Mistral bowed and scraped to.

Her arrival to Vale had been… less than promising. Getting swamped by reporters and fans almost immediately, she'd spent an uncomfortably long amount of time signing autographs, even once she'd made it to Beacon. Weiss Schnee had seemed reasonable enough, but…

Weiss shot up in her seat as she noticed Pyrrha looking at her, and gave a friendly smile and wave. Pyrrha returned it politely, then swallowed her ice cream and took another spoonful. She subtly scoped out Ruby and Yang over Nora and Ren's shoulders. Four people who had acknowledged her status and never chased her with an agenda, four people she was having trouble recognizing as friends after four years of putting up with yes-men and social climbers…

Then there was Jaune. She shot him a look as he relaxed by her side, not even looking at her. He had zero clue who she was, and, despite his poor combat skills, he had a solid head on his shoulders and a willingness to lead and protect. He was a textbook case of a storybook hero: an ignorant farm boy with a hunger for adventure, using his head and his heart to lead and overcome his obstacles…

And more than that, he treated her like a _person_. Her cheeks grew a pale shade of red as she remembered his lack of fear in touching her as a fellow person. She hadn't had a hand on her shoulder in a long time, hadn't had somebody offer a hand in her time of need, and despite having a hunter's or a gladiator's body, he didn't walk with a cocky swagger, didn't act overconfident… he seemed amazingly down to Earth.

After years of living in the spotlight with characters, Pyrrha was just fine getting paired up with somebody who was simply himself… assuming, of course, he was being honest. She silently wondered what he had done to earn his way into Beacon without an Aura, and though the thought bothered her, he was otherwise squeaky clean.

"Hey!" Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren looked up to Yang. Yang, and the girls forming their assumed team, stood up with Ruby. "You two scootch." She ordered Nora and Ren. The two took a confused second to obey, but when they did, Yang pushed their tables together. The eight of them sat around the large square as best they could, and Pyrrha found it to be pleasantly like eating with a family…

Was that how eating with friends was supposed to work? She gave a tiny, hopeful smile.

"- I mean there were like _eight_ of them."

"Three." Ren corrected.

Nora powered forward. "Me and Ren were all alone-"

"Backed by an armed task force…"

"And _boom_. The _biggest_ creep I had ever seen."

"It was a large man wearing just wolf skins… very creepy indeed."

"We were backed into a corner by the hippocampuses-eses, but I was like 'aww _hell_ no!'"

"You cried."

"I did _noooot!_ Reeeeen!" Nora slapped at Ren's forearm as the boy twirled noodles around his fork. "You're ruining my story!"

"Your fictitious recollection of actual events does not make for a proper story…"

Nora's cheeks puffed up, her face scrunching in an over exaggerated scowl. "I can use big words too, Mr. Know-It-All!" She cleared her throat. "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia!"

Ren paused. He lowered his fork and looked Nora in the eye. "... Which means?"

Nora's ever bright and perky smile did not fade. "Not a clue!" She answered. Ren sighed thickly, and kissed Nora's forehead before returning to his spaghetti.

Pyrrha just watched. By her side, Jaune stirred to a sitting position so he, Ruby, and Yang could talk about the Deathstalker and the Nevermore. Blake was quiet, listening in on all sides, but seemed perfectly comfortable not joining in. If anything, she seemed to blend in with those around her without contributing. Ren and Nora were playfully bantering once Ren finished his meal, while Weiss put on her best smile.

"It appears we weren't able to be partners." Weiss tried to sound natural, just like the first time she'd spoken. Pyrrha gave her a slow blink, but then nodded.

"It seems so, not that I have much to complain about." Pyrrha shot Jaune a favorable smile, then turned back towards Weiss suspiciously. "You and Ruby also seem to have made up."

A bolt of irritation crossed Weiss's brow, but she nodded slowly. "We've reached a compromise in the forest and have decided that our partnership will be, at the very least, beneficial to the both of us." Pyrrha recognized the clinical talk. Weiss didn't get her way. "And you're okay with, err, tall, blonde, and scraggly?" She shot Jaune an odd look, and Pyrrha just gave a small smile.

"Despite his looks, or perhaps in addition to them, he possesses a lot of traits I find desirable in a teammate." Pyrrha matched the clinical talk, not willing to open up. It was embarrassing enough as it was to actually _feel_ herself melting like a schoolgirl around their crush… she didn't need other people to _know_. "I have no complaints."

Weiss simply nodded, though her pursed lips seemed to disagree. "Either way, as fellow hunters, we should still find the opportunity to train and study together! The best of Mistral and the best of Atlas working together could produce some," Weiss's finger twirled on the tabletop as Yang's had, "powerful results." She gave a small, coy giggle.

Pyrrha evaluated Weiss in front of her. She was clearly interested in Pyrrha's status and skill, but there was something… additional to it. What was this intense look in her eyes? The utter sweetness of her smile? Was Weiss that good of a liar? No, it seemed genuine, but even her tone was honey-coated. Pyrrha chalked it up to Weiss just being friendly… "I wouldn't mind studying with you, and training will prove helpful, but for now, I'd like to relax. Today's events has taken quite a toll on us all." Pyrrha smiled warmly, and Weiss nodded while leaning back with a sigh.

Conversation continued. Pyrrha chimed in when prompted, but a part of her was just happy to see everyone in such a relaxed state. It allowed her to think, and wonder, if maybe any of them could offer her a proper challenge. It would never hurt to ask, sparring would be very useful, but she secretly hoped that at least one of them would make her blood run hot and her heart pound…

"Ahem." Pyrrha joined the rest in looking up at Yang. The blonde was standing, holding her can of sparkling lemonade at chest level. "So, like, I know we've only just met and haven't _really_ gotten to know each other, but it was good hunting with all of you." She held her can out. Seven drinks clinked against hers, some spilling their contents on the table, and a small round of excited cheers escaped them. "I know I have a preference whose team I'm on, but if Blake and I end up with any of you, I won't bitch."

"Though if any of _us_ end up with you, I'm sure there will be plenty to report to the headmaster." Weiss gave Yang a playful smirk, which was returned heartily.

"Imagine how I feel." Blake said in dry amusement, earning a few snickers.

"Just keep on killin' my mood…" Yang shook her head, but kept a peppy expression. "So here's to us rockin' our initiation, here's to us being a team, and here's to the future of eight badass hunters!" She stuck her can out again, and the next clatter of drinks was much more enthusiastic. Even Ren wore a hopeful smile as they settled back down.

"Speaking of teams…" Pyrrha spoke up. She wordlessly set the black rook in the middle of the table, drawing everyone's eyes. "I'm sure our team naming ceremony will also involve someone taking on the leadership role." At that, the table fell silent. Each of the eight students looked between each other…

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. The expressions she got implied that it wasn't. "Pyrrha and I have the most formal and extensive training. I believe our transcripts speak for themselves, we will most likely get the leadership role."

 _"You?"_ Blake retorted instantly, resisting the impulse to lay her ears flat.

"Of _course_ me. I had personal lessons from some of the greatest tutors in Atlas, Pyrrha is a combat _expert_ , anybody would benefit from her leading the charge." Weiss pointed out logically. Blake and Pyrrha both crinkled their noses.

"I-I would very much rather not." Pyrrha rubbed her palms together nervously at the thought. "I have been a lone wolf in the ring for much of my schooling, I don't believe I have the mindset to lead a team."

Jaune, however, smacked her back, making her shoot up straight with a squeak. "Of course you do! You were right in there with the rest of us, you wanted us to go save Ruby."

"Hm, but self-sacrifice is not necessarily a good thing for a team leader to have." Ren spoke up. "The point of a leader is to manage their teammates, not do their job for them."

"Ren could be a team leader!" Nora offered brightly, making Ren pause and consider.

"Either way, I believe _I_ am a shoe-in." Weiss nodded promptly.

"Hey, you know, I could go for team leader. Commander Xiao Long..." Yang hummed as she leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. "I know a thing or two about exercise and nutrition, and I passed all my battlefield tactics tests. Oooh, I could implement a uniform…" She snickered mischievously while rubbing her hands together.

"Do we all wear thongs?" Ruby asked in a flat voice.

"Except _you_ , obviously." Yang rubbed Ruby's head as the younger sister growled in protest. "Mmm, I'm thinking loose little short skirts and long, long stockings…"

"Vetoed." Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren all said at once. Yang huffed loudly, and the eight of them fell into a contemplative silence.

Ruby was happy to let somebody else lead. She still felt so small compared to the rest of them, and still had so much to do, so much to _learn_. The idea of being the leader of a team made her sweat. How could she _possibly_ inspire and educate a group of people when she was already so full of doubts and secrets?

She let out a slow, happy breath. She was young, she was dumb, there was no way she'd be given leadership…

* * *

The door opened without a noise, letting Yang peer into the dark room curiously. She reached to her right and flipped on a light switch, revealing a comfortable, if barren bedroom. There were four normal spring mattress beds with a few feet of space between each one, two study desks in opposite corners, trunks at the foot of each bed, and a wall mirror. There was also two other doors to be opened and explored, but for the moment…

"So, did I call it or did I _call it?"_ Yang asked with a toothy smile. Blake snorted, but gave her a small smirk as she walked past the blonde into the dorm room. She walked straight to the windows above the bed, playing with the curtains curiously for a moment before she plopped onto the bed in the furthest corner from them. "Hey, don't get too comfy, team leader gets first dibs."

"Says who?" Blake asked with playful defiance, kicking off her shoes before she laid back.

"Says me!" Yang countered, reaching behind herself to carefully push Ruby into the room. The smaller, younger girl looked nearly boneless, quietly swaying in place, her mouth a small, shocked 'o', only Yang's grip around her cloak stopping her from toppling over onto her front. "C'mon Ruby, we're all shocked and proud."

Ruby simply made a distressed noise.

"Yes." Weiss muttered as she stiffly closed the door behind herself, one eyebrow twitching noticeably enough that she had to periodically press her finger to her cheek to stop the spasms. "Shocked."

Yang made sure Ruby was sitting at the end of a bed before she fell onto her back with a loud plop. The elder sister went through every drawer and door in the room as Ruby stared at the ceiling in silent horror.

Team leader. She was a fifteen year old girl put in charge of three seventeen year old girls, one of whom was her older sister. How in all things good and logical had the headmaster deemed the most dangerous, least experienced one of them as _team leader?_ She wasn't smart, she wasn't talented, she wasn't strong. All three of her teammates were better than her in _all_ those fields, and she was expected to be in charge of them?

Team RWBY… even their team was named after her.

She barely remembered anything after she was named team leader, as she had sunk into such a deep, dark self-doubt that everything around her seemed murky and intangible. Only her sister's steadying hand kept her from collapsing.

Was this some sort of punishment? A test?

"Ah, cool!" Yang announced, poking her head out of one of the doors. "So, we got an awesome bathroom, but all our stuff is in the closet." She stepped out holding a box. Blake sat up to watch as Yang opened it up and pulled out a stack of clothes.

"All our things?" Weiss asked, now seated at a desk, tiredly slumped.

"Yeah. Clothes, school stuff, equipment, even my makeup made it." Yang held up a red tube top. Weiss and Blake both stared at the tiny garment, then Yang, and looked away in embarrassment. "Classes are at, like, ten tomorrow, right?"

"Nine." Blake corrected, sliding off the bed. As she walked, she removed her black bustier and tossed it into a plastic laundry hamper by the door. Wearing just her white, plain clothes and stockings, Weiss and Yang both watched her disappear into the closet. She exited soon after with a pleased smile and a box in her arms.

She pulled a book out of the box, and judging by how the bed springs had squealed when she dropped the box, there were far more inside. She dropped onto the bed to kick off her stockings and crack open the book.

Weiss was silent, then flared her nostrils and roused herself. She kicked her heels off and tossed her jacket over the chair's back, then stepped into the closet. She walked out tossing aside her waist ribbon and undoing her long ponytail, her other arm holding a long black case over her shoulder.

Yang locked onto it immediately. "Whatcha got princess?" She asked, brimming with curiosity. Her bomber's jacket lay on the bed, where all her accessories and wear other than her black shorts and yellow shirt joined it. Blake tossed an idle, curious look from her book.

"What had _better_ be Lucille, intact, untouched, and undamaged…" Weiss grunted as she dropped the case on the free bed next to Ruby's and opened it up. She examined the contents with an approving look, a low sigh escaping her as she pulled 'Lucille' out.

"Whoa _whoa,_ is that a guitar?" Yang walked over, bending over to inspect the pristine, white-wood acoustic guitar that Weiss comfortingly cradled in a playing position. "Holy shit." Yang's eyes widened. "You… you _play?"_

Weiss gave Yang a bemused look as she plucked a string with her long nails, creating a high, pretty note. Blake had officially lost interest in her book as Weiss strummed her way up the scale. "Of course I play. I'm a _singer._ Don't…" Weiss frowned. "Don't tell me you didn't _know?"_

"Like, I think I knew?" Yang murmured, sitting down on Ruby's bed, making her sister lift her head up to stare. "I just never connected the dots. I mean, you sing, but you also play _guitar?"_ Yang's purple eyes were wide with tantalized joy, as if Weiss was a wholly different person, one Yang very much approved of.

"It makes it easier to write songs if you have a tune to play along with." Weiss shrugged, seeming embarrassed as Yang plopped her chin into her hands. "I should also have a drum set, a keyboard, a bass guitar-"

 _"Aa~aaa~aahhh…"_ Yang moaned, making Weiss flinch in shy surprise as Yang eyed her up. "Play for me?" The blonde asked in a small coo, making Weiss squirm nervously.

"... Not too much, we should get ready for tomorrow." Weiss mumbled. She stared down at Lucille thoughtfully, her fingers primed. She cleared her mind and let lyrics and setlists flow freely, and she slowly started to play. _"Come at me, and you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye..."_ She sang slowly, not with the power she'd give on stage. Her tone was almost sad, even as the bragging lyrics left her lips. Yang watched in silent awe, comprehension dawning on her as Weiss sang. Blake had closed her book, staring at Weiss's back with a small frown, trying to slow the pleasurable adrenaline flowing from her ears to her heart.

The song lasted only a few minutes, from start to finish, but in those moments, Weiss seemed like a different person. Her voice chimed like a bell in their ears, her guitar helping carry her words on soft, but confident notes. It was a version of the song Yang had never heard.

She knew the lyrics well, as she often worked out to the song. She'd heard many versions, from Weiss's original to the tributes from male singers with more powerful, confident voices, down to the remixed club version Yang was so fond of. It was a popular song among hunters and gym rats, especially the underdogs and the students heading towards their future career.

It was a song that Yang felt like described her perfectly, not knowing Weiss had written it for herself.

Ruby sat up to watch as Weiss closed her eyes and sang. Blake fidgeted in place, trying to not groove to the music. She had to remind herself of who Weiss was, but even then, the song was easy on the ears, made her feel stronger, braver…

As much as she hated it, she _couldn't_ stop herself from enjoying Weiss's songs.

The song ended in a triumphant note, and Weiss cocked her jaw as the other three stared. "I was flat!" She huffed, standing up abruptly. Ruby, Blake, and Yang watched in surprise as the heiress walked to the mirror and played back, singing, adjusting her voice at certain parts of the song. She pouted, only stopping her practicing as Yang's hand settled on her shoulder.

"Flat or not, that was amazing." Yang said with a beaming smile. Weiss snorted, still unhappy with it, but stopped herself when she noticed Yang's sudden blush, the shy way she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "So, like, I have no clue if this is flattering or not, but I have so many of your shirts."

"It's true." Ruby added, sitting at the end of the bed, finally contributing. "Gym shirts and tanktops and stuff."

"Oh. Well, thank you." Weiss hugged Lucille closer, her cheeks reddening a bit. "'I Burn' is probably the best song I've ever written. When I was touring, I closed every show with it." She pouted heavily. "I kinda wrote it for… a lot of reasons I won't go into, but eventually it just got overplayed and overplayed and remixed and overplayed _more…_ Sometimes, I wanted to get on stage and tell everyone to just _let it go..._ "

"I remember I couldn't go a whole three months without hearing it at least once per day." Blake spoke up, watching Weiss carefully. "It's… a good song. It just got old after a while."

"Yeah, no kidding, when you get sick of your own voice, there's a problem." Weiss chuckled, giving Blake a friendly smile. Blake found herself returning it. _"Anyway…"_ Weiss slid her guitar off her shoulders and carefully placed it in its case. She set it to the side of the bed she'd taken over and stretched. "I'm going to go find my alarm clock, we should prepare ourselves for tomorrow morning."

"What time are we getting up?" Blake asked.

"Seven o'clock." Weiss said confidently.

"Five-thirty." Ruby and Yang both countered.

Blake's eyebrows rose to the top of her forehead at the sisters, and Weiss twitched. _"Five-thirty?_ We won't have class until nine!" She reminded them roughly.

"Ruby and I get up early to work out and do chores!" Yang said with a big grin. "Besides, getting up early means you can do everything you gotta do to stay healthy and get extra time to pretty up! Then, of course, we gotta decorate, otherwise this place isn't gonna feel _lived in."_

"Of course it won't feel lived in! We only _just_ started _living in it!"_ Weiss was twitching at the thought of getting up before the sun rose.

"All the more reason to make sure we get into a routine!" Yang beamed.

"You and Blake can sleep in if you'd like." Ruby offered gently. "We won't turn on any music while we exercise or anything, then you two can stay in bed."

Weiss considered it for a second, then sighed. "Fine. Just don't make a lot of noise."

"Sleep is appreciated." Blake added dryly.

The four girls alternated between relaxing on their chosen beds and wandering into the closet to look for something. Ruby found her pens and stationery in one box, and Blake took her two other boxes out to join her book box. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang had significantly more things with them than Blake, and Blake had been nosey enough to find Ruby had apparently brought her entire personal library with her. Some of the books she didn't even recognize. A naughty thrill shot through her at the thought of taking one or two and seeing what Ruby's tastes were…

The night eventually wound down. The sun had finally settled under the horizon, darkness dominating the land. Weiss had lit a vanilla-scented candle, making Blake's eyes flutter as relaxation hit her like a brick. She laid her heavy body onto the bed, book held to her chest as she closed her eyes.

Yang switched the lights off, and Ruby took the candle to a desk. Yang flopped onto her back, squirming under the sheets after kicking away her pants. Weiss used the closet light to find her personal boxes, separating them from the rest. With half the boxes sorted out, and the other half belonging to her teammates, she nodded in satisfaction and stepped into the dark room.

The only sounds were Blake's gentle breathing, Yang shuffling to get comfortable, and then gentle scratch of Ruby's pen. Weiss stared around the dark, hardly furnished room, at the three girls she'd be sharing it with.

There'd be no true privacy, really. She'd be sharing her space with three people. No privacy to read, to write, to sing, to dance, to flip through books and magazines, to stare out the window… she'd be around girls her age at all times of the day, more than likely. Weiss allowed herself a small smile. She looked from Ruby, writing at a desk by scented candlelight, to Blake and Yang knocked out in their beds.

She was free. Free to be Weiss, with three people she never knew but had treated her like an equal.

As quietly as she could, she opened a box with her clothes in it. With red creeping into her skin all over, she undressed, feeling a little thrill as she briefly went nude before sliding on her nightgown. It wasn't the thought of being seen that excited her, but the thought that she might be seen and it would be meaningless. She wouldn't be hiding herself from the world for fear of embarrassing her father, she would confidently strut in whatever amount of clothing she desired in her new room, unafraid of being judged, or having pictures taken of her for some gross tabloid, or being laughed at on some trashy talk show…

She was her own person for now. Ready to build herself into the Weiss Schnee, somebody who would reform the Schnee Dust Company back into what it was meant to be.

As she felt her hips slide through her thin, cool dress, she curiously glanced to Ruby. The younger girl immediately turned her head away, sinking her head into her writing, and Weiss suppressed the need to hide herself. It was _okay_ if they looked. Seventy-four percent of them would look, it didn't mean they'd act. Weiss wanted to feel proud of her body, not embarrassed.

Ruby had looked, more than once, and it was a good thing. It meant Weiss was worth looking at. With a small, steadying breath, Weiss quietly walked over to her partner. Ruby was hunched over the desk, having filled out one letter, the other slowly being filled by her pen. Two envelopes lay open and waiting, and Weiss set a hand on the desk to get her attention.

Ruby looked, her eyes immediately catching Weiss's gentle, if unsure expression, and she resisted the need to look at Weiss's opaque figure through her thin gown. "You should get to bed soon if you want to wake up so early." Weiss's nose crinkled at the thought, but she put on a small smile.

"I know. I just wanted to let my dad and uncle know how my initiation went." Ruby swept a hand over her letters, blushing. "I know it's silly, but I promised to keep in touch. I haven't left home in so long, and it's a lot to adjust to, so… I want them to know I'm okay."

"Please, you'll be _more_ than okay." Weiss said in what sounded like annoyance. "You passed, you're with a team, you have _me_ as a partner…" Weiss's voice dropped very low. "And you're team leader…" The statement hung over them both for a second as Weiss fell silent, but before Ruby could squirm, Weiss shook herself. "Which means you need to set a good example. Finish up and go to bed."

Ruby tapped her paper with her pen, then nodded, smiling quietly. "Gunna be weird sleeping with my goggles on." She said idly, continuing to write.

Weiss looked at Ruby's goggles, recalling the eyes underneath… how _terrifying_ they were, and how cruel it was that she'd be forced to hide away from everyone. Weiss wasn't sure if it was acceptable to tell Blake or not. Even worse, wearing those goggles all the time would be horrible for her skin, and probably leave her feeling sore. That was simply unacceptable in this room they were meant to share.

"We'll figure something out." Weiss shrugged. Ruby gave her a quick, curious look, but Weiss was already walking back to bed. "Don't stay up too long." She said warningly before sliding under the covers.

Ruby nodded, though Weiss didn't see.

She focused back on her letter to Uncle Qrow, and finished the day's story. It took the front and the back to describe everyone she'd met and everything she'd done, but left just enough room to leave a big, looping _'Love, Ruby.'_ at the bottom. She smiled, folded the letters, and snuck over to the mail slot in the wall by the door. She slid the two letters inside, listened to them fall down the chute to be taken and sorted by Beacon's mailing system.

She blew out the candle and finally undressed.

Wearing only a little black tanktop and a heart-pattern pair of pajama bottoms, Ruby slid into bed, turning over repeatedly to figure out how to lay on her goggles comfortably. It took a few minutes to settle, but when she did, she closed her eyes and drifted off immediately.

The room was quiet, the four teammates momentarily at peace.

Down below, in Beacon's basement, two letters dropped into a pile of other waiting envelopes, written by the many students wanting to fill in their families and friends on their successes.

Beacon's Mail Sorter, a large, orb-shaped robot resting on top of a metallic cone with eight small, robotic arms, rapidly lifted each letter and scanned it with its numerous blue-lit eyes. It sorted letters into crates labelled with specific regions of each continent, ensuring they'd be sent to the proper post offices for those area.

It finally took ahold of two, both written by Ruby Rose. It scanned one, and placed it in a crate bound for Patch Island. It took the other, scanned it briefly, then set the letter in the Beacon Employee's crate, continuing its job without any hesitation.


	10. First Day of Class

Weiss cringed, awakened by irritating beeping. Her eye cracked open as an annoyed slap stopped the noise. In the bed within her view, Ruby stirred awake. Weiss watched her partner sit up and contemplate her lap for a second, before kicking the blankets off her body. Ruby slid out of bed and stretched with a small, girly grunt of exertion.

Judging from the light coming through the window—or lack thereof—the sun wasn't even up yet. Weiss sighed and heard a thud from behind her. She rolled tiredly to her other side to get an eyeful of Yang's tummy. The blonde's hair was spiky and askew, looking brilliant yet horrible all at once. Weiss smirked a tiny bit and closed her eyes as Ruby and Yang's footsteps provided some ambience.

They moved as quietly as they could, bless their hearts, but Weiss's eye cracked open as they began to mumble. She caught Blake's golden yellow eyes peering at her from the corner bed, both sharing a tired, annoyed moment as Ruby and Yang got dressed and exited the room.

Weiss closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

Ten minutes later, she was stirred awake by a smell. She rolled onto her back to watch with a mixture of envy and exasperation as she smelled _coffee._

"Don't drink _all_ of it." Yang chided in a whisper. Ruby made a quiet, unhappy noise, but passed Yang the cup, letting the blonde chug down the rest. Sitting on a desk was a tray with orange juice, milk, slices of toast, scrambled eggs, and a chocolate chip cookie. Weiss's eyebrow twitched at the sight of the dessert and tried to close her eyes again.

Gentle clinking and swallowing kept Weiss awake. It wasn't loud enough to get angry over—there was a very clear, conscious effort from the sisters to give her peace and quiet—but Weiss was used to her utterly silent, dark room. Nobody woke her but Klein, and even then only on days she needed to be up early.

She let out a soft sigh.

Two beds over, Blake was fast asleep. After the alarm clock, nothing disturbed her. Having spent most of her teenage years in a tent, surrounded by noisy, active Faunus, this was heaven: she had a nice comfy mattress, elevated from the ground, and her two awake colleagues were trying hard to be stealthy.

However, routine and ritual caught up to her not too much later. She woke herself up, feeling wonderfully loose and calm, her hair bent and poofy around her head as she sat up. She smacked her dry lips, tugged at her shirt, and frowned as she realized she'd failed to change the night before.

She looked around the room. Weiss sat at a desk, trying to not drink _all_ the orange juice and eat _all_ the eggs under the lamplight, while Ruby held her sister's feet. Yang was doing push-ups, with Ruby counting each motion for her. Both wore running shorts and tanktops, each with their respective color scheme. Blake paused, taking a moment to admire Ruby's lithe, pretty form in her tight clothing, but her eyes then fell on Yang.

She licked her dry lips again. Her partner had strong legs, of course, but that butt was something _else_. Blake shook her head, removing all those idle, early-morning thoughts. She got to her feet and stepped past Ruby and Yang, taking the milk off the tray. "Cafeteria's open this early?" She asked, hiding a yawn.

"Thirty-six—opens at five AM!—thirty-seven—breakfast foods only though—thirty-eight…" Ruby answered.

"Cool… the cookie?" Blake muttered, sipping the milk, then cringing. _Skim milk._ "Tell me they have whole milk." Blake set the glass down.

"Forty-two—specially ordered—forty-three—and yes—forty-four…"

"Good." Blake went and tossed on her clothes from the night before. Weiss stared after her, setting the orange juice down. "I'm going to grab some breakfast."

"I'll join you!" Weiss announced as she stood up, much to Blake's chagrin. However, with a defeated sigh, she resisted the impulse to deny the girl. Nothing to get upset about, this was her new life _._ She would tolerate the Schnee for the sake of the team, and for the sake of staying incognito…

"Might wanna get dressed before we go." Blake pointed out. Weiss glanced down at herself. With the lamp behind her, the lack of privacy afforded by her gown was readily apparent. Blake's eyebrow slowly rose as she made out the details of Weiss's shadowed figure. The heiress scrambled to a box of her clothes and pulled out her school uniform, then ran to the bathroom. Blake smirked.

At her feet, Ruby and Yang had switched places. "Had to say—seven—something, didn't you? Eight." Yang counted, staring at the bathroom door with a small, nostalgic sigh. "Nine—girl's got some _grace_ —ten."

"I'm sure the whole school would have loved to see it." Blake pointed out, whilst silently agreeing.

Ruby did her push-ups, her small, thin muscles flexing and turning red as she exercised. Blake sat back, wondering if she could just go without Weiss, but decided that it would be rude. Weiss seemed like the sort who would get all offended if left behind, so Blake sat by and watched the sisters exercise.

This was clearly a well-practiced convention. Despite her smaller frame, Ruby was hardly put off by the work, only taking a brief break to sip some OJ before getting right back into it. Yang was encouraging, and when it was time for sit-ups, they did them side-by-side. Blake noted the difference. Push-ups they did separately, sit-ups they did together, possibly just how they'd always done it.

Blake quietly recalled when she had been the drill instructor for her camp in the Fang, barking out numbers and orders, shouting out names and allowing for breaks. It was informal but had a sense of power; the older, often male resistance members listened to and respected her, and some even sought to impress her, especially after a failure. Blake was always stingy with the compliments, but wasn't afraid to acknowledge when they were performing better.

That was before Adam decided she needed to do more front-line work, and, despite her repeated insistence, refused to believe that the camp morale had tanked. Blake squeezed her eyes shut, silently counting to fourteen before the door to the bathroom open.

Weiss walked out in her school uniform and heels, looking natural in both. She briefly glanced down at Yang and Ruby curling on the floor, and stepped around them. "Let's go." She said with a smile.

Blake stood, stretched, and popped her neck before nodding. "Sure."

"Do you want to comb your hair first?" Weiss asked, pointing to Blake's messy locks.

Blake thought about it as she swept her fingers through her hair, then shrugged. "Nah, I'll be fine. It's just breakfast." Despite her casual tone, she was watching Weiss like a hawk.

"It'll only take a minute, I promise." Weiss said. Blake frowned and backed away as Weiss pulled a comb out of her purse. "Here, let me-" She reached up, and Blake grabbed her wrist tightly. Weiss stopped, startled, and finally seemed to look Blake in the eye. Blake was visibly angry, and Weiss's wrist went loose. "I-I just-"

"Just… don't push it." Blake ordered in a terse tone, making Weiss frown. Blake let her hand go, and Weiss reluctantly put her comb away. "Let's go." Blake grunted, heading for the door, her cat ears feeling itchy and exposed from their close encounter with Weiss's hand.

Blake walked out of the room, Weiss behind her by just a second. Ruby and Yang both laid on the floor and splayed out, already covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "... What was her deal?" Yang asked, staring at the door upside down.

"What?" Ruby asked, her chest rising and falling rapidly with each pant.

"Nevermind." Yang sat up, stretching her legs out so she could lean way forward and pinch her big toe. "You ready to go running?" Yang asked with a grin.

"What, giving me a choice?" Ruby smirked as she stood up.

" _Hell_ no." Yang grinned evilly.

* * *

Very few students were awake around this time. It seemed plenty opted to stay in bed, and Blake certainly didn't blame them. There hadn't been a precedent set, so nobody wanted to be awake if they didn't have to be, and Blake silently envied them. She hit the call button for the dorm-wing lift, and waited patiently.

By her side, Weiss had her arms crossed and eyes closed. She didn't seem irritated, just tired, and Blake didn't blame her either. At the same time, Blake wondered if she should have been so quick to dismiss the offered comb…

From the moment she could understand the plight of her people, Blake had nursed a grudge against the Schnee family. There were hundreds of individuals deserving of the White Fang's attention, but the Schnees took precedence. Their cutthroat business practices essentially turned the Faunus into slaves, since it had taken nearly ten years after the Color Wars for Faunus to finally gain equal rights in all four kingdoms.

The Schnee Dust mines were notoriously harsh for Faunus during that period of time. Poor rations, poor equipment, poor wages, poor safety standards, and perhaps most tellingly, poor security against Grimm attacks.

After being brought under the equal and fair employee laws, the Schnees exploited every possible loophole, cut every corner they could, abused every technicality there was, and used Faunus prejudice at the time to ensure they could get away with it without so much as a slap on the wrist.

Times changed attitudes, however, and illicit business practices became more and more public as technological and communication advancement meant the Schnees couldn't hide their treatment of the Faunus anymore, and equal rights journalism encouraged pro-Faunus attitudes.

The Schnees were still far from squeaky-clean. Many Faunus workers still suffered from diseases and conditions they'd been afflicted with before iron-clad laws had been placed throughout the four kingdoms. Working conditions in the mines were better, but still heinous, and many faunus still had difficulties getting access to dust as 'dust licenses' were introduced, essentially forcing the Faunus communities to become literate overnight and prove they were 'safe' in using Dust. It was all an attempt to ensure the Faunus couldn't catch up, especially now that they had their own continent and a popular civil rights group… well, most of the White Fang was still about civil rights.

Standing next to Blake was the face of oppression. Blake shot Weiss an idle look as the white-haired girl looked ready to go back to bed, but kept herself awake. Weiss was featured on numerous posters and talk shows to discuss her family's practices and inspire a sense of Schnee 'purity' in the public eye. She had a beautiful face, a lovely voice, was a talented performer, and was well-read, but Blake picked up from a few interviews that perhaps Weiss didn't understand—or possibly didn't _know_ —the conditions the Faunus were kept in.

She was quick to defend her family and company, giving good soundbites for the media and using the same defenses her family had always used. Blake always had a dislike for Weiss the Schnee, and privately stole from Weiss the songstress.

She had always held a distaste for the Schnees and an almost personal grudge against Weiss as a person, until yesterday. Weiss could have, _should_ have, remained rude and furious, and it would have made throwing her at the Nevermore an easy decision, but… it was apparent that _something_ made her grow up in that forest. She and Ruby had bonded, Weiss was far from unreasonable during the fight, and ever since, she had been a… person. Not a spokesperson, not a _Schnee,_ but a pretty, rich, noble young lady who, while deeply confident in herself, remained level-headed.

Blake still did not like being on a team with her, but at the same time, was a smidgen curious what she could gain from observing Weiss more closely. It troubled her that some small part of her heart wanted to reach out. It had been such a long time since she had had a personal friend that had nothing to do with her business or her war...

"Sorry." The voice broke Blake from her trance, and she turned swiftly to face Weiss as the heiress roused herself to look at Blake. "I didn't mean to bother you earlier." She sighed. "I just thought, you know, we should look our best and-"

Blake waved her hand idly, dismissing the apology. "It's nothing. I just don't like people touching my hair." She looked away from Weiss, trying to not be overtaken by relief. She had to remind herself who Weiss was, what her family did…

"Then I won't, but if you want a borrow a comb…" Weiss patted her purse. Blake sighed heavily.

"Sure, Weiss. Thank you." Despite herself, she meant it. She thought about being more dismissive, but she _meant_ it _._ This was her new life, and she didn't have a choice. She would treat Weiss like a person; she had no reason to make enemies here, especially not her own teammate.

The two fell silent, Weiss unaware of the storm of emotions coursing through Blake. Blake thought she'd have every reason to hate Weiss Schnee just from watching her treatment of Ruby, but then she came around. Blake frowned…

"This elevator is taking _forever."_ Weiss snarled. "Let's just take the stairs."

"Mmm, alright." Blake and Weiss both turned, but then the doors opened. They _both_ sighed in annoyance and turned back around.

Ren and Nora both stepped out. Or, rather, Ren stepped out, holding a plate of fresh greens, while Nora staggered and sagged against him tiredly, eyes barely open. "Hello Blake, hello Weiss." Ren nodded to them both. The two girls greeted him in return before he took Nora to their room.

Weiss and Blake stepped in and descended.

* * *

Yang threw the dorm room's door open with a happy, "We're _back!"_ Weiss slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from spitting out her mouthful of orange juice as Yang strode in, a thin sheen of sweat covering her body and staining her workout clothes.

"Could- _hack! Cough!—_ couldn't you have knocked first?!" Weiss whimpered, rubbing her throat. She'd swallowed all wrong, and the itch wasn't going away _._ "You are su— _hcchk!—_ such a—" Weiss couldn't finish the statement amidst a sudden coughing fit.

"Ah, you'll be fine." Yang slapped Weiss's back, making the heiress double over with a yelp. "So how's breakfast?" Yang snagged a half-eaten muffin off Weiss's plate and finished it for her.

"They have _fish tacos."_ Was the only thing Blake said between bites. She had a small ball of tinfoil on her plate, along with two more foil-wrapped tacos.

"Nice… Fish tacos…" Yang just smiled suspiciously as she went into the closet.

Blake ate and Weiss suffered as Ruby walked in, looking more exhausted than Yang, but not worn out. She was equally sweaty, and added to the stench of BO wafting through the room. Weiss may have said something about it between sips of her juice, but Ruby didn't notice as she plopped onto her bed with a groan.

"You alright?" Blake asked, walking over with her breakfast. She watched the younger girl dig through a box and pull out her school uniform, which was vastly smaller than Blake's own. Ruby laid it out and dug out fresh undies.

"I'm fine, this is normal." Ruby rolled her shoulders, wiping her sweat stained hair off her brow and leaving her with a cowlick. Blake hid a chuckle. "They have a really nice track out there, and the gym is like a _gym_ -gym, with weights and stuff."

"I'd hope so." Blake held her taco out to the tired girl. Ruby sniffed it curiously, then took a bite. Blake suppressed a pleased grin as she hand fed her team leader, and Ruby seemed relieved as she chewed and swallowed. "You and Yang should probably shower before me and Weiss. Help clear out the air a bit."

"Sorry." Ruby mumbled, then stole one more bite from Blake's breakfast and stood with her clothes folded in her arms. "I won't be long!" She promised. Ruby slipped into the bathroom as Weiss finally seemed to recover.

"Ugh…" She grunted, while Yang stepped out of the closet with her own clothes. Blake had returned to her seat and was watching as Yang sorted out her uniform, taking note of the color of the older sister's underwear: black with a flame pattern. It seemed fitting.

Ruby was honest in not taking long, she was dressed and in her uniform (plus goggles and cloak) not too long later. Yang went in next. Blake suspected there would be a much longer wait for Yang, but the blonde was out in a surprisingly timely manner. Her hair was still a drenched mess, but Ruby sat behind her and helped her groom. Blake couldn't decide who she was more envious of: the sister under the comb, or the sister that got to manage those glorious locks.

Weiss went in next. Blake kept track of the time, and noted Weiss took quite a bit more time than Yang did. Weiss _did,_ however, come out smelling like the good part of a perfume store: the subtle mixture of shampoos, body wash, lotions, and scented sprays making Weiss smell… dreamy. Blake stopped herself from chasing Weiss with her nose, and focused on gathering her clothing.

"C'mere Princess, sit." Yang ordered.

"Eh? What do you want?" Weiss pouted, just starting to put up her familiar side-fixed ponytail.

"Just do it." Yang ordered, her blonde mane now a more orderly mass of chaotic curls from Ruby's touch. Reluctantly, Weiss obeyed and sat in a chair as Yang pulled the heiress's hair over the back.

Blake ducked into the bathroom.

She locked the door and set aside her clothes from last night, examining her body in front of the mirror as she undid her ribbon. The Nevermore hadn't managed to break her aura so its attack left no lasting marks, but Blake quietly counted the little off-colored lines left on her body from her time with the White Fang.

Her ribbon sat on her clothes, her large, black cat ears twitching in the mirror. Blake turned the shower on and stroked her Faunus ears, massaging away the discomfort of being bound all day with a sigh. As much as she hated the idea of hiding who she was, she was terrified of revealing herself to the Schnee. Yang was a loudmouth; there was no way she could keep a secret, and Ruby had mysteriously bonded with the heiress.

Blake closed her eyes and reaffirmed her mission: she would not reveal herself to anyone, she would take classes, grow stronger, cultivate her skills, and stay far away from Adam's reach. She quietly inspected a miniscule white scar just above her left nipple, wincing at the memory of a night gone horribly wrong.

His anger had carried over into their shared sleeping bag, and it was the first time she had to stop him and order him out. He was simply too furious, too rough, too much like…

… like an _animal._

It was the first time Blake had felt like just a piece of meat. It was a far worse feeling than being called a traitor, or being kicked in the ribs by some anti-Faunus thug. A friend, a close ally, somebody whose ideas made the world seem more malleable had hurt her when her defenses were down. Blake had never had to use her aura when she and Adam were alone before, but those furious, grabbing hands, pulling at the delicate spots of her body…

She understood he was angry, but she was _not_ his stress-relief toy. She would have gladly massaged his feet and kissed his pains better if he had just kept _some_ sense of self-control, more than storming out like a petulant child when she ordered him to…

Blake dismissed her idle musings and tried to enjoy the hot water. She quietly thought of Ruby. She was young, true, but seemed sympathetic and well read. She lead with her words and her actions, much as had Adam had done, and both had carried a sense of righteous fury when at the intersection of victory or defeat. However, Ruby had directed her fury towards the Grimm, whereas Adam had directed his rage towards the humans. It was a much less difficult moral quandary when the Grimm were involved…

She reached out to turn off the shower and paused. Hanging on the shower wall was four small, wire cages. Three of them had products in them, for hair-care, skin care, and more. Only one cage was empty, and Blake realized she hadn't brought her own cleaners. She glanced down in the corner of the shower, and sitting on the edge was a few off-brand products that would certainly get the job done, but…

Blake got nosey and poked through the shampoos and lotions curiously, able to determine who owned which product. Ruby had the fewest products, including two bottles of moisturizer specifically for the skin around the eyes. Yang favored lustrous shampoos for blondes, and apparently liked the smell of cinnamon. Finally, Weiss owned dozens of tiny bottles of many scented oils, creams, and soaps, with two large, very expensive bottles as her primary cleaners. Blake grumbled in bemusement as she found that Weiss apparently shared in her tastes in hair-care, while Ruby had the right moisturizing body wash. Was it right to ask them…?

"It couldn't hurt, right…?" Blake whispered to herself. They were teammates, it wasn't as if cosmetics were at a premium, they were right next to a city they could shop in freely without the authorities swarming them. Blake laid her ears flat as she could as she crept out of the shower and cracked the door just enough to speak. "I forgot my shower stuff, could I borrow some of yours?" She asked loudly.

"Go ahead!"

"Yeah."

"I don't mind."

Blake shut the door and felt her cheeks redden. Well that had been easy...

She made sure to use as little as she could of what was available. She avoided citrus-y smells as much as she could, and sighed when she finally convinced herself to use _Weiss's_ product. Schnee-brand Snow-scented shampoo... How did one even capture the smell of _snow_? It seemed like a thin mixture of vanilla and cocoa, but it had a sharp iciness to it as well...

It was nice. _Really_ nice. Blake glared at the bottle the entire time she used it.

She stepped out of the shower, dried, and got dressed. She checked herself in the mirror, and her reflection granted her a small smile. She looked good, she looked _ready._ She was a student now. What a strange change in her life's direction, from freedom fighter to student…

She wrapped her ribbon carefully around her ears to hide them and stepped out of the restroom.

Weiss stood in front of the full-body mirror, looking pleasantly surprised at how well she pulled off a Vale braid. She poked and prodded her hair, her cheeks turning pink as a smile overtook her. She twirled, watching her hair swirl around her. Blake blinked in dull surprise, but Weiss was too interested in her own hair to pay her any mind.

Yang pet the chair she tended to Weiss in, smiling promisingly at Blake. "C'mon partner, lemme make you pretty."

"Oh, uh…" Blake tensed nervously. "I think I'll pass, I like my hair loose-"

"C'mon, it's our first day! Let's start this whole school thing off with a Yang!" Yang fired a pair of cocky finger guns at Blake, making her look left and right for a way out of this. She did _not_ expect Weiss to slide up by her side, hand on her shoulder.

"Blake doesn't like people touching her hair." Weiss said firmly, warmly stroking Blake's shoulder. Blake had never felt so conflicted in her _life…_ except two other times she was trying to repress.

"Wha'? Not even a little? C'mon Blakey, I'll be _real_ nice." Yang held her hands up pleadingly, and Blake shook her head.

"Uh uh. Sorry Yang, just got a thing against it." She tugged one of her long, ebony locks, and Yang pouted loudly.

"Fiiiiine. Jeez, I was just gonna do pigtails…" The blonde whined. Blake's eyebrow twitched.

"What time is it anyways?" She asked.

"Seven fifty-five." Ruby answered, putting together her school supplies in a little mailbag. She smiled over her shoulder at her teammates.

"Man, we still got an hour." Yang plopped into the chair with a grunt, arm hanging over the backrest. "We should go explore!" She offered with sudden enthusiasm. "Check out everything on campus! There's gotta be some cool places to just hang out and chill."

"If we check the syllabus we could get a head start on our lessons." Weiss offered, looking _excited_ at the prospect. Yang couldn't have been _less_ impressed by the idea.

"Boring!" Yang huffed.

"Why don't we just relax? It's only our first day." Blake added.

"It's school, we can't just sit around all day. We should get busy early and get used to the hustle and bustle of a normal school life." Weiss eagerly opened her scroll to access Beacon's database.

Yang let out an aggravated groan. "I wanna _do_ something."

"Studying _is_ doing something!" Weiss shot back.

"We have nothing to study _for_." Blake reminded her.

"Not unless we dig a bit! See, period one, History of Remnant with Dr. Oobleck." Weiss was going through a box of textbooks, and the other two twitched… "It's _school,_ what, did you think we'd spend all day just… _carousing?"_

"I thought I'd get to meet babes. At least ones who are _fun._ " Yang snorted, and Weiss planted her hands on her hips.

"School is not just for fun and _definitely_ not for 'meeting babes.' We have to get serious, so stop lazing around!" Weiss huffed.

Blake watched the two go back and forth with a small pout then finally glanced to Ruby. Ruby seemed generally distant from the conversation, though she was listening in. She offered no opinions, no options, nothing…

"I think we're missing a very important detail here." Blake spoke up, and Weiss turned on her with a small, curious frown. Yang was silent, eyebrow raised, interested in what Blake had to say. "Ruby is team leader. _She_ decides what we do as a team."

At that, Ruby sat up straight like an iron bar had replaced her spine. She whirled to face the three, looking pale and panicky as she suddenly gained all of their attention. Weiss was frowning silently at her, Blake was curiously staring, and Yang let out a chuckle.

"Know what? Sure. What are your orders, sis?" Yang asked with a confident urge in her tone.

"We should study." Weiss said immediately, staring into Ruby's goggles.

Ruby froze up as she stared at the three of them. Explore, study, or relax? She trembled a tiny bit, then slowly looked away from them. She looked out the window, at the beds, at the boxes… they were already looking to _her_ for answers and direction, Ruby was content to let them sort it out democratically!

"Well, uh…" Ruby said with cotton tongue, her brow wrinkling in distress.

"Come on Ruby, what is team RWBY going to do? We have an hour, we should prepare." Weiss said firmly. Yang made an unhappy grunt.

"Don't _push_ her, let her decide." Yang ordered.

Ruby winced. She had _no_ clue _._ She tapped her fingertips together anxiously. "I, uh, I-I dunno, but, well…" Ruby froze up as the girls began to lose interest, Weiss openly sighing in dismay. "N-no no-no… okay, um…" Ruby glanced to the boxes at her feet, the boxes around the beds… "W-we should, uh…" The barren walls, the empty bookshelf between the beds… "Um…" And the room was so cramped with four beds… "Decorate."

"... Decorate?" Weiss's eyebrow raised.

"Y-yeah, we should decorate." Ruby swept her hands out, as if presenting the room to them for the first time. Weiss's frown deepened. "No no! Don't—it's important!" Ruby felt her elbows knock. "We need to decorate! And-and unpack all of these boxes. They're everywhere, and like Yang said, we should make the room feel, uh, _lived in._ Make it homey! So let's, uh, let's unpack." She offered. After a second of thought, Blake and Yang both moved to their beds to grab their boxes while Weiss looked at the floor, hands on her hips.

"Well… fine. Okay." Weiss said with slight disappointment, but then she knelt down to start sorting out her luggage.

Ruby trembled a tiny bit, this time in relief, and bobbed her head. "I don't want to see a single box in the room or in the closet by the time classes start, so… let's get moving!" She tacked on. She chided herself as she went to grab her other things… they were _already_ moving…

Boxes were opened and emptied to be sorted. Ruby and Blake took over one bed to sort through their collection of books, and had to be snapped at by Weiss on several occasions to return to actually sorting and shelving rather than just chatting about their literature.

Weiss made repeated trips into the closet to get personal items together and Ruby, Blake, and Yang paused to watch with increasing worry as the mountain of clothing and shoes around Weiss's bed steadily grew larger and larger. Then the jewelry boxes opened.

"—genuine Vacuan royal sapphires, all set in solid gold. It's probably worth more than this entire room." Weiss bobbed her head, smiling in great pride as Blake, nearly afraid to touch the necklace she was trying on, tried to oh-so-carefully remove it.

"And you _brought_ it?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow, numbers racing through her head.

"Of course." Weiss's expression shifted to confusion. "Why wouldn't I? It's one of my favorite necklaces." Blake's response was an impartial hum as Weiss returned the necklace to the jewelry box she'd brought.

"I'm a princess!" Ruby announced enthusiastically. Weiss glanced at her partner, currently adorned with Weiss's graduation tiara, and her eyebrow twitched. "Kneel before me, peasants!" Ruby ordered, hands on her hips.

Weiss groaned and took the tiara. "If you want to try anything on, just ask and be _super_ careful. Most of this is _very_ expensive."

"Wow, and boys always told me pearl necklaces were easy to get." Yang indelicately flicked the pearls hanging around her neck, making Weiss screech in horror. Needless to say, Yang was no longer allowed to continue wearing them.

Blake set the last of her books on the room's small bookshelf. She frowned. She had brought her whole personal library of eighteen novels with her, and Ruby still had her massive pile of reading material to shelve. _Then_ there would be their collected textbooks… they really needed more places to put books. Actually, as she maneuvered around a pile Yang's clothes dumped on the floor and nearly tripped on Ruby's action figures, she realized they needed a lot more room period.

They also needed to empty the closet first.

Boxes lined the room, every flat surface was covered in clothing, magazines, books, and little personal items of traditional, historical, or entertainment value. Yang was busy trying to figure out a twisting cube puzzle Blake had brought while Ruby anxiously looked over Weiss's entire makeup collection. Blake had finished unpacking well before the other three, but they needed a place for Ruby's Heroic Hunters model collection, somewhere for Yang's weights and punching bag…

… and that wasn't getting into what they'd need for Weiss.

"... This would be way easier with bunk beds." Blake said absentmindedly as she stared at the mess of a room.

"That's crazy, how would we even make bunk beds out of these?" Weiss asked with a crinkle of her nose, patting one of the springy mattresses testingly. "They'd need to be tall _and_ stable."

"What if we got rope?" Ruby offered from the floor, flipping through one of Weiss's fashion magazines. Weiss and Blake looked from her to each other with contemplative looks.

"None of us have rope." Weiss concluded, shaking her head. "We're just going to have to—"

"I can get us rope."

"—live with—wait, how can you get us rope?" Weiss asked in exasperation.

Blake shrugged. "Gotta be some rope in the school. I'll go dig through some supply closets."

"Oh! See if they have any screws and hooks and stuff too!" Yang called from the other side of the room, hefting a big, heavy box over one shoulder with incredible ease.

"We are _not_ stealing from the school!" Weiss crossed her arms and put on a firm expression.

"Teeeechnically all facilities are open to students, including equipment for modifying the room, so if, theoretically, a student needed rope, who are they to complain if it improves the quality of her livelihood?" Yang offered with a cheeky grin. Weiss's eyebrow twitched. Blake was already gone.

"If you get caught, do _not_ make me an accessory to your criminal activities!" Weiss huffed as she began to move her clothing to the closet.

By the time Blake got back with armfuls of rope, screws, and wall hooks, the clothes had been moved into their single, shared closet. Ruby, Blake, and Yang shared one side of the closet, their outfits loosely pressing together. The other side was dedicated solely to Weiss's outfits, wall-to-wall with everything from gorgeous dresses to casual, lay-about clothing. Yang was briefly awe-struck by the sheer amount of quality threads Weiss had on hand.

When all the materials were dumped onto the floor, Blake shot Yang a curious look as the blonde smiled in pure delight.

 _Some Time Later!_

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "... Please tell me we aren't keeping it like this." One of the middle beds precariously hung over a corner bed. Ruby, Blake, and Yang crossed their arms as they admired their work, and Weiss just groaned as they gave each other a thumbs up. "This is _so_ going to backfire."

"I call dibs!" Ruby waved her arms madly as she began to climb, the creaking ropes making Weiss whimper.

"I want a top bunk!" Blake moved to the remaining two beds with a nearly gleeful expression, causing Yang to snicker and Weiss to sigh.

"We _are_ out of rope though." Yang pointed out.

"Well…" Blake hummed.

"We have a lot of books." Ruby pointed out from the bed she had taken over. The other three looked to her with quizzical expressions as she hopped down. "Look." She held up one of her hardcovers. "Fellowship of the Twelve."

"... Garbage bin." Blake nodded slowly. Ruby tossed Blake the book, and it was balanced on one of the four bedposts.

"Books hold a valuable wealth of information and entertainment!" Weiss insisted with a scandalized expression, watching in fury as Ruby and Blake went through their collections.

"Yipperman and the Froggy Bog?" Ruby held up a thick hardback.

"Ugh." Blake sneered, and Yang caught the book with a grin as she added to the stack. "Wait, you have a _signed_ copy of Love in the Wilds?" Blake waved the dark, old book. Yang pulled it out of Blake's hand and added it to the stack.

"Not mine, it was my… um… aunt's." Ruby glanced to Yang, but the blonde remained calm. "Mantle of Summer?"

"Trash. How about 'Beyond Belief'?"

"Keep it! Oh, my Holy Trilogy set!"

"Anyone going to read it?" No response. "Stack it!"

"Is this an original copy of Blind Hunters?" Weiss asked, flipping through one book.

"Nah, it's just printed to look old, try bending a page."

"... Ew. Add it." Blake obliged.

"What about Saint Monia's Siesta?"

"It's garbage, but it's _sexy_ garbage."

"Eh, keep it…"

The process continued until Ruby and Yang successfully stacked the final two beds. They shot each other a thumbs up and a smile, and Weiss and Blake tested it for balance. "This is _seriously_ an awful idea." Weiss muttered under her breath.

"You aren't doing anything to stop them," Blake countered, stepping back with a nod. "And everything's stable."

"If you don't rock it too hard, that is." Weiss sighed. She silently pulled and squeezed her braid as she stared around the room like it was brand new. There was plenty more room between the beds, the boxes had been reduced to a bare minimum and mostly consisted of the extra things Weiss couldn't find a place for, so they were stacked at the foot of the bottom bunk Ruby had claimed the top of.

Weiss looked up to Ruby's bed thoughtfully, examining the ropes with worry as an idea occurred to her. Without a word, she stepped out of the room amidst her teammates' curious looks and walked past rows of dorm rooms. In short order, she found a supplies closet.

She reentered the team RWBY dorm with two bedsheets in her arms, handing them to a confused Yang. "I think if we tied the ends around the ropes and hooks, we might be able to give Ruby a privacy curtain." Weiss explained. The blonde gave her a slow, almost uncomprehending blink while Ruby, sitting on her bed, glanced over in surprise.

It took almost ten seconds of uncomfortable silence for Yang to finally say something. "Weiss," She said, almost sounding shy, "Thank you." Yang bowed her head in a polite way before quickly heading to Ruby's bed. Ruby took the blankets and started planning how to afix them. Weiss stood on several stacked boxes to help, shooting Ruby's goggles a look as Blake helped Yang go through the last of her boxes.

It hadn't seemed like much of a big deal; it was purely in the team's best interest that everybody was comfortable. Being trapped wearing a pair of goggles all day would be bad for the skin and could have lasting effects on her mental and hygienic state. This was a total non-issue as far as Weiss was concerned, it was for the good of the team. The one she wasn't in charge of, as she'd always dreamed...

She sighed and tried to suppress her disappointment. Her dream of coming to Beacon _couldn't_ have been perfect, but still, how was she supposed to cultivate leadership skills if she was only a _member_ of a team? Weiss's expression darkened just the slightest bit. Ruby wasn't a bad person, but was she a good team leader? She contemplated her options as Blake dug out Yang's calendar.

The dark-haired member of the team flipped through the months to find March and set it on the currently-full bookshelf, with just enough space on top for the calendar. She paused for a second to reread the date. "Hey, Yang?" She called, drawing an acknowledging hum as the taller of the two sorted her weights. "What's the red square mean?"

"Red square?"

"On the date?" Blake pointed. Yang shot a look, her eyes widening in comprehension, and she shot to her feet. "Yang?" Blake called with a raised eyebrow as her partner stepped into the bathroom.

Yang walked out with a cheerful call. "Ruby! Happy feminine hygiene day!" She said perkily, throwing a small package. Ruby caught it in one hand and groaned loudly, the contortions of her cheeks and brow telling Weiss and Blake both that she was not pleased.

" _Today?_ But school starts today! That's not fair." Ruby mumbled as she slid off her bed and put the pad in her school bag. Weiss cringed the moment she realized what it was, while Blake just shook her head.

"Welcome to the woman's life Ruby, biology doesn't wait for a day off." Yang seemed surprisingly cheerful as she tossed a pad into her messenger bag.

"It's not enough that I'm out of the house for the first time, or it's my first day of classes?" Ruby asked with a grouchy dryness that made Yang chuckle.

"It's not that bad, you _did_ take your pill during breakfast, right?"

"Well _yeah,_ no preggers for me." Ruby didn't sound any less relieved, but Weiss shot up with a small, mortified squeak and dug through her boxes. Blake watched in confusion as Weiss pulled out a green, plastic medicine tray and dry-swallowed one of the pills inside. As she caught on, Blake had a private moment of embarrassment and decided not to comment.

"Look, pregnant or not, whatever boy decided to slip you the noodle wouldn't be a boy for much longer." Yang said with a raised eyebrow. Ruby scoffed, and Yang just laughed at her little sister's embarrassment. "We should totally invest in a mini-fridge or something. Stock up on ice cream and cookie dough."

"Yeah, but we _always_ crave ice cream and cookie dough." Ruby pointed out, tying the last edge of the sheet. She sat on the edge of her bed, drawing the curtain back and forth testingly.

"But it's so much more satisfying to eat it when you're on your period." Yang hummed. "What's the team's lien allowance?" Yang perked up.

"Dunno, I'd have to check the-"

"Four-hundred lien a week." Weiss answered without hesitation, sitting in a desk chair as she tried to ignore her embarrassment.

Yang whistled, long and low. "Bank!"

"To be _split_ between all four teammates, so don't get too excited." Weiss reminded her duly. Yang grinned.

"No worries! Maybe I can get a loan from dad, buy a mini-fridge, get a TV... aww man, I wonder if I can get us a mini-bar…" Yang rubbed her hands together with a mischievous smile before a pillow knocked her out of her plotting.

"TV and mini-fridge _maybe,_ but we are _not_ giving you an excuse to liquor up." Ruby said defiantly, causing Yang to cross her arms and huff.

"Whatever, _mom."_ Yang threw the pillow back, knocking Ruby flat onto her bed. "Hey Weiss." Yang called, picking up the calendar and a red pen. Weiss glanced up curiously. "When do you start?"

"... Start my…" Weiss winced. "My _thing?"_

"Yes. Your period, Weiss, c'mon, we're all girls here." Yang looked to her curiously. Weiss squirmed, her cheeks turning a bright red.

It took a few moments for her to finally admit, in embarrassment, "My last _thing_ started last week, Sunday." She didn't know what she expected, but Yang tapped her chin with her pen as she read the calendar, counted, and marked the day. "Why do you care? It's _my_ business." Weiss asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"A: I gotta live with you, and you are _kinda_ bitchy, but no offense, it's a sexy kind of bitchy." Yang answered, making Weiss's blush turn a deeper shade of red as she stared at Yang in disbelief. Yang continued. "So knowing when you're gonna be _extra_ bitchy will be nice. B: we can stock up some food for you too! What's your big comfort food?"

"My comfort food?" Weiss asked slowly, trying to rub the red out of her cheeks. "Like, what do I eat when I'm comfortable?"

Yang put the calendar down and gave a small, but amused snicker. She pulled up a chair next to Weiss and plopped down next to her. "No, what do you eat when you're unhappy and annoyed and _want to_ _be_ comfortable? What makes you happy when you eat it?"

Weiss drummed her knees, trying to not stare at the far-too-confident young woman next to her, then let out a little huff. "It's… embarrassing."

"Oh please, it's _food._ Food's great! Nothing embarrassing about enjoying it. When I'm all crampy and need _something_ to take the edge off, I gorge myself on chocolate chip ice cream and pretzels." Yang said casually, leaning against her chair with a comforting smile.

"Cookie dough." Ruby waved, a little shyly. "Sugar cookie dough, chocolate chip cookie dough, snickerdoodle cookie dough, I'd mix it at home just to eat it raw."

"Isn't that a health hazard?" Weiss asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"All those food and safety warnings are _lies!"_ Ruby wrung her fists at the heavens. "Nobody has _ever_ died from cookie dough, they just want us cookie dough lovers to stop living our _lives!"_ She announced with a dramatic rise in her voice. Weiss's eyebrow twitched.

"... Uh huh." She pursed her lips, swallowed thickly, and clenched her fists. "... Hot wings."

"Come again?" Yang blinked.

"Y'know… hot wings." Weiss tried to explain as if she was in trouble, staring at her knees, red-cheeked. "Unbreaded fried chicken, covered in a spicy sauce? Hot wings, like-... like you'd find at a Faunus food stall."

"... For real?" Yang seemed genuinely shocked. Ruby was still lamenting the prejudice she suffered as a result of the Vale Food Purity Administration, while Blake was counting her lucky stars that nobody noticed the way her ears shot up. "Isn't that stuff kinda cheap for a rich girl?"

"No!" Weiss said with a defensive whine. "Ugh, I knew you wouldn't get it." She tugged at her braid in distress, earning a swat from Yang to stop her from undoing it.

"Well, tell me then." Yang insisted, smiling at Weiss. "What's your deal with hot wings, Weiss?"

"It's…" Weiss pouted. "I mean, I've grown up on really good food from everywhere. The best chefs, the best nutrition, especially since I started my training as a hunter. Lean meats, plenty of fruits and vegetables, artisan bread, sweets from every end of Remnant… but never anything just… gross, fatty, meaty, or spicy." Blake and Yang both leaned forward to listen. "I was with my father, on a trip to visit the Mistralian Schnee dust mines. A few of my friends from Atlas came along so we could go to the hot springs later, but we needed to kill some time while my father was in a meeting. We were watching the workers during lunch time, and noticed a huge line at one of the stalls."

"Oh!" Blake spoke up suddenly. "Faunus food stalls are really common around the mines... er, right?" She added swiftly.

"Yeah… why is that? They get daily free meals." Weiss's nose crinkled.

"See, they… um, I read this in a flyer, the free meals aren't filling and have very little protein, which is important to hard physical labor." Blake winced, wondering if she was, perhaps, a little too knowledgable on the subject.

"Right." Weiss said dismissively. Blake wasn't sure whether to be offended at the dismissal of her people's nutritional needs or relieved Weiss didn't notice. "Anyway, we saw a lot of the workers pay for plates with a pile of weird, goopy stuff. We were all curious about it, but we waited for their lunch break to end. My friends dared me to order some. The food servers were very, _very_ nice about it, and it barely cost a thing, but I suddenly had a plate of chicken wings in Mistralian sweet sauce. It looked like the most disgusting thing I'd ever seen, and, _ugh,_ Cristal wouldn't stop retching so it made it hard to eat, but I took a bite and…" Weiss's eyes glimmered. "It was kind of explosive."

Yang chuckled, hiding her amused smile behind her hand as Blake hid a little smirk. "So our princess had a moment of enlightenment?"

"Shut up, oaf!" Weiss grumbled, squirming shyly. "It left me with stomach cramps all night, but it was _so good._ I finished the whole plate, my friends couldn't believe I even liked it, _not that they tried it."_ Weiss huffed loudly. "I had just started the whole… _girl thing_ that year, and every time it happened I was just unhappy and hated everything they tried to feed me. Nothing was fulfilling! But a few weeks later after trying the wings, the girl thing happened again. I hadn't had any more hot wings since, but, well, my butler and my chefs were at a loss on what to give me. I just… I needed those wings again, so I pulled the one faunus chef I had to the side and asked if she knew how to cook them. She did, and two hours later I had them again and it just… satisfied an itch. It _kept_ satisfying that itch."

"Makes sense to me." Yang shrugged, grabbing a piece of paper Ruby had left behind from the night before, writing it down. Weiss scrambled to grab her arms.

"Don't _record it,_ it's embarrassing enough that _you_ know, I don't need some janitor walking in and selling that information!"

"Aww, c'mon, I'm just making sure I remember! I know this amazing little hot wing place in Vale, run by the most adorable Faunus couple!"

Weiss argued with Yang over being publically seen eating Faunus food, and Blake watched with a confused expression. Not that she was a major fan of chicken wings—or chicken in general—but it was considered a Faunus staple. Vacuo, being the more inclusive region in Remnant, brought Faunus in as natural citizens with little friction, and had a popular method of frying chicken in its own fat, as well as using spices and sauces to jazz up the taste. It had been a huge hit amongst the Faunus; so much so that, as they travelled from Vacuo, it became a widespread, cheap, filling, and tasty meal among other Faunus. The ingredients were affordable on even a Schnee miner's wages, and it even found its way into Atlas, where the fatty food and spicy sauces helped stave off the cold.

It was one of the first areas Faunus became lucrative, selling food to their own kin and humans, giving them the opportunity and the money to send their children to private schools and begin a Renaissance of education. Of course, food alone wasn't the major reason behind the Faunus finding success, but it helped more than one notable Faunus family find a foothold and respect among the rich humans. Even in the mines, some Faunus found it more productive and satisfying to cook for their fellow workers, providing them with something beyond expiring bread, military-grade ham sandwiches, and a meager amount of vegetables.

That _Weiss,_ of all people, liked traditional Faunus food was both confusing and entertaining. Of course, Weiss didn't want to give that information to the public—which Blake understood from a neutral standpoint—but it was nonetheless interesting. She shook her head and silently recounted who Weiss was and what her family did and so on and so forth ad infinitum until she suppressed that desire to know _more_ about the Schnee.

"What about you, Blake?" Yang's voice shook her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, fish." Blake responded. "Salmon or tuna preferably, but sardines are acceptable, and I won't say no to albacore or mahimahi. No catfish, though." The words just tumbled out of her mouth, and Yang stared at her in silent surprise, then nodded.

"Ice cream, cookie dough, hot wings, and fish. Sounds manageable. This floor should have a commons room to cook in, right?" Yang puttered through her school things, ultimately getting the confirmation from Weiss. "Okay! So, Blake, when do you start next?"

"Start…?" Blake paused, then resisted a grimace. "Right. _That._ Two weeks, should be Tuesday or Wednesday."

"Did you remember to take your pill this morning?" Weiss asked curiously.

Blake stared at her, and silently glanced out the window to hide her discomfort. "I… don't take pills."

"Huh?!" Ruby poked her head out from behind her privacy curtain. "But what if you get _preggers?!"_

"There are other contraceptives." Blake reminded her, but still felt Weiss and Yang watching the back of her head.

"Well, yeah." Yang nodded in agreement. "But it never hurts to stack them together. Besides, they stops the cramps, the mood swings-"

"It's not that bad. Nothing a hot bath and a nap won't fix." Blake mumbled, shoulders shrinking.

"That won't do at all." Weiss said, and Blake could imagine her crossed arms and shaking head. "We all need to be at peak performance, even when afflicted with girl things. Do you have some sort of medical or religious thing against birth control?"

"No! It's just…" Blake winced. "I haven't ever used them. I was kinda… trained in a camp." She admitted, arms over her bust. "I just kinda got used to it. I mean, sure, it sucked at first, but-"

"No buts." Weiss stood abruptly. "Blake, like it or not, it's for your personal health. Even if you don't meet the right guy here, or even if you're _Yang,"_ Weiss shot Yang an accusing look, making the blonde click her tongue and wink sleazily, "It'll keep you closer to peak performance. Look…" Weiss planted her hands on her hips and thought to herself.

"No, it's really no big deal." Blake argued, brow furrowed, a frown forming. "I don't like you poking through my hair, much less my health. If I don't want to-"

"Blake?" Ruby's soft voice interrupted the beginning of her tirade, and Blake paused. She looked up to Ruby with pleading, golden eyes. Ruby tilted her head quizzically. "Are you scared of doctors?"

"No…" Blake said softly. Ruby dropped to the floor on her feet and set a hand on Blake's shoulder as their eyes 'met.' "Ruby, I just… I'm uncomfortable."

"I know, it made me uncomfortable too, but I tried going without them and it was cruddy." Ruby gave Blake a warm smile, and Blake shuffled on her heels as she tried to _resist._ "Why don't we go with you? Yang and I's gynecologist is a cool lady, she can find you the right brand. It's not weird, all of us do it."

Blake stared down at Ruby with a hesitant anxiousness that took every ounce of her willpower to not let reach her ears. She glanced from Ruby, to Weiss, to Yang, all of them looking encouraging, and she crossed her arms behind her back and sighed. "I'll… I'll think about it." Ruby's quick but pleased nod made Blake look back out the window.

She had lied, but just a teensy bit. She was sort-of scared of doctors, but after having relied purely on camp medics for broken bones, open wounds, and sickness, she was hesitant to willingly sign herself up for another one. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad…

"That's not a bad idea…" Weiss hummed. "I'll go too; it'll be nice having one on hand." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and Blake sighed. Weiss seemed insistent on joining her for everything. It didn't bother Blake as much as she wanted it to.

Somebody's phone beeped. Weiss blinked, picked up her scroll, and turned off the alarm. Then the color drained from her face. " _Grab-your-things-we-have-five-minutes-go-go-go!"_ She shouted as she lunged for her purse.

A second later, the door burst open and the four girls fled down the hall.

* * *

 _Earlier._

Nora and Ren were drifters with a purpose, but drifters nonetheless. They carried little, with the prospect of a dorm room as a permanent home having been a shared dream. As a result, they had little to unpack. Jaune was a farm boy, who had only brought two backpacks full of anything he could fill them with.

Pyrrha had, by a large margin, the most luggage.

"The Martial Master of Mistral, Volume Four…" Ren, in his school uniform, read aloud as he sorted through the enormous pile of movies in one of Pyrrha's boxes, filling a shelf with Pyrrha's collection by alphabetical order. "You do realize the Martial Master series relies heavily on hearsay and stereotypes for the martial arts they use, right?" He asked as he lifted Volume Five out of the box.

"I know." Pyrrha answered, also in her school uniform, as she continued to carefully sort her clothing. She smiled. "But it's such a fun little spectacle, I always _loved_ the idea of his semblance." She clasped her hands, smiling brilliantly. "Could you imagine, every day when the clock strikes twelve at night, you gain extraordinary, intimate knowledge of one of the twelve styles?" Pyrrha stood. She held her one arm forward, one arm back, one leg partially raised in a kicking position. "The actor is actually a master of the Wind of Luigosa, one of the most artful martial arts styles." Without a word, Pyrrha spun, her foot kicking out at chin-height, coming down so she could twist with her other foot, spinning across the room in a rapid series of well-practiced roundhouse kicks that only stopped when the tip of one foot brushed the opposite wall.

"Mm. Wind style has performed so poorly in the last eight tournaments, unfortunately." Ren shook his head in disappointment.

"I _know!"_ Pyrrha visibly pouted as she slowly moved towards the other end of the room in a slow, revolving kata where each breath taken, and each breath passed, accompanied her movement like the howling winds between the salted peaks of the Luigosa coastal cliffs. "I am still of the opinion that Achto's four arm style should _not_ be allowed to use their pugilist gloves."

"The original doctrine states that the Hands of Achto were made _strictly_ for fighting the Grimm." Ren nodded, his lips tight with annoyance.

"Considering the amount of corruption that the Mistral Regional Tournament spent so much time rooting out, I would not be surprised if money had exchanged hands to bend that particular rule." Pyrrha sat back at the desk in annoyance, getting back to sorting her clothes.

"The MRT also has much greater public acclaim, while the Twelve Arts Tournaments is less publicized. It would take much more focused internal reformation, and unfortunately, it is a profit-making business. Purity is not the first thing on their minds…"

Pyrrha made a small, aggravated noise just thinking about it.

Nora stuck her head up from behind a bed, where she was working on something Pyrrha and Ren couldn't see. "What's that one style where everyone dresses in, like, just ribbons?"

"The Art of the Bare Yystran." Pyrrha glanced over as she reached into a box and pulled out a very large trophy, depicting a foot-tall version of herself in solid gold, with a hand-engraved nameplate on a wooden base. "A two-pronged style, where the user cultivates a near-supernatural beauty through rigorous dieting and exercise, uses their physical form and flexibility to catch their opponent off guard, and waylay them with attacks that primarily target the soft spots."

"Yeeeaaaaah, why isn't there more of _that?"_ Nora asked in petty frustration. "I wanna see pretty dancing naked people beat up a buncha chumps!"

"Nora, half the time it doesn't work." Ren called over as he set an empty box aside, opened it, took one look, and scooted it over to Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked into her box of unmentionables and took it into the closet. "A beautiful, naked woman wouldn't work on a gay man or a straight woman. You would simply be exposed and easy to catch by a well-disciplined opponent."

"Yeah, but even if it's a fifty-fifty shot, you got a _pretty_ good chance of keeping your opponent distracted!"

"A disciplined warrior would not be distracted so easily by some exposed flesh."

"Oh yeah…?"

A few seconds later, Pyrrha poked her head out in time to see Nora's shirt flutter down to cover her belly as Ren, red-cheeked, pinching his nose, and crushing his thighs together, glared at his giggling girlfriend.

"Sorry, did I miss something?" Pyrrha asked, making Nora break down into harder giggles as Ren whipped his head away, trying to keep his dignity intact as he opened another one of Pyrrha's boxes. Pyrrha glanced between the two other hunters curiously, and chalked it up to an in-joke she hadn't been included in.

She sat at the desk again as two of her roommates sat mostly in silence. Unlike the locker rooms of the Grand Mistral Olympic Center, the silence was not one of anxiousness, but Pyrrha was so used to people not making eye-contact, working on their weaponry, failing to speak, preparing for an all-out conflict in front of thousands of spectators, she felt that knot of stress in her tummy form.

Nora and Ren were her companions, her allies, her… her friends. This she knew. Vaguely. She had actual conversations with them, she didn't feel hounded to constantly worry about her physical shape for the tournament, or put on her best smile for the cameras, or answer the same dozen questions she'd been asked over and over again, or asked about some deeply personal aspect of her life.

For once, she sat down with an hour of nothing to do but unpack, and she wasn't questioning if she wanted to continue on like this. Gladiators often had early retirements not just because of physical injury, but the stress of being a combatant and a celebrity status that weighed down on them. Pyrrha was no different, but she was far less comfortable with her fame than others. While she loved the idea of being a hero, an icon, and a paragon of fitness and goodness, she _hated_ having to dress in the best fashions, constantly worry about her make-up and hair, having to constantly monitor what she said, ate, or did so it didn't slip she was anything less than a perfect swordswoman.

In the eyes of children, she was a role model… but the adults weren't so pure with their intentions. Children liked her because she was strong and nice, or hated her because she won so much. Their vision of her was pure, she won a lot so that was either good or bad depending on who they were rooting for. Pyrrha had met _far_ too many adults who promised her a cut of the cash if she took a dive, or wanted to nitpick and micromanage every last detail of her life to figure out her secrets. It was the adults who wanted more cleavage, tried to hide a camera in her locker rooms, or tried to record her private practice.

It was the damn, greedy, fault-hungry adults that wanted to turn her father's surgery complications into a soap opera-affair full of pointing fingers and flagrant lies for the sake of controversy and views.

Pyrrha had spent far too much time around adults, not enough time around teenagers her own age. She wanted to drop her practice some nights to join a study group in Haven, she wanted to call in sick to go to a birthday party some blushing boy slid her an invitation to, she wanted to do so many things that students her age got the chance to enjoy, but Pyrrha had been stuck in a world of business and practice, and found herself spiralling away from what _she_ wanted.

Now, here, she could be an actual hero. Not in the ring, but for the people. Being a huntress wasn't as lucrative, and was far more deadly, but she could shrug off the weight of everyone's expectations as a celebrity and become something far greater. She was going to be a huntress, and just as she promised herself seven years ago when she was first submitting her application to the Gladiatorial Union of Mistral, she was going to be the best. Not for money, or status, but for the people.

Pyrrha's shoulders sank as she took steadying breaths. She would become greater than ever before… but she didn't want to be out of everyone's reach or under anyone's thumb.

" _To the cute honeys with the eyes of blue, I got a message of love, from me to you!~"_

Pyrrha snapped to attention as the excited voice seemingly came from nowhere. "Finally!" Nora announced, putting a radio up on the bookshelf. Her smile went from ear to ear as the room filled with bouncy, energetic jazz. Pyrrha shook her head, clearing her head of those thoughts.

It was the here and the now, and she had _friends_ now.

She watched in unspoken amusement as Nora began to shimmy in place to the music, wiggling her hips, her eyes closed, elbows hugging close to her ribs as her hands formed limp fists. Nora hummed along to the cheery music and the sensual singer's voice, kicking her feet out as the music became more lively. She was clearly no expert dancer, but she didn't let that stop her.

"Ren!" Nora wiggled up close to her boyfriend with a big smile. "Dance!" She held her hands out, wiggling her butt as she did.

"You know I'm not a big jazz fan." Ren looked uncomfortable as Nora put on a big pout.

"C'mon Ren, please? You dance to classical stuff with me!" Nora worked her hips as best she could, but it was clear she wasn't quite loose enough to really bust out _something_ magical.

"It's just annoying." Ren waved his hand dismissively. "Classical dances are rituals, carefully crafted to be beautiful and smooth, this is just… senseless wiggling."

"But senseless wiggling is what I'm _good_ at though!" Nora stomped her feet huffily. She turned away and looked to Pyrrha with big, pleading eyes. "Pyrrrhhhhaaaa, dance with me, pleeeease!"

Pyrrha swallowed hesitantly, but slowly rose to her feet. "I-I've never really danced before, but I can try." With that, Nora beamed, happy enough to look silly and throw her limbs around in barely controlled ways to a rhythm, but Pyrrha was used to a much more strict form of movement. She swayed her hips, arms held up and close to her bust as she half-shimmied, half-squirmed to the music.

It _did_ have a nice beat, and Pyrrha tried to get a little adventurous, even offering Nora a smile as her feet moved more. The two 'danced' for maybe thirty seconds before Pyrrha stuck her foot out in an attempt to try something different, and Nora tumbled to the ground with a thump. Pyrrha squeaked, and quickly retracted her foot. "I'm sorry Nora, I hadn't- it was a total-"

"Foul! Foul!" Nora flailed on the ground, making it difficult for Pyrrha to help pull her up. "Okay, so you gotta watch your feet, see, like-"

"N-no offense Nora." Pyrrha smiled apologetically as she interrupted. "But I'm no good at dancing. I think I'll sit this one out."

"Aww, c'mon, nobody _starts_ good at anything!" Nora crossed her arms over her chest unhappily as Pyrrha sat down shyly. "Ugh! You're both total stiffs…" Nora's voice fell as she scuffed the floor, and Pyrrha and Ren both shared a guilty look.

The bathroom door flew open, and Jaune stepped out, one hand's fingertips pressed to his forehead, the other pointing at Nora in dramatic fashion. His legs were spread, testing the limits of his school pants, before his voice rose: " _You!"_ He announced, making his three teammates blink in surprise. " _My blue eyed ba~by, I see you in the waters blue, it's true, when you're around I don't gotta chooo~ooooossss~sse-uh!"_ His voice rose, making Ren wince as his voice cracked at the attempt to match the singer, but the blonde boy paid no mind to his lack of singing talent and swept in.

Nora squeaked as her hand was taken, and Pyrrha stared in silent awe as her partner spun Nora around, letting her go so they could stand across from each other. Nora broke down into laughter as her will to dance was renewed, her hips and arms swinging as she and Jaune openly, and happily, grooved.

Ren's eyes widened as his girlfriend showed little care or worry dancing with a boy she'd just met yesterday. There was zero hesitation in taking one another by the hands to spin around, legs kicking, arms swinging, smiles wide and happy. Ren stared blankly, unaware of the way his fingers were digging into his knee harder and harder as Nora gave Jaune a toothy smile.

The song went on for another minute, ending in a dramatic explosion of brass, while Jaune and Nora held each other by one hand, their other hand out in the same flamboyant pose. They were grinning brightly at each other, and let go as the radio started another song.

Hair still wet, Jaune stood in front of the body mirror and combed it as Nora clung to his side in a happy hug, one leg raised behind her. " _Eeee!_ Finally! Somebody who will dance with me!"

"Ren won't dance with you?" Jaune glanced down at Nora curiously.

" _Ugh,_ no, he's such a stiff!" Nora openly pouted, and Ren stood up as a sudden shot of adrenaline ran through him. He wasn't even aware he was frowning. He walked behind Nora, set a hand on her shoulder, and gently squeezed. Immediately she fell against him, resting her back against his chest as her hand snaked into his. A small squeeze relieved most of the tension, but Ren still felt a tiny, bitter taste in his mouth that he was not happy with. He glanced down at Nora, as she looked up at him. "So stiff!" She repeated, reaching up to poke his nose. "Boop!"

"It's just… all it is is _moving."_ Ren mumbled defensively as he stared at the back of Jaune's head.

Jaune turned to look at him over his shoulder, shrugging a little bit. "Sure, but, like, it's fun moving. You look dumb for a second, but it makes you feel… loose. Gives you energy."

Ren's eyes narrowed a tiny bit as he considered it. "So does exercise and a good breakfast." He countered.

"Yeah, but those aren't as fun. With dancing, you get the music, you get to show off a bit…" Jaune's swayed his hips left and right, and Nora giggled. Ren glanced up and sighed.

"I just don't see the point." He shook his head, releasing Nora. He moved to go back to his seat when Nora called back.

"You also don't see the point of makeup, but look at Pyrrha!" Nora pointed to the redhead. Pyrrha blinked slowly, her cheeks reddening the tiniest bit as she held her hands up. "She's gorgeous!" Pyrrha turned more red at the compliment.

"It's just a little eyeshadow and blush, nothing excessive." Pyrrha admitted bashfully, but Nora made a dismissive noise.

"Oh _please,_ miss bedroom-eyes." Nora shook her head, and Pyrrha instinctively touched her forehead, trying to figure out what Nora meant.

"Make-up looks fine in the moment, but it's not valuable. We're hunters Nora, we'll get sweaty anyways. Besides, I like you. The _natural_ you." He said with an honest shrug, but Nora sighed and shook her head.

"I know, but… like, we won't be hunters _all_ the time. I just wanna look a little girly sometimes, especially while I still can." Nora admitted. Ren chewed his inner cheek in frustration, Pyrrha thought for a second as she reached over to her make-up drawer, and Jaune…

"Y'know, I had seven sisters." Jaune admitted with a hesitant tone, moving to go sit in a desk chair. "I could, y'know… I mean, if we had any on hand, I can do a little, tiny, totally basic makeup." He winced as he admitted it.

"... Really?" Nora and Pyrrha both asked at the same time. Jaune groaned, blushing as Ren chewed his tongue.

" _Really."_ Jaune shrugged again and tried to look completely casual about it. "I had sisters! They wanted me to do girly stuff sometimes, it's not my fault I can dance and do makeup! It's just, y'know, how I was raised!"

"Wow, Jaune." Nora just snickered as Ren shook his head.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about Jaune, I'm sure many girls would find it impressive." Pyrrha nodded, trying to be consoling, but Jaune just threw his hands up.

"That's what they told me! But how many women have you heard say 'I totally dig a guy who knows how to do a Vacuo eye contour'?! None! They want strong, beefy, hairy men with big-"

" _Pause!"_ Nora ordered, staring Jaune in the eye as the boy swiftly stopped gesturing to his crotch. "You can do a vec-curl?" Her eyebrow crawled up her forehead.

"... Maybe…" Jaune answered in a soft voice.

"Pyrrha?" Nora asked in a suddenly gentle, sweet voice. "Would it be okay if I borrowed some of your makeup? I'll pay you back, I swearsies." Nora's tone was suddenly coy, but she wore a pleased smile. Pyrrha stood, and nodded her head.

"Don't worry about paying me back." She went to the bathroom and returned with her makeup case, giving it to Nora. The redhead grew a big, happy smile, taking it and scampering over to Jaune as the blonde sighed, but opened up the case to carefully look through the contents.

"I still say it's a waste." Ren frowned from his chair, watching Nora as she pulled up a chair in front of Jaune. He had a strange feeling that wouldn't leave his gut, despite his repeated attempts at his normal emotion-quelling techniques. It was a cold, bitter feeling that he did not like, and it made him look at Jaune with distaste. _That_ he liked even less. Jaune had saved Nora, Jaune had protected the love of his life, why was he feeling… _jealous?_ He shook his head. It was nothing. It was dancing and makeup. Despite Ren's personal dislike of them, Nora still ran to Jaune, and did so with that happy wiggle in her hips she got whenever she was happy.

"Okay, hold still, this'll probably tickle a bit. Gonna lay down a little foundation…" Jaune spoke as, with the impeccable precision of an artist, he began to work on Nora's face. He hummed, he stuck his tongue out in concentration, he told Nora when to relax, when to blink, when to keep her eyes wide open. He lightened her cheeks and added a small amount of blush, causing her rosiness to truly shine through, and moved to her eyes. He shadowed her eyes, carefully lined her lids, and then redid the shadows. It was a slow, delicate procedure, but he did not shake and took shallow breaths. "Hm, y'know, Nora…" He spoke as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You've got a very round, like, _cute_ face, y'know?"

"Mhmm?" Nora chewed her lower lip to stop herself from smiling. Ren hid a growl.

"I don't think a vec-curl would suit you, you need sharper features. My little sister Jean pulled it off really well, but you're a little more like Jill. Let my try something different." He held the bottom of her undecorated chin and slowly moved her around as he thought, his appraising eye rolling over her facial features like a judge. He chewed his lip, made a popping sound with his tongue, bounced his eyebrows, and finally gave a little sniff of approval.

Pyrrha watched with big eyes as he went back to working Nora's eyes. He sat back with a satisfied look and closed all of Pyrrha's cases, while Pyrrha closed her mouth and swallowed her suddenly dry tongue. For reasons even she wasn't aware of, a barely heard, primal part of her wanted to plant her flag fast and early, but she held back with a slow, shy roll of her jaw.

Ren stared as Nora stood and walked to the mirror, his expression changing from annoyance to mild shock. Her cheeks had always been faintly red, like she'd always been the slightest bit embarrassed, but Jaune brought out a rosiness in her face that made Nora look not just cute, but endlessly pleased. Her brow was delicately rounded to make her look _happy,_ but her eyes… Ren's fingers twitched. Black and smoky, with long, pumped curls and enough mascara to make the fine hairs pop in such a fetching way. Her lips were a glossy red, making them look smooth and shiny, a far-cry from her normally wrinkled, pale smile.

Anything Ren felt towards Jaune at that point was momentarily forgotten. He stared at his lover as she looked into the room's mirror, her whole neck turning red as she reached her hand up to touch her reflection's face. She dipped her head and blinked shyly, lifted her chin and smiled cockily, turned to the side and puckered her lips… Ren had a sudden thrill shoot through his leg, and he felt the urge to whisk Nora away to somewhere private.

He squeezed his eyes shut and clamped down on his emotions. Makeup wasn't a realistic thing they could expect out in the field, even as good as Nora looked in it, he couldn't constantly expect Jaune to sit there with her. For _Jaune_ to make his girlfriend pretty.

He stood suddenly, wanting a glass of water. He made a move to go to the bathroom when a hand took his. He froze, squeezing Nora's fingers with familiar affection, and he turned to look at her. She had an embarrassed, unsure look on her face. "Ren?" She asked, rocking on her heels. "Am I pretty?"

Ren didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He looked into her eyes, at the way the touch-ups brought out the absolute best features in her, and he felt his own eyes water. A tiny smile tugged at his lips, and he nodded the tiniest bit. She was still the most beautiful girl he knew, and now, even more so, but that bitter nastiness would not leave his stomach.

Nora read his face like a book. He was so quiet and subtle with his emotions that she had gotten used to the little tics in his expression and movements. It was very rare that his eyes glimmered the way they did now, so she couldn't stop herself from grinning in a mixture of joy and triumph. Ren gave a small, amused sigh.

"Y'know, the first few classes are _probably_ gonna be just dumb, boring introductory stuff. We could take the morning off…" Nora suggested, running her finger over his elbow naughtily. Ren felt that thrill shoot down his leg again at the suggestion, and the heavily restrained, wild part of him was demanding he _take_ the suggestion. Jaune and Pyrrha stared as his hand touched her back, then slowly moved down to cup her bottom through her skirt, then move back up her back.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said in a tone of gentle amusement. "We'll have time later. We should get ready. If you'll pardon me, I am thirsty." Ren left Nora's hand, stepping into the restroom to grab a complimentary cup and fill it.

Nora's smile went from pleased to brilliantly feral as she turned on her roommates, her expression both distressingly predatory and fetchingly smoky. "Jaune, you _dreamboat."_ She marched over, sticking her pointer finger under his chin and tilting his face up so they could look each other in the eye. "You, sir, just got _Nora points._ Which are like brownie points but _better."_ She turned away, hands on her hips, and revelled at her reflection.

Jaune slid closer to Pyrrha and the blonde turned to his partner with a lopsided smile. "They're crazy."

"Oh, come now, they're happy. It's all a person can ask for." Pyrrha sighed longingly, thinking of how Nora and Ren held hands. "…but yes, perhaps a little bit crazy." Pyrrha admired Jaune from behind her eyelids, failing to keep herself from giggling.

Jaune pretended to not notice at first, but then she hid her mouth behind her hand. "What?" He asked, suddenly flustered. She didn't answer, the sudden attention making her giggle more audibly. "What?! It's a valuable skill around women!" Jaune began to wave his arms as Pyrrha hid her face and fell into open belly-laughing that made Jaune whimper. "I had to fend for myself _somehow!_ It was a makeup or _be_ makeuped world out there! They were _evil_ Pyrrha; crazy, and _evil,_ and trying to make me pretty!"

Ren stepped out of the bathroom to see Jaune futilely defending himself as Pyrrha folded in half, her laughter loud and wild. Nora shot her boyfriend a look, making his heart flutter, and she shook her head and jerked her thumb towards Jaune and Pyrrha. "You see those two? They're _crazy."_

"Mmhm." Ren smirked as he checked the time. "Ten 'til, everyone. We should go." He announced. Pyrrha stifled her laughter just enough to grab her backpack, while Jaune slumped and trudged over to his suitcase. Nora and Ren were waiting by the door with their handbags, and the four left as a team.

* * *

" _We're not late!"_ Yang announced as she nearly busted the wooden door down.

The class of hunters stared in silent surprise as Yang walked in, Ruby meekly following behind her. Weiss and Blake stumbled in, panting heavily, their bags loosely held over their shoulders.

Bartholomew Oobleck slowly lowered the newspaper he was reading at his desk to evaluate the four girls before he slowly stood. Team RWBY snapped to attention as the scraggly-dressed man set his paper down and tugged his loose tie. He picked up a piece of chalk and turned towards the blackboard. " _Ruby Rose."_ He spoke, his voice little more than a violent hiss as he slowly wrote her name in large, blocky letters.

Ruby squeaked, her lip beginning to quiver as he turned to stare at her through his gloomy glasses. "D-d-doc-doctor Oobleck…?" She whimpered, but his gaze shifted to her right.

" _Weiss. Schnee."_ He snarled, writing her name underneath Ruby's. Weiss went pale—well, pal _er_ —as he then glanced to the next girl. " _Blake Belladonna…_ and _Yang. Xiao. Long."_ He wrote each name, and the entire class of hunters quietly whispered, wondering how harsh _tardiness_ was punished at Beacon. Dr. Oobleck carefully set the chalk into its receptacle, his movements slow and precise, then he whirled, hunched over as he stared at the team with a animalistic ferocity. All four of them suddenly felt very small… "How… _DAAAAAARRRRRE YOOOOUUUU?!"_ He suddenly roared, standing to his full height with his hands on his head.

Every teenager in the room stared silently as the Doctor stared at the floor in clear agony. "Um… Professor?" Yang spoke up.

" _Doctor!_ It's _Doctor_ Oobleck to you! I didn't get a PHD in Remnant History and _Archaeology_ for fun!" He all but spat, giving the four girls a grieved look. Yang shut her mouth tightly, and silently glanced to Blake for help. Blake was squeezing her bow to keep her ears from falling flat. "Don't think I don't know! You have each made my list for the atrocities you committed during your initiation!" He shouted, pointing at them furiously.

"Atroci- _what?!"_ Weiss looked at their teacher like he'd gone _mad._ Well, madd _er._ "We didn't hurt anyone during our initiation! We passed like everyone else!" She threw her arms out, and the whole class shrank back in an attempt to avoid the doctor's wrath.

"Oh, you most certainly did! With flying colors at that! Congratulations by the way, your victory over the Nevermore was most certainly well executed and triumphant— _BUT AT WHAT COST?!"_ Oobleck whirled towards the blackboard, chalk suddenly appearing in his hand, and Team RWBY stared in escalating comprehension as he drew three tall towers in record time. "The Ignopolus!" Spittle flew all over his desk, "One of the last vestiges of an ancient religion that worshipped Ignus, ' _he who holds the sun in his palms!'"_

Ruby looked to Yang. Yang looked back. Both girls shrugged as Blake silently raised a hand. "Um… sir? We had no control over the destruction the Nevermore caused, and, um…"

"We didn't know we would _explode!"_ Ruby squeaked, trembling under Oobleck's angry stare.

"Indeed, Dust can be unpredictable in dire circumstances and depending on whose aura does what, but I can _never_ forgive you!" Dr. Oobleck bent over his desk in grief, a loud, frustrated sigh escaping him. "You four passed, and therefore I am required to teach you, but don't you dare think for a _second_ I will enjoy tutoring you… you _wrecking balls!"_

"Hey! We are all skinny, curvy, and _sexy_ bitches!" Yang crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah!" Ruby, Weiss, and Blake added on, matching Yang's stance perfectly.

Dr. Oobleck let out a loud grunt, then snapped to attention and waved his hand. "Your crimes aside, we _do_ need to start class— _but you are staying on my list_ —so please take a seat— _without destroying them_ —and get out your things— _not your weapons."_

The four girls awkwardly filed into four available seats situated conveniently by team JNPR. Ruby sat down first, next to Jaune, who was staring at Oobleck in open worry before glancing to Ruby in shock, as if she'd just appeared there. "So, uh…" He whispered.

" _Students."_ Dr. Oobleck began, cutting Jaune short and drawing everyone's attention. Standing in a more composed manner, Dr. Oobleck lifted a telescoping rod in one hand, then hit a button on the wall behind him. "Today begins our first class in the History of Remnant. You may be asking yourself: 'what can I learn here that I haven't heard before?'" As he spoke, the blackboard behind him revolved slowly, vertically, revealing an enormous map of Remnant, all of its continents, their regions, their cities, their towns, and unexplored locations marked, at least what was visible beneath the dozens upon dozens of papers stuck to the map, with a massive series of red strings connecting each location. "The answer is simple: _our mistakes."_

Dr. Oobleck stepped out from behind his desk and paced slowly, not looking at anyone as his voice rose loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Between humans and faunus, between the Vacuo-Vale alliance and the Mistral-Mantle allegiance, from the wars of ancient past, to the skirmishes of recent history, one thing is apparent," He hit a button on the side of his desk, and now, covering the map, was a holographic display showing numerous treaties and armistice agreements from over the years. "We are learning. Not very quickly, but we are learning. Centuries of warfare amongst ourselves has lead to millions of deaths, not just at each other's hands, but at the teeth and claws of the Grimm that our strife inevitably calls."

The hologram changed with a click of a button on his pointer, revealing a large picture. The iconic painting of the King of Vale and the Premier of Mistral shaking hands during the Vytal treaty signing appeared, a scene of comradeship, understanding, and weariness over what has come to be known as a senseless war.

"We have fought less and less over the years, and war seems outlandish in this time of peace, but let me assure you, the same thing was thought by our ancestors before the Color Wars broke out." Dr. Oobleck lifted his gaze, looking at every single student in their seats, and put on a small, almost fatherly smile. "Students, we are not politicians, but we are _leaders._ Since the dawn of our history, Hunters are seen as icons of morality, the bearers of our ideals and our strength, no matter where we come from, who we were born to, or where we are now, we carry a torch; illuminating the darkness of the future as we strike forward and lead the people of Remnant towards a better time." His smile fell as a new hologram appeared, one displaying a Newspaper.

The headline read _'Crime Wave Grips Vale Ports! Shops destroyed, Dust stolen, people afraid. President Victoria promises to increase security.'_

"But just as we hold the torch, there are those who lurk in the dark. They use fear and violence for personal gain, from the lowliest criminal…"

The hologram switched again, this time an old newspaper from the Color Wars. _'Emperor Khan Declares Ban on Colors; Mistral Feeling Gray! King Oscar condemns, but Atlas stays quiet!'_

"... To the most well-intentioned king." Oobleck shut the hologram off, slowly moving to the center of the room to look up to his students. "I have taken this job to teach you, our future hunters, our future torch-bearers, what it means to be a person, both in the past and now, the inalienable rights of Remnant, and how our history has shaped our present. With this knowledge, I have the hopes that each and every single one of you will step out knowing, without a doubt, your right from wrong, and learn from the mistakes our ancestors have made."

The room was quiet, mulling over his words, and Oobleck suddenly stomped his foot.

"That said, prepare to take your notes!" He was off like a shot, reappearing by the map, the pointer in his hand wobbling from the speed. The classroom was filled with the sounds of shuffling bags, rustling paper, and the testing taps of mechanical pencils as Oobleck went off at light speed. "Picture this: Vale, only one hundred and eight years after the establishment of our capital, the winter is harsh, food is scarce, the bread lines stretch across three blocks, the king missing for the fourth week in a row…"

The scratching of pencils filled the hall as Dr. Oobleck poured in the facts and figures. Pyrrha, Ren, and Weiss wrote mechanically, neat notes with indentations to designate a relation to the topic and room in the margins for extra notes. Blake filled her pages from the heading area to the margins, writing in quick, fast scribbles that ignored the standard procedure, utilizing years of frantic recording. Nora chewed her pencil, waiting for a name, a date, and what they did. Jaune stared in bewilderment as he tried to write down names, numbers, facts, and figures, but mostly ended up with an incomplete mess. Yang wrote with fine handwriting, not going the extra mile as Weiss did, but her organization was good and had just enough fluff in case she needed to do extra credit.

Ruby was on her third page already. Her hand moved like a mechanical arm, recording every last word the professor spoke, sweat beading on her forehead, her tongue stuck out from between her lips. She filled each page as best she could as she strained her ears and listened to Dr. Oobleck.

She had to give Beacon her one-hundred percent, no less. She'd lucked her way in here, there was going to be no give and all take. Her hand ached, but she continued to write, she had to absorb _everything…_

It was like Professor Goodwitch told her, she was being tested above everyone else here. She was the youngest student at Beacon, and with the most dangerous semblance. She needed her professors to see that she was serious and _tame._

She would get good grades, perform her best, and prove her worth as a huntress.

An hour flew by, and Professor Oobleck concluded his lesson by tapping away at a console on his desk. "Everyone, keep your notes available, we are now moving on to classwork! If you and your partner are not sitting next to each other, arrange it so that you are. You and your partner will be sharing classwork grades, but all homework and tests are individually taken." Holographic displays popped up in front of each pair of students, displaying the Vale continent, and under a drop bar was a list of twenty names, of people, events, and locations. "Your classwork today will be to pin each of the given keywords to their appropriate location, as close as you can get it, and put a brief—and I mean _brief_ —summary of each keyword. Keywords may share locations. Remember, your notes and your partner are a valuable source of information, and don't hesitate to ask your teammates if both of you are stumped but I _will_ be looking for matching entries!"

Ruby looked to her left. Weiss and Yang were already switching seats to sit next to their respective partners, and Weiss looked into Ruby's goggles. "I'm hoping you took notes?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned her notebook's pages back. "Because I am willing to _share_ notes, but if you expect me to allow you to copy mine after the fact-"

"N-no no! I have them!" Ruby showed Weiss her notes. Weiss looked over the scrawled, though legible words with a discerning eye, and a slow frown formed. "Are-are they okay?"

"You only need the important parts, not every last scrap of detail." Weiss pointed out, but let it go with a sigh. "Anyways, let's start from the top." She took the first keyword out of the drop bar: Admiral Jameson Bravo. Dr. Oobleck's lesson had covered a number of events that happened between Vale's founding and its slow rise to power, and, thankfully, the events seemed to be in order in the drop bar.

' _While Vale was initially considered impenetrable due to the advantage Grimm had over early settlers, Admiral Jameson Bravo was the first explorer into Vale to make use of a military company equipped with Dust-enhanced weaponry. Though he had suffered heavy losses, he created the first self-sustaining fortification able to harvest and trade Vale's natural resources.'_

"Is that agreeable?" Weiss asked, leaning away from the holoboard. The event was tied to a spot on the eastern Vale peninsula, where Oobleck had pointed to during the lesson.

Ruby leaned in to read, and quietly nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll take the next one…"

" _Don't_ guess." Weiss ordered sternly, making Ruby flinch. "If you're to be our leader, you must be sure of yourself." Weiss's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Ruby. Ruby didn't say anything, just bob her head and shiver as she took the next event: The Eighth Grimm Extermination Act.

' _In 012, Mistral's acting treasurer Yata MondALA CRESTED-'_

Ruby took her hands off the keyboard. "Weiss?" Ruby whimpered, and Weiss just watched with mounting disbelief. "Why did all the letters become big?!" Ruby stared at the screen with a confused frown. Weiss glanced to Ruby suspiciously, reached over, and pointed to the caps lock button. "Oh." Ruby pressed it.

' _In 012, Mistral's acting treasurer Yata MondALA CRESTED an act6 that-'_

"No, no, no! Ruby, fix your mistakes!" Weiss pointed to the screen and gave Ruby an even more skeptical glare. "Don't you text?"

"I-I do but I haven't used an actual keyboard before!" Ruby squeaked, leaning away from the holoscreen.

"Surely they taught you this stuff in school! I took a computer class in _Elementary…"_ Weiss's brow knit together, and Ruby let out a nervous laugh. "... ... ... Don't…" A gradual grimace crept across Weiss's face. " _Don't_ tell me…"

"... I never went to school."

Weiss slowly turned her head, her neck stiff and rigid, to face Yang, who was watching her warily for the first sign of trouble. Weiss's jaw went stiff. Yang flicked Weiss's nose, making the heiress yelp. "She's homeschooled, sorry we didn't cover basic computing."

"Who _doesn't_ have _at least_ a laptop these days, though?! Somebody—I mean, she has a scroll and never found her _caps lock button?!"_

"Who uses a caps lock button to text?" Blake asked as she stared at her notes with a bored expression. Weiss and Yang both raised their hands. "... Weird."

"Look, if somebody you know screws up _real_ bad, and you gotta let 'em know you're mad _somehow."_ Yang shrugged.

"Besides, it's just proper to understand the tools at your disposal! How can you be a reliable person if you don't explore all your options?!" Weiss snarled, then shot a look at Ruby, and her young leader wilted noticeably. "Ugh…" After a moment of contemplation, she reached over and took Ruby's hands, making the smaller girl go stiff as her fingers were placed on the holoboard. "This had _better_ not take all class. Now let's take this slowly."

Ruby looked at Weiss curiously, and Weiss snarled again, making Ruby look right back at the screen. Weiss taught her the keyboard and its various buttons, showed her a few shortcuts, and in just under five minutes, Ruby had the blurb typed out.

' _In 012, Mistral's acting treasurer Yatta Mondala created an act that paid hunters to exterminate Grimm en masse in Vale. This act paid hunters 50 lien per kill, sending scribes, to record the number of slain Grimm, with each hunter. This job was dangerous for both hunter and scribe, but paid each extremely well for their services.'_

Ruby sat back with a heavy sigh, staring at the screen with a small frown. "Okay, you get the next one."

"No." Weiss scooted her chair closer to Ruby, facing the screen as Ruby blanched.

"B-but-"

"If we are going to be doing work together, I expect _basic_ competence with note-taking and computers. Now, hands on the keyboard, _do it again."_ Weiss ordered, disgruntled that her leader had to be taught how to do classwork at her grade level. Ruby hesitated, but sighed in defeat and put her hands on the holoboard. "Good. Now, Abarem Town; _don't hit caps lock."_

Ruby did as she was told, albeit slowly. For eighteen more terms. Weiss noted that Ruby's information was factually correct, but she had to be nudged and reminded repeatedly to use what Weiss had taught her. It wasn't as if she didn't know words or how they went together, but simple computer skills hadn't been a factor in her life. It was the most backwards thing Weiss had ever seen, her grammar and recollection of events was _excellent_ otherwise…

Ruby frowned at her sore fingers, stretching them slowly. She had the dexterity necessary for scythe-work, but this was new and different. Still, Weiss had few complaints as they rechecked their work. "Well, it all seems fine…"

"Girls." Ruby and Weiss glanced up to Dr. Oobleck. He sipped from his thermos, and Ruby and Weiss both noticed most of the students were kicked back, screens off. Blake and Yang were standing with team JNPR, Blake chatting with Pyrrha as Yang and Nora compared muscles. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine." Weiss nodded.

"Are you still mad at us?" Ruby asked in a tiny voice.

" _Utterly furious,_ but more importantly, I want to know how you're handling the work. It wasn't a particularly difficult assignment." He leaned between them both and examined their terms. "Mmhm, everything _seems_ in order…"

"I can't type very well." Ruby admitted softly, her pale face soft with disappointment.

"She's… unfamiliar with the common keyboard, so we took some extra time to familiarize her." Weiss said, gulping. Oobleck hummed thoughtfully.

"I see! Well, we'll determine whether or not it affects your grade when I actually grade it." He stood straight and absent-mindedly rubbed his bald chin. He turned to focus on Ruby, and cleared his throat to get her to look at him. "You shouldn't be afraid to admit your faults. We all have areas of expertise and things we've never learned. I am a hunter, a decorated scholar, and can pilot anything from a skiff to a military-class bullhead, but I have _never_ driven a car, nor have I learned how." He grew a lopsided smirk at their stunned looks. "What matters is that you try, and you are receptive to learning more."

Weiss frowned at her hands as Ruby squared up, smiling in quiet understanding. Weiss spoke up. "But, Doctor, aren't there certain… _expectations_ placed on hunters? Even if we open ourselves up to learning beyond our capabilities, something like knowing how to use a _computer_ seems important to already _know."_

"Mm, true, but many people still make use of the old-fashioned way." Dr. Oobleck examined his thermos' contents, taking a quick sip before continuing. "I had a young lady four years ago, a faunus from Menagerie. She was sharp, perceptive, good in class, but had religious reasons to not use a computer. All her classwork, homework, and tests were done on paper, she was a fantastic cartographer and had very neat hand-writing, but absolutely refused to use a computer."

"Oh!" Ruby perked up. "A Naturalist. Was she a pre- or post-Fang?" Ruby asked curiously, and Oobleck gave Ruby a pleased look.

"Ugh, of all the movements to come out of Menagerie, an anti _-technology_ one…" Weiss all but sneered at the thought, but Oobleck continued without acknowledging the complaint.

"Post-Fang, so she was perfectly fine with enhanced weaponry! In fact, she was one of the best duelists in her year, using a crossbow of all things!" Oobleck chuckled as Ruby's jaw dropped, and Weiss's eyes widened.

"A _crossbow_ duelist? Did it have a spear attached? Transform into an axe?" Weiss probed, and Oobleck shook his head.

"Just a regular, electrically-powered crossbow with standard metal bolts. Used dust-canister bolts as well, but she had a talent for trick-shots, _fantastic_ to see in a fight, always brought a crowd, but as I said, opposed using computers. Anyways, three years into her tenure at Beacon, she receives a letter from Ba'Rin Tinsam, her religious leader. The good Ba'Rin had declared that things like computers and scrolls would be a necessity if they wished to keep up with the modern world, but strictly for use in communication, education, and news. Needless finery such as movie-watching, wasteful social media, and any form of electronic entertainment was regarded as excessive. Their religion still forbids cars, airships, and artificially-powered watercraft, but suddenly she had computers in her life! She and her team used to come to my room after classes and spend hours teaching her how to use a computer and keyboard."

Ruby and Weiss both nodded as Oobleck looked off wistfully, and Weiss straightened her skirt impatiently. "And?" She asked.

"The point is," Oobleck continued after refocusing on the two, "we had a girl who adamantly refused to use our resources until her second-to-last year. Despite this, she excelled. She was intelligent, clever, powerful, and well-spoken, and when it came time to learn about computers, she was open-minded, and her team sacrificed their personal time to help her learn. If I am not mistaken, they are still signed up together today, their bond stronger than ever." He knelt, just enough to be on the girls' levels, and glanced between them with a small smile. "Help each other. _Learn._ Pride will be your downfall in the field, so if you feel unprepared, use each other, use your _team,_ and use your _school._ It's not stupid at all to admit your weaknesses." The intercom chimed as the class came to a close, and Oobleck stood swiftly. "Welp! That wraps up this class. Everyone have a good rest of your first day, there's a test this Friday! Do be on time next class, team _wrecking ball!"_

" _Hey!"_

* * *

"Weiss?" Ruby whispered, wiggling her rubber-gloved hands. "I. Am. A. _Scientist!"_ She whispered in heated awe.

"... Don't be stupid." Weiss set her clear, plastic goggles around her eyes and tightened the apron around her waist.

Ruby and Weiss, following the crowd of students from the wall hooks in the back of the classroom, made their way to an empty table alongside Blake and Yang. Blake did not seem pleased with the eyewear and adjusted them frequently, while Yang immediately took hold of a set of tongs. Ruby squeaked and flailed her hands playfully as the blonde tried to snag her nose.

"I'm gonna getcha!"

"Yang, stop!"

"I'm gonna _getcha!"_

"Noooooo!"

" _I'm gonna getcha!"_

"Eek!"

" _Girls!"_ Weiss slapped her hands down onto the table, her cheek twitching. Yang stopped to stare at Weiss curiously, her tongs gently squeezing Ruby's nose. "Stop. Playing. _Around."_ Weiss ordered, visibly frustrated.

"Bud why?" Ruby slurred, flicking the tongs to signal Yang to let her go.

"We're in _school!_ We'll be adults soon! We can't juuuuuub-" Weiss glared at Blake, the smug, smiling black-haired girl having pulled Weiss's bottom lip out comically using the table's second set of tongs, leaving both Ruby and Yang both giggling. Weiss briefly turned into an enraged windmill as her arms flew about, grabbing all the tools-turned-toys out of everyone's hands and holding them to her chest with an overly dramatic glare. "Act. Your. _Age."_ She hissed warningly.

"Is that an order?" Yang asked, leaning closer with a cocky smile. "'Cuz y'know, you can't really give orders since _Ruby's_ the team leader!" Yang ribbed Weiss. The heiress's glare turned much harsher as her rage mounted.

"Well unless she starts _acting_ like it then _maybe,_ we should have somebody who will _step up!"_ Weiss hissed unhappily, and Yang just gave a thoughtful hum.

"Sounds like a mutiny! Okay, so, in that case, let's put it to a vote! Who wants Weiss as a leader?" Yang asked the table. Weiss raised her hand, and her brow knit together grumpily as she looked between the other three. Ruby, for her part, just looked ashamed. "And who votes for Ruby?!" Yang asked, throwing her hand into the air. Blake followed suit. Ruby just stared at her lap meekly. "Ruby's still our acting leader!" Yang beamed.

"Yaaaaay…" Ruby twirled a finger, and Weiss silently glared.

"Okay class!" Professor Peach announced from up front. Ruby and Weiss continued to pout, even as they turned towards their teacher. Professor Peach had her long hair kept tame in numerous micro-dreadlocks, then tied off in a ponytail behind her head. Ruby noted that her outfit hadn't changed much from two days ago: her tanktop and baggy pants remained, but an apron now completed the ensemble. "Let's start with introductions: I'm Professor Peridot Peach, but Professor Peach will be fine. From now until you graduate, I am your go-to source on anything Dust-related." She gestured to the desk in front of her. At one end was a sink, but strewn across the rest of it was vials filled with numerous different-colored Dusts and all sorts of glass bulbs and plastic tubes used in creating small, personalized batches. "You wanna mix Dust? You get the kits from me. You wanna activate your license on campus? You ask me. You wanna order Dust? All requests go through _me,_ and yes, I saw some of you trying to get your hands on 'combat-enhancement' Dust already, so don't think I'm not paying attention!"

Ruby pressed her pencil to her paper in anticipation of the lesson's start. She had _never_ been very good with Dust. Her whole family relied more on fighting power than dust enhancement of any sort, usually using store-bought bullets. Yang had to do a few take-home experiments and record the results for Signal, and Ruby quickly learned how dangerous it could be when she got a little too nosey.

"So, Dust… As I'm sure you know, Dust is used for everything." Professor Peach tapped a button on her desk, and as with Oobleck's class, a holoscreen popped up above the desk. A scroll, a car, an airship, and a flaming sword were on display. "Modern transportation, communication, and combat would be impossible without the discovery, refinement, and advanced mutation of Dust. You see, kids, Dust is potential energy in physical form, and _any_ form of energy is _power._ With the discovery of Dust, civilization became possible, as we became powerful enough to fight the Grimm."

The screen changed. Ruby blinked slowly, trying to take in the visuals of the Dust-making process, from the boiling vials of multicolored grains to the liquidized slurry being poured into vibrating mixers. Professor Peach took a vial of red Dust on her desk and poured a little more than a handful into a glass bowl. The class watched as she took the bowl and screwed it onto a wooden pole, set the pole into the middle of the floor, and dropped a match into the bowl. A few fascinated whispers came from the class as the inside of the bowl instantly ignited, more powerfully than a mere match could have caused. The flame roared and howled, barely out of touch of the ceiling as Professor Peach casually sipped from a water bottle, then picked up a vial of golden dust in her mechanical hand.

"As I said, Dust is power, and power is _change."_ Her mechanical hand entered the flame fearlessly and poured in a portion of the golden Dust. The flame briefly jumped, turning a vibrant yellow, then suddenly froze. The roar and crackle of the flame died, the heat vanished, and the goldish, spiky pillar in the bowl stood still. Ruby silently set her pencil down and plopped her face in between her hands as she stared. "What if I told you that I petrified _heat?"_

Somebody in the back spoke up. "Isn't that impossible?"

"Not with _Dust!"_ Professor Peach looked pleased as she flicked the flask of golden Dust with her normal hand. "Many of you are probably familiar with the basics: fire, cold, electricity, gravity, and enhancement Dust. However, in laboratories today, we are creating stronger, more potent Dust using the Schnee-Xing process. Class, prepare to write." A scramble of pencils put to paper, and Professor Peach went on. "Schnee Dust Company employee Dr. Mana Yun Xing cracked the code of laboratory-created Dust thirty-eight years ago. By employing advanced chemistry using household things such as table salt, water, iron, fire, and enough vibration capable of setting off an earthquake detector three floors down, we can create flawless, ready-to-use Dust inside the safety of our cities."

Blake raised her hand. "Doesn't this make the dust mines obsolete?" She asked. Weiss huffed.

"Of _course_ not." Weiss answered, suddenly standing. "The Schnee-Xing method has created extraordinary results, but in limited quantities. Professor Peach, that thermal petrification Dust you used, am I wrong in saying that it took two weeks and around four thousand lien to create?" She asked, crossing her arms in a way that dared to be challenged.

Professor Peach grinned. "Leave it to Weiss Schnee! That is correct." Professor Peach held up the vial triumphantly, and nodded for Weiss to sit. "I was offered this generous sample from Dr. Yun Xing himself, to show my classes how far Dust has come since we were savages throwing exploding rocks at each other. This Dust is extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming, and has a shelf-life of approximately two and a half weeks, _but,_ you are looking at the future in fire-fighting should we cut that all down. Eight gallons of this can petrify your average house fire." Professor reached up, snapped off one of the golden tendrils outside the bowl, and crushed it between her hands, creating gentle wafts of smoke. "And it can be safely disposed of by grinding it down into harmless ash, break down in the wild, and join the rest of the used dust particles in seeding the land."

Professor Peach tossed the petrified fire into a trash can and reclaimed her bowl. She changed the holoscreen to a set of figures that made Ruby's brain ache. Chemical symbols and numbers filled the screen, and Professor Peach planted her hands on her wide hips and beamed. "We have several Schnee-Xing tumblers at this school, thanks to the Schnee Education Foundation's generous donations. As our future hunters, it is important for each of you to understand up-and-coming technology as well as old techniques. We will be going step-by-step over creating the most basic and important Dust to a Hunter's repertoire: _explosive Dust."_ That caused an excited stir to emerge from the class, and Yang in particular looked in love already.

"Explosive Dust?! _Tell me your secrets, magic woman."_ Yang growled softly, as Ruby began to shiver.

"Make sure you are with your partner for this! One of you will come up to gather the materials and equipment you need, you'll be given a reference chart in case you need help identifying Dust! Remember, this is an effort with your partner, so be sure to split duties accordingly!" Professor Peach called over the students as they began to move.

Ruby gulped heavily and looked to Weiss, the heiress already drawing on a piece of paper. "Ruby, do you have _any_ experience with Dust making, or mixing at the very least?" She asked in what sounded like an accusing tone, making Ruby balls her hands up nervously.

"N-no, not really. U-um-um, my family u-usually b-bought the b-bullets…" She was pale around her goggles, and Weiss looked up momentarily to examine Ruby's face.

"... You're stuttering more than usual. Are you okay?" She raised an eyebrow, and Ruby shook her head.

"I'm not good with Dust! I-I tend to, um, blow up…"

Yang spoke up, while running her hand along Ruby's back. "Ruby and Dust don't get along very well. We've… we've tried."

"Well, mixing…" Weiss's brow furrowed, and then her eyebrows popped up in inspiration. "You said you made cookie dough, Dust mixing is a lot like cooking."

"Except cookie dough doesn't _explode."_ Ruby squeaked fearfully. "And Yang makes _way_ better cookie dough than I do. I-I just- I mean- I knew I'd _have_ to but I'm nervous and-"

"Look…" Weiss's hand twitched. With a small, unsure expression, she carefully rest her hand on Ruby's shoulder to try and calm her down, and awkwardly stroked her like a particularly dirty pet. "I've been involved with Dust all my life…" She thought back to Oobleck's words, and tried to console herself that this was the right thing to do, not a waste of time. "I'll help you. I always excelled in mixing, all _you_ need to do is follow my instructions." Despite Weiss's words, Ruby still didn't look sure about herself. "Don't look so down on yourself. Look, we'll…" Weiss paused, took a deep breath through her nostrils, and tried to not rush things. If Ruby needed help, then she'd provide it… but she still felt this feeling of uncertainty. Weiss was the one leading things, currently… "... We'll take it slow."

 _Some Time Later_

" _... How?"_ Weiss wheezed, a black puff of smoke escaping her mouth. She lifted her smoke-coated goggles to stare down at the pile of what was once a chemistry set on the table, and Ruby carefully pulled herself out of Blake's shaking hands.

"I _told_ you I sucked…" Ruby frowned as she stared at the smoldering glassware.

"Incoming! Outta my way!" Professor Peach roared, her voice piercing the shocked silence that hung over the class. Fire extinguishing foam bathed Ruby's and Weiss's Dust remnants, and the professor pushed her goggles up her forehead with a frown. "Alright, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, front desk, _let's talk."_

Weiss stood with a mortified expression on her face, Ruby looking so far beyond embarrassed that her neck was sinking into her shoulders. Professor Peach sat at her desk while giving them both a withering stare as the class behind the two girls snickered below their breath.

"Okay, so, what step were you at?" Peach asked, looking into both of their eyes.

"W-well…" Weiss gulped, then shot a sharp glare at Ruby that punctured what little self-confidence the younger girl had left. "We refined the Dust with the lemon juice and sieved the soft particles out, I was mixing the enhancing components away from the Dust, and then, then _you_ —" Weiss's embarrassment was soon taken over by genuine anger as the the redhead felt about an inch high.

"I-I was following instructions, I swear!" Ruby squeaked. "I-I-I was warming the water and had just finished adding the worcestershire sauce to the nitroglycerin, then I picked up the explosive Dust to mix with the en-enhancing compo-ponents and it just _exploded!"_

Professor Peach hummed. "Did you shake the flask?"

"No!" Ruby shook her head.

"Did you add anything you weren't supposed to?" Weiss crossed her arms and glowered.

"No! It was _just_ the ignite Dust!" Ruby whimpered feebly.

"... Alright Ruby." Professor Peach sipped from her water bottle and stood up. She took a small vial of rustic-red Dust and held it out to Ruby. "Hold this."

"... Why?!" Ruby asked in growing panic.

"We start with the simplest solutions first." Ruby meekly reached out to take ahold of the glass. "The most probable reasons are a Dust contamination or a mishandling of the glassware, but there _is_ also the possibility that—" The Dust in the tube suddenly erupted in a flash of light, a billow of smoke, and a flare of heat that made Ruby turn into a statue of petrified horror, "... you aren't controlling your aura." Peach finished with a disappointed look.

Ruby wilted as Weiss's eyes turned cold. "I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered. Without a word, Weiss walked past Ruby and straight for the door, leaving the classroom without even removing her lab wear. Ruby all but melted in humiliation, and had to lean against Peach's desk, one hand to her face.

Her eyes burned, she tried so hard to not tear up, but a few, small, achey hiccups escaped her. With a sigh, her professor took the black-stained vial and set it in her desk sink. She beckoned Ruby with her normal arm to follow her to a different door. Her head down, Ruby followed her into her office.

Book shelves lined every wall where there wasn't a filing cabinet. Above each shelf were different posters, each one dedicated to chemical compounds, formulas, mnemonic phrases for laboratory safety, and famed quotes from scientists across Remnant's history. Professor Peach's office desk was littered with books, and Ruby half-noted that every tome in the room was centered around scientific pursuits as opposed to storybooks; everything from artificial limbs, to vehicles, to Dust, to what the scientists had discovered from the very stars themselves.

Ruby's watering eyes focused on a small device sitting on Professor Peach's desk, which sort of looked like a crane on top of a tiny nutcracker, with an empty plastic bag at one end. Ruby's woes were momentarily forgotten as she stared at the little machine, and Professor Peach pulled the bag off, giving Ruby a chance to read what was on it: 'Vale Farm's Sunflower Seeds.'

Ruby blinked as Professor Peach set a bowl in front of the device, hooked up a bag full of seeds to the back of it, and hit a button. The professor smiled fondly as it clicked, and a sunflower seed was sucked between the crackers, the shell crushed as the two flat surfaces pushed together, and the crane dipped down and flicked the edible innards into the bowl. And just like that, every second, a new seed was flicked into the bowl.

"Like it? I made it some eighteen years ago." Professor Peach chuckled as Ruby leaned close, her mouth a small, curious little 'o'.

"You made this?" Ruby whispered.

"Back when I was doing my hunter training, I used to eat sunflower seeds by the handful! Well, I mean, I wanted to but the stupid shells were always in the way. That, and I got a bad toothache because I was an idiot who didn't brush her teeth." Professor Peach smirked wryly at the memory, taking a seed out of the bowl and popping it into her mouth. She chewed once, then swallowed. "I wanted sunflower seeds, so I got mad, got the parts, and made myself _this._ Every second, something to nibble on. It is probably the most _useless_ thing in the world." Her smile grew as she said it.

"But it's neat…" Ruby watched it pull, shell, and flick seed after seed, the simplistic mechanical motions doing their job perfectly each time. "You just… _made_ this to shell sunflower seeds? _Just_ sunflower seeds?"

"Like I said, useless." Professor Peach sounded thoroughly proud of the declaration. "But it's not like I paid for it, and it still works eighteen years later."

"That's not useless." Ruby frowned, looking up to her professor. "Anything even a little bit helpful is _useful._ I mean, I wouldn't buy it…" She poked the little contraption. "But it did its job."

"Mhmm. My professors at the time laughed and called me a genius. I had the most simple of problems, I could have fixed it with a hammer, but no, I went a little crazy and made something dumb just because I could." Professor Peach ate another seed, and sighed. "I think that's what makes humanity so great. Sometimes, we do stupid, brave, and weird stuff just because we can, and it _works,_ and because it _worked_ we now have things like airships."

"Uh huh." Ruby nodded, looking at the bowl with her lips pursed. "Can… can I?..."

"Sure, sure, go ahead sweetie, eat up." Peach nodded, and Ruby began to nibble at the seeds hungrily. Professor Peach watched her student eat curiously, letting out a small sigh. Ruby was still such a young thing, and Peach empathized with her unpreparedness, but certain precautions had to be taken, and Ruby was not ready. "So, I can think of one of two things…" Professor Peach started, drumming her fingers thoughtfully. "Either you got one hell of an active aura—and considering what you can do I'm not willing to overlook that possibility—or you're nervous."

Ruby's shoulders sank, bunching up as she frowned and nodded slowly. "I think I'm just nervous…"

"And why's that, sweetie? Dust is potent stuff, but no reason to be nervous. You can't let little aura flare-ups like you had into the lab, Dust is ready to _jump_ when it feels that surge." Peach gave her best consoling smile, but Ruby shook her head.

"I-I can't! When it's sealed in bullets and stuff it's _fine,_ but I always had trouble with raw Dust. I just… I don't know…" Ruby's head hung low, and Professor Peach tapped the desk with one of her metal fingers.

"Listen Ruby…" Peach nudged the bowl closer to Ruby, so she'd glance up and look at the pile of seeds inside. "You're talented. The headmaster wouldn't let you in otherwise. You weren't brought in because you knew what you were doing, but because there's so much more you can learn." The professor closed her eyes and thoughtfully pieced together what to say. "Don't feel ashamed. You have every right to be _wrong_ here at Beacon, it is our job to correct you so that you become stronger, and wiser."

"But… now Weiss is angry at me." Ruby chewed her lower lip, eyes closed tightly behind her goggles. "W-we'd just become friends, an-and she's a _Schnee,_ this is probably as easy as tying her shoes to her, and I'm her partner so she's gonna get a crappy grade! And-and…" Ruby sniffled. "I worked so hard to get her trust; I feel like I accidentally kicked a puppy…"

Professor Peach chuckled softly to try and lighten the girl's misery, then reached out with her normal hand to rub Ruby's knuckles. "Look sweetie, Weiss might be mad right now, but I doubt she _hates_ you. The Schnees tend to be prickly, but they aren't _terrible_ people, though an argument could be made against the current administration…"

"What's…" Ruby looked up with a small frown. "What's going on with them anyways? I hear all these rumors…"

Peach stopped her with a halting palm. "Not my place to say." Peach sighed. "There's rumors, half-truths, stuff too nasty to be true, and some legitimate bad business, and I'm afraid of trying to guess what's true and false. Look, ask Weiss. If she's anything like her aunts, uncles, and cousins, then she'll just love talking about her family."

"If she'll even _talk_ to me…"

Peach just gave Ruby a smile. "You gotta try, Ruby. That's all we ask of you here at Beacon, and all Weiss can hope for from you: to _try._ We're going to work on your Dust control and nervousness, m'kay?"

Ruby hesitated, staring down at her clenched fists, but then gave a very small nod.

 _Later Still!_

Weiss pressed the tips of her fingers against her temple, trying to soothe away the anger. Ruby was _young,_ _new_ to all of this, even if, by her admittance here, she should have the _expected skills._ No matter what, however, blowing up wasn't going to solve either of their problems, especially, as Weiss recalled, all it did was make Ruby stand around and babble foolishly.

She sipped from a can of orange soda and continued back to her classroom. Truly, she was being tested. Her partner, her _leader,_ a young, ditzy, little girl who hadn't used a computer and made Dust blow up just by being near it. Weiss grumbled silently. If Ruby wasn't such a nice person, she'd be unbearable, and Weiss had already vowed to be her partner in front of both Ruby _and_ the Headmaster.

Weiss stopped mid-stride, quietly staring into her canned drink as she wondered… was it possible that Ruby's control of the Grimm caused Dust reactions?... She shook her head and continued forward. An absurd notion. The proximity of Grimm didn't cause Dust mines to go haywire, Dust responded to natural forces and aura. It all came down to just Ruby.

Weiss opened the door to the classroom, resolving to herself to make the explosive Dust all by herself. She wanted something presentable, and she'd be damned if she walked out of class today with a B. She looked past the rows of lazing students, casually chatting among each other, to her table and watched as Ruby took a deep, calming breath and carefully corked a flask of red-and-orange Dust. Weiss paused, staring at the young girl set the flask on the table, Blake and Yang smiling down at her by her side.

"I-I did it…" Ruby whispered, appraising her work apprehensively.

"Good job Ruby! Dad'll be happy to hear his coffee table's not in danger anymore." Yang put on an amused smile, while Ruby's cheeks puffed up indignantly.

"I'd say it looks like A-material to me. Go show the professor." Blake ordered, a small, proud smile on her face. Ruby bobbed her head and picked up the flask. She walked around the desk, keeping as calm as she could. Her head finally turned, her eyes meeting Weiss's, and she froze in place.

Ruby looked at Weiss, Weiss looked at Ruby, and Weiss suddenly lunged, pulling the flask out of Ruby's hands before her aura could flare nervously. "I can seriously read you like a book." Weiss admonished, hand on her hip as Ruby flinched. "You look wretched! You need to keep your aura in check, you know!"

"I-I know…" Ruby shuffled in place as Weiss lifted the flask and stared at the Dust within. Ruby shrank, rubbing her palms together nervously as Weiss silently judged the mixture.

"... The striping is off by a centimeter, there's a dud layer at the very bottom, and there's a noticeable amount of unrefined particles at the top." Weiss popped the cork as Ruby tried to babble apologies and excuses. Weiss wafted the scent of the Dust to her nose, breathed deep, and let it out with a sigh. "... Components were correctly mixed, however, and I don't smell _too_ much flavoring." She corked the flask again and handed it over to Ruby. "Shoddy, but usable, and it didn't explode." Ruby took the flask in hand, a stunned expression on her face at Weiss's words. "Let's turn it in."

Weiss followed Ruby to the front desk, where Peach took the flask, examining it in much the same way Weiss had. "Hmm, all in all, I'd say this is worth a pretty solid B." Ruby let out a sigh of relief, Weiss sighed in disappointment. "However, there's still time before the end of class. If you think you can do better, you can take a redo-"

Weiss was already dragging a squirming Ruby to the chemicals table. Professor Peach just watched with an amused smirk. The Grimm Girl and the Schnee… she had a feeling this semester would be talked about for a _long_ time.

* * *

"Are these armored?" Blake asked curiously, breaking Ruby from her trance.

The grimm studies classroom was a good bit larger than the other classrooms; their history classroom didn't have quite so much space between the teacher's desk and the tiered seats. More interestingly were the informative boards on the wall detailing the anatomies and basic information of common Grimm, and several Ruby had never heard of before.

Without warning, Yang's kicked the bottom tier of class seats, and a pained shiver ran through her as hopped back with a whimper. "Oooh… ow, ow… yeah, definitely armored. Ow."

"Should have kept your aura on, doofus." Blake smiled, making Yang shoot her a pained grin.

"What, and wreck the whole class? I like to practice restraint, Blakey-pie." Yang winked.

Just below the ceiling were about a dozen stuffed, fake Grimm heads. Ruby could tell they were fake instantly. The black skin wasn't all-consuming enough, it reflected light, while the white was too smooth. Ruby knew the consistency by heart… their pitch black skin was like a void, they had no reflective qualities whatsoever, and the armor was like bone. Smooth, for sure, but there was this pale, almost eerie quality to them, like they were ripped straight out of a human body.

"You? _Restraint?_ Don't make me laugh, 'Yangey-pie…' Ick, it doesn't ring the same way." Blake crossed her arms in thought. "Your name is so hard to _work with,_ it's just _Yang."_ Blake huffed, making Yang scratch the back of her head, not sure how to respond. "I mean, Blake leaves so much open for changes at the end, but your name is like the perfect finisher by itself."

"Nuh uh!" Yang raised a finger, "Yang," another finger, "Xiao," and a third, "Long. Yang Xiao Long. Awesome, huh?" Yang wiggled her eyebrows. "It's _super_ rad."

Blake hummed in agreement. "I'm pretty fond of Blake Belladonna. Repetitive sound, beautiful to hear out loud, _really_ rolls off the tongue."

"Ruby Rose is pretty good about that too! Weiss Schnee though…" Yang worked her chin as Weiss gave her a withering look, as if _daring_ her to insult her name. "Not that it leaves a lot to be desired, but Yang Xiao Long has _oomph,_ Blake Belladonna and Ruby Rose just flow, Weiss Schnee…"

"Rich girl's name." Blake spoke up.

"What?" Weiss asked disbelievingly.

"It's a rich girl's name. Vaguely foreign and old-timey, and Schnee's a world-renowned name. It's a rich girl's name."

"But what does that _mean?"_ Weiss asked haughtily, hands on her hips.

Blake put on a small, clever grin. "Just that you're probably haughty, a little stuck-up, a real 'do you know who I _am?'_ sort of attitude…"

Weiss jut her jaw out and breathed heavily through her nose. "That's not _true!_ How dare you imply that?! Do you know who I-" She stopped, blinked once, then quietly stared down at her hands like her entire life had suddenly been turned on its head.

"My point exactly." Blake chuckled.

Ignoring the conversation, Ruby privately noted that Professor Port must have had a very good opinion of himself as she checked out the presumably solid-gold bust he had next to his desk. She glanced up as she felt a presence. Ren bowed his head politely, while Nora clung to his arm with a giddy look.

"Is your day going well so far, Ruby?" He asked in his ever-calm voice, examining her cheeks, mouth, and brow for signs of stress.

"S-sorta…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head, a tiny frown forming. She let out a strangled yelp as Nora suddenly crushed the younger girl to her.

"Oh, you poor thing! Is it the history? Is it the science?! Is it all that writing?!" Nora held up a hand, her forefinger and thumb already a little red. She stuck her tongue out. "It's all so _awful_ isn't it? We came here to kick butt, not take notes!"

"Y-yeah…" Ruby let out weakly as Nora cooed.

"Maybe later we could have a little study-date, just you and me, girlfriend…" Nora let out a suggestive purr, and Ruby was immediately scrambling to escape her grip. "We could compare _notes…"_

Ruby felt a sharp pinch in her bottom, and she rocketed out of Nora's arms. The redhead let out a maniacal laugh as Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. Ruby looked from Nora, to Pyrrha, whom she was currently clinging to like a baby chimpanzee. Pyrrha blinked down at Ruby, their noses almost touching, and Ruby dropped to her bottom with a pathetic 'ow.'

Rather than be annoyed, Pyrrha gave Ruby a comforting look. "We understand if this is difficult; getting into Beacon early may not have prepared you for all of the coursework. If you need any help, Ruby, I'm sure any of us will be able to lend a hand."

"Yeah! Totally! We all _totally_ understand what we're doing." Jaune puffed his chest up behind Pyrrha, his smile a little too wide, a little too thin. It wasn't like Ruby needed to know that all Jaune did was hand over equipment like some sort of assistant to a car mechanic. "Aaaannnnd who knows, maybe you'll give us a few tips we missed!"

"I doubt it…" Ruby stood slowly, patting her skirt over her backside before Nora could comment. "But thanks. It's weird actually _being_ in a school. _Especially_ Beacon." Ruby turned to examine the finely decorated classroom, and let out a wistful sigh. "I still can't believe I made it."

Ren bobbed his head quietly. "Nora and I were only briefly schooled before Beacon. We took part in an open-house program for young hunters in order to ascertain some credentials for our manuscripts. Considering its volunteer nature, it was significantly less elaborate or well-maintained."

"Ren and I _hunted_ better lunches than the ones they made for us." Nora grimaced.

Ruby nodded, smiling quietly. Jaune, Nora, and Ren began to make their way to their seats, and Ruby turned to join her team when a small 'ahem' caught her attention. She looked up to Pyrrha, and the much taller girl put on a smile. "So it _is_ true, you're fifteen, not seventeen?" Pyrrha asked, hands behind her back.

"Uh huh… came in two years early, 'cuz… why not?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders shyly. Pyrrha was a nice girl, but far too good-looking for a conversation's sake. Ruby wondered if the man who designed the Beacon school uniforms liked legs as much as she did, and boy those leg-hugging stockings did not help... "It's really nothing…"

"Oh, but it means quite a bit! Having the skill to keep up with hunters even a year older than you is impressive at this age." Pyrrha tilted her head as she examined Ruby, and it took Ruby a second to pull her eyes up to Pyrrha's face. "And with a scythe as well!"

Ruby let out a shy giggle. "Th-that was my uncle's doing, actually, I was super garbage before he helped me. Well, him, my dad, my sister, my whole family pitched in to train me, but my uncle taught me how to use a scythe."

"Ahem…" Pyrrha shifted in place, looking noticeably embarrassed before she seemed to find a comfortable stance. "You… think we could spar sometime soon?" Pyrrha asked with the tiniest and most hopeful smile. "I _love_ seeing new weapons and fighting styles, I followed the MRT for years, and I've only seen maybe a handful of hunters bring a scythe into the tournament, with… poor showings, usually."

Ruby gave her a small, sad smile. "I don't think I'll be much help there. I've trained all my life to fight Grimm, not other hunters. Well, I've _fought_ other hunters but, y'know, super garbage…"

"Still, I'm curious! I mean, you use a great scythe model, correct?" Pyrrha asked, speaking with a rise of excitement in her voice as Ruby bobbed her head.

"Designed after the 1st Mistral Death Legion, in 089!" Ruby's smile grew brighter. "The first military division to deploy the great scythe en masse! Also created the official mold for great scythes in the future. They were designed to have far greater killing power than the war scythes used by Vale during the Color Wars."

"But with poor results if I remember correctly; the intimidation factor did _not_ outweigh the skill of the user."

"Yeah, the scythe-user was natural prey to the sword-users of the Zengrove Blade Division, but there's a trick!" Ruby said, suddenly taking on a firm look.

"A trick?" Pyrrha asked with raised, curious eyebrows.

"Yeah! See, it's in the pinkie finger, you gotta know how to move it _just_ right to let the scythe spin as you extend or shorten your grip on it!" Ruby held an arm out, all her fingers stretched to their full length. "See, you have to wear smooth materials on your lower arms so you can keep momentum, giving your hand enough time to-"

" _Hello_ future hunters and huntresses of Beacon!" A jolly voice boomed from the door.

"Oooh, show me later?!" Pyrrha asked in a loud whisper. Ruby shot a quick thumbs up, and both girls raced to their seats.

Professor Port all but strutted in with a large gun, holding his chest out to try and shadow his rounded belly, his shoulders squared and thick arms moving with a purposeful strut. He beamed at the class through what seemed to be closed eyes, while notebooks flew open and pencils pressed to the blank pages.

He tossed his blunderbuss over his shoulder with practiced ease, ensuring the axe blades didn't come close to even brushing flesh or whisker, and he threw a finger out, pointing at the students indiscriminately. "Just yesterday, each and every single one of you proved something irrefutable: that _you_ are Hunters! Slayers of Grimm, killers of monsters, banishers of demons, _truer warriors that the world has yet to see!"_ His blunder-axe was swung into his waiting hand, thick fingers affectionately squeezing the barrel. "There is no profession that is more noble, more heroic, more _harrowing_ than Grimm hunting, for we are not fighting mere beasts, nor humans of questionable alignment, we are fighting creatures of _darkness!_ From the youngest Beowolf to the most ancient Nevermore, each of these beasts are defined by their thirst for human destruction! However, while they may have been great and powerful threats in the past, today, they are little more than our prey!"

His hand swung about, pointing to each and every single stuffed Grimm head on the wall. Any student worth their salt would know immediately they were all fakes, but there was still a sense of awe. It was true that there were hunters who embellished their records and claimed great fights, in fact, it was so common that the average layman was suspicious of any great claim without proof. The video age served a great purpose to hunters, as proof of their deeds out in the field were easy to capture and difficult to fake.

" _I_ am Professor Port!" Their teacher went on, giving them all a whisker-raising smile. "That is, Professor _Peter_ Port! I have been a hunter for over forty years, seen Grimm that dwarfed our largest battleships, and fought Grimm that, to this day, still have no name! I was the receiver of the Mistral Accolade of Great Deeds thrice, and there are still rumors of my work prowling the dunes of Vacuo! But today," he swept his hand out to the numerous black boards, full of detailed chalk drawings of the Grimm, " _today,_ I am your educator on the Creatures of Grimm! I have been in the field studying their habits, captured them to study their anatomy and ferocity, and have slain enough to tell you where their weaknesses lie! If you have questions, I have answers! If you have doubts, I have encouragement! If you have fear, then you and only you alone can banish it; from this moment on, the Grimm are your job, and those who fear their job do not deserve it!"

He stuck his finger in the air, his blunder-axe over his shoulder in a cocksure manner, as if he was waiting for an applause. The classroom was silent, other than one boy coughing near the back. Professor Port's bushy eyebrows wiggled in annoyance, and he put his weapon on its mount over the blackboard.

"Ahem! Anyways, prepare your notes!" Professor Port went to a closet and the class followed his movements as he opened the door and pulled out a life-sized, fake statue of an enormous Boarbatusk. He pulled it to the front of the class and grinned. "It was 512 when I arrived in Clearblue City, though at the time, it was little more than a handful of houses, a mine, and a twinkle of hope in the foreman's eye! It was one of my first missions, and certainly my most dangerous! For little did I know, their operation was being endangered by the Clearblue Killer, an eighty-year old Boarbatusk who could smell the fresh coal, and knew that where there was coal, there were _humans!"_

Weiss tapped at her notes impatiently. Professor Port was much like her first Grimm Studies mentor. An old, out-of-his-prime hunter who loved to talk about his kills. She'd assumed there would be some nuggets of info in there if she paid attention, but the endless prattling about what he'd eaten for breakfast that day made her purse her lips and blow in annoyance.

"—of course, being a Grimm, it was not drawn to the scent of the pork, but the blood of a freshly butchered kill…"

She glanced to her left after making a note of the blood. Ruby was listening intently, and Weiss could almost imagine those… _eyes_ wide with keen interest in the story. She was such a child… Weiss enjoyed stories and fairy tales, but not in a classroom. She had to focus on her goal, not be distracted by… these…

"That's _really_ good." Weiss whispered, leaning closer to Blake. The black-haired girl smirked as she continued to copy the chalk-drawing of a Nevermore from the chalkboard. There were a few differences in Blake's version—namely, the sword drawn into its eye—but Weiss was impressed at how accurate it was.

"—should take note that Boarbatusks dig up roots, preferring to nest underneath trees and in dense groves of branches and vines—"

Weiss quickly jotted the information down.

On the other side of Blake, Yang was considering how to approach her own prey. " _Love_ the headgear." She whispered to the girl sitting next to her. The dark-skinned girl blushed at Yang's lascivious smile, subconsciously adjusting her head cover.

"Thank you! My family made it for me after graduating. It's a traditional Vacuo shemagh, hand-woven from sheep's wool." She put on a proud expression that made Yang flutter her eyelids.

"Vacuo, huh? Tell me if I got this right: ' _Unod yaj qin'racash, bonu daga yughraja?'"_ Yang asked in her best accent. Her smile grew with the girl's blush and raising eyebrows.

"That's… _impressive,_ actually. I-I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name?" The girl asked, turning her body enough to better face Yang.

"Yang Xiao Long, sugar, but you can call me _'mama'_ if you're feeling brave." Yang winked. The girl tried to stifle a shy giggle, while her partner visibly pouted.

Professor Port's story continued; Weiss and Blake both wrote diligently, as Ruby silently watched and listened to the Professor's story. Meanwhile, Yang got a scroll number.

"So!" Professor Port clasped his hands in front of his face with an excited quirk of his moustache. "Now that you have been properly inspired by my tale of heroic deeds, I want to move onto the _practical_ part of our lesson!" Head lifted curiously as their teacher marched to the far right side of the room. As with the other teachers, he hit a button on his desk, but rather than create a holoscreen, a portion of the wall opened, revealing three heavily reinforced cages.

"Grimm cages…" Ruby whispered under her breath, making Weiss pause and inspect them more closely. They weren't the same style of Atlesian cages, but they were certainly durable enough to withstand the thrashing of smaller Grimm. They had no openings other than a thin slit on the door for Grimm to see through, keeping them isolated from humans.

Other than the viewing slat, there were no air holes or a place to slide in food or drink. Adding to the Grimm's generally unnerving nature was their lack of dependence on basic needs that other species couldn't live without. Grimm could be buried alive for hundreds of years, without air, food, or water, and come out _stronger_ due to age. Several older Grimm had been observed eating meat, but never in a way that implied _hunger;_ they never ate old, preserved, or cooked meat, only fresh, raw meat. They targeted bone marrow, the liver, the stomach, and the fattier parts of their kill: they ate solely for taste, for _pleasure._ Some ancient Grimm had discovered that eating people inspired fear and revulsion in other sentient races, and made a game of eating their victims alive, or where they could be seen.

Ruby remembered Jaune recounting her nearly being swallowed by the Nevermore. The goal of the Nevermore hadn't been to taste her or fill its belly, it wanted her to awaken trapped inside of a pitch black prison. Without stomach acids, she either would have died of fright, shock, or starvation, and the Nevermore would have thrived all the while on her fear, pain, and hopelessness…

The thought made her skin crawl, and as her fright and paranoia rose, so did the clicking of teeth in the back of her skull. She lifted her boot as a thin, meek claw dug into her sole, and she stomped her shadow once in fury, banishing her terror.

"I will be taking volunteers." Professor Port announced, one finger high in the air. "Based on my story and knowledge of Boarbatusks from your prior classes, I want at _least_ three people to demonstrate their understanding of how to counter a much more significant threat than the average Beowolf!"

Weiss's hand shot up immediately. She stared down her professor intently. It was her time to show the world that she was a _huntress._ Professor Port looked along the dozen or so hands that shot up while Blake nudged the lounging Yang. "Isn't this your schtick? Show off? Get a little action?"

"Blake, I got my action." Yang held up a slip of paper with a grin. "Besides, what sorta fun is there in a controlled room? I'd rather go into the woods and find my own pig to punch." Blake simply shook her head at Yang's laziness.

Professor Port finally settled on one volunteer. "Cardin Winchester! You're the first up to bat." Heads turned as a tall, handsomely built boy with a weasley smile made his way down from the top row of seats with a swagger in his hips. Blake barely paid attention to the human boy, but noted Yang couldn't seem to tear her eyes off of him. Blake was about to poke fun, but Yang's small, tight frown made Blake reconsider.

"First up to bat, that sounds 'bout right." Cardin said in a tone that oozed self-confidence as Professor Port punched in a code into a keypad on the wall. The wall next to it opened up to reveal empty space, but within a minute a student locker filled in the closet-sized opening. The locker opened, and Cardin pulled out a mace with an unusual head.

He laid it across one shoulder as Professor Port unmounted his blunder-axe and walked to the first cage. Cardin stood at the other end of the room, and small barriers shot up from the floor, closing off the stairs from the demonstration floor. "Are you ready?" Professor Port asked, hand hovering over the release button.

"Born ready, teach!" Cardin hefted his mace with both hands, ready to bat.

"Then in three, two, one!..." Port slapped the button and stood out of the way. The door flew open, and out stepped a dog-sized Grimm. Hog shaped, with thick, bony plates across its squat, thick body, and enormous, hooked tusks, the Boarbatusk's red eyes took on an intense glow as it spotted Cardin.

The class felt a brief, silent moment of worry as the beast let out a distorted, piggish squeal, and charged far faster than its fat little body suggested it could. Its head lowered, the tips of its sharpened tusks ready to dig into the back of the leg, or under an arm, but Cardin didn't care.

His mace swung down like a golfclub, cracking the Boarbatusk in the face while he slid his thumb over a button on the handle. The red Dust gem glowed, and an explosion-powered downswing sent the Boarbatusk skidding across the ground on its side, crying and roaring in pain as its small legs thrashed.

"Risky, but a good show!" Professor Port called. Ruby bridged her fingers in front of her face as she watched.

" _Too_ risky, he'd left himself open to getting gored." Weiss murmured, causing Blake to nod.

"He should have dodged first." Blake responded.

"That's just how he is." Yang grunted, earning a small look from Blake but no more than that.

Cardin's heel crushed the Boarbatusk's neck into the floor while he brought his mace back for a low swing. A repulsive cough escaped the pig as Cardin slammed his mace into its belly, but as he reared back again, the Boarbatusk's kicking allowed it to slide just enough under Cardin's foot to sink its flat, iron-hard teeth into his other ankle.

The muscular boy shouted in pain as he tried to kick out, but the Boarbatusk latched on and greedily gnawed at his foot, causing his amber-hued aura to flare to life. Boarbatusks didn't have _sharp_ teeth, but having your flesh and bone ground together between two, dull, square presses hurt _fiercely,_ and even with his aura Cardin was discovering this himself.

"Don't panic!" Port said warningly.

Cardin's hand shot out, grabbing the Boarbatusk's tusk while driving his foot harder into its neck, wrenching its mouth open enough for him to slide his foot out of its jaws. The Grimm took the chance to shake Cardin off its body, sending him back a step as it scrambled to its hooves. With a sudden leap, it curled its body like a ball, building so much speed in that instant that, when it hit the floor, the room was filled with the sound of grinding steel. It launched forward with enough speed to cannonball its way through a house, and Cardin leaned forward, arms crossed in front of his face as it jumped up towards his torso.

Cardin merely lurched back a step, gritting his teeth and snarling as the Boarbatusk tried to bowl him over, but Cardin held out until it stopped spinning. The Grimm gave him what may have been a confused look as it uncurled in the air, but then Cardin's hands grabbed its tusks. He threw the Boarbatusk over his head as hard as he could, grabbed his mace as he spun, and charged like a mad warrior, roaring his triumph as he swung, crushing the Grimm between his mace and the wall.

There was a distinct crack of the Grimm's bony plating, one final peep of distress from the pig, and then it fell with a pathetic whine. It hit the floor, and began to disperse into a black mist.

Cardin ran his thumb across his throat with an empowered grin, and Professor Port and most of the class clapped in a polite, appreciative applause. "Well done, Mr. Winchester! A little sloppy, but nothing some good old-fashioned experience won't fix! Take a seat, you and your partner will be earning some bonus points."

Cardin returned his mace to the locker and threw his arms into the air like a returning champion. He head back to his seat, where he and his team held a short, excited celebration of his strength and skill.

"Next volunteer?" Professor Port asked. More hands raised, obviously excited at the prospect of bonus points for killing Grimm. Weiss's was raised as high and straight as she could manage, her brow twitching quietly every second the teacher looked above or next to her. She was still the only volunteer from team RWBY. "Hmm, I see lots of you are excited to try your hand, but I think I'll call…" He looked to the left… "Upon…" To the right. Weiss stretched her spine, sweat beginning to bead from stress. "Weiss Schnee!"

It took a moment for her to realize she had been chosen. Her teammates looked to her as Weiss stood up, and a low, curious murmur went through the rest of the class. Weiss didn't look to them as she walked down to the floor, mentally preparing herself. ' _A martial stance, slow it all down, defend and counterattack, don't be intimidated or overwhelmed.'_ She took a deep breath as Cardin's locker was replaced by hers, and she took Myrtenaster in her hand with confidence.

She moved to the opposite end of the room.

"You got this Weiss!" A small, meek voice rose above the storm of thoughts and strategy in her head. She looked to Ruby as the girl watched her with an apprehensive, though confident smile. "Go for its belly!" Ruby called.

"I know, Ruby." Weiss said firmly, her left hand and leg forward, her right leg back, her eyes focused on the cage ahead of her as Professor Port raised his hand and settled it over the button.

"You only have a second to react when it charges!"

"I _know,_ Ruby!"

"Watch its tusks!"

" _I know, Rub-"_

"Aaaaaaaannnnnd GO!" Professor Port slapped the button.

The cage opened, and there was no time to prep herself. The Boarbatusk inside, having heard the commotion, was ready for its escape, and instantly barreled out with a wild scream. Weiss slid forward, the tips of her shoes barely touching the ground as she raced forward to meet it. She stared between its eyes and nose, at the thin, dark space where she could jab into its skull, and she lunged.

A perfect straight, but the Boarbatusk turned its head, allowing Myrtenaster's thin blade to scrape against its bony face mask.

"You got this Weiss!" Yang called confidently as Weiss backpedaled, away from its swiping tusks. She needed to get around it.

"Do it for team RWBY!" Blake encouraged next. Weiss slid around to the boar's left flank as it missed a lunge, and she jabbed at its haunch twice before it suddenly turned and grabbed her sword's blade between its teeth.

"Don't lock your wrist!" Ruby suddenly shouted. Weiss blinked, her wrist firm— _too_ firm!—and Myrtenaster slid out of her grip as the boar tossed her weapon aside and ran her down.

Weiss lept backwards but the Boarbatusk flew into her chest, making her yelp as her white aura pulsated. She slid back a few feet, the Boarbatusk still charging her while gnashing its teeth in desperation for a kill.

"Weiss!" Ruby's voice rang out as Weiss rolled to the side of the boar's charge. "Five o'clock!" _Five o'clock?_ Weiss stared at the boar, briefly puzzled, before a realization hit. She leapt backwards, slightly to the right, and grabbed ahold of Myrtenaster's handle in a smooth motion. "Left!" Ruby cried.

Weiss dipped forward, rolling out of the way as the charging Grimm barrelled in from her left. Weiss shot a look to Ruby, silently begging her to stop helping. She had to do this on her own, she had to be self-reliant, leaders lead through example, they didn't-

"Eyes forward!" Ruby shouted. Weiss turned to look in time to see a spinning ball of sharp, angry Grimm gunning for her legs. With a sudden, panicked impulse, Weiss threw her hands out and a white glyph formed in front of her, causing the pig to slam into it as if it were a steel wall. With a pained squeak, the Boarbatusk fell onto its back, sliding away. "Now Weiss! Its belly!" Ruby pointed, and Weiss grit her teeth.

She almost wanted to ignore her out of spite, but that was not why she was here. She leapt into the air, feet connecting with a spinning black glyph, and she was launched faster than the Boarbatusk's spinning charge to plant Myrtenaster up its belly, through its chest, and out its mouth as it died squirming, screaming, and then disintegrating.

Weiss panted quietly to herself. That should not have been _hard…_ and it wasn't hard, so why was she so tense? She stood, pulling Myrtenaster out of the dissolving Grimm and staring at its corpse in silent displeasure. She had done exactly as Ruby had told her to the _entire_ match, and it bothered her immensely.

She returned to her seat amidst the applause, and shot Ruby a glare, making the girl freeze. "Do you really think I can't handle myself?" Weiss asked in a low, venomous whisper.

"E-eh? Wh-wha- no! I mean, yes, y-you can handle yourself!" Ruby whispered back, a tremor in her voice as Weiss fixated on her furiously.

"Then why are you telling me what to do?! I don't need your help to fight!" Weiss hissed, making Ruby recoil, her moment of pride in her teammate turning sour and cold. "Having you barking orders at me doesn't _help!"_

"B-but… we're partners, a-and I-I'm your le-leader so I sh-should-"

"I never _asked_ for you to be my leader." Weiss grunted. She turned away as Ruby's hands fell to her lap. The younger girl stared down at her knees quietly, her lips tense as Weiss dismissed any pity she had. If her supposed team leader couldn't trust in her…

"Ruby Rose." Professor Port called. Ruby and Weiss both looked up to see him looking to Ruby with a confident grin. "You seem to have an eye and mind for this!" Ruby gulped loudly. "Why don't _you_ come show the class how you'd do it?"

"I-I didn't have my hand up…" Ruby responded softly, trying to speak through the breaks in her voice.

"And that's perfectly fine! I'm curious to see how our youngest entrant this year handles herself! Please, come on down." Professor Port gestured to the floor.

Ruby shot Weiss one more look, as if begging for help, but Weiss said nothing, turning her head away with a snooty " _humph!"_ Ruby slowly, shakily stood up and walked down to the floor, another murmur going through the crowd. There had been plenty of rumors of a younger-than-normal student in Beacon, which, while not totally rare, was still unusual enough to warrant some curious chatting.

Ruby oh-so-carefully cradled Crescent Rose in her arms for comfort, frowning to herself. She wasn't entirely sure why this leader business was pushed onto her lap, and she certainly hadn't earned it. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut, there was still time to go ask the headmaster to reconsider her position as team leader…

An excited ripple ran through the crowd as she went to the other end of the room, Crescent Rose expanding and locking into its full scythe form. Unbeknownst to Ruby, Pyrrha was leaning in and watching Ruby's movements carefully.

The young student scuffed her shoe along the ground then settled into her battle stance with a wary sigh. She really was proving to be a weight around Weiss's ankle today… maybe this was a mistake. She couldn't possibly prove herself to Weiss _now._ Not after failing to know… _anything_ relevant to their classes and annoying her.

She just wanted to _help…_

"Three…" Port's voice seemed slow in her mind as she glanced up, her body loose and relaxed. Well, she'd get through this and go have lunch after. Maybe things would clear up. "Two…" Blake and Yang seemed excited to have her as a leader, as much as she didn't deserve it… "One!..."

"You got this Ruby!" Yang called excitedly as Ruby just stared forward, only half-paying attention. Weiss turned her head to watch with an annoyed stare, half-hoping Ruby struggled as hard as she did.

The door flew open, and the Boarbatusk raced out, already speeding across the floor like a runaway wheel. Weiss's eyes widened. It was opening up with that attack, and Ruby barely looked ready… She opened her mouth to speak when Ruby swung.

A single step forward, and Crescent Rose sliced the floor beneath the Boarbatusk, the force of the blow sending the pig skyward, uncurling in surprise and exposing its belly. Crescent Rose spun around Ruby's body, the morbid sound of the slicing scythe blade following her as she continued her stride past the airborne Grimm. A single shot fired as Crescent Rose cut through boar's midsection so quickly that the beast could only give a quizzical oink.

Ruby set Crescent Rose's head on the ground and leaned against the pole with a sigh. Maybe some chocolates…? Weiss probably liked chocolate. She would have to study extra hard to prove she could be a good teammate.

Two halves of the pig Grimm fell to the ground, both turning into puffs of smoke.

The whole class silently stared as Ruby shuffled over to her locker and put Crescent Rose back into place, Professor Port's eyes opening enough to be visible under his bushy brows. "... Three seconds. I do believe that's a new record." He announced, and the classroom broke out into staggered, surprised applause.

Ruby blinked behind her goggles, confusion replacing depression as her sister happily whooped. She blushed the tiniest bit, her stride becoming a little more self-assured. Blake's eyes were wide as she watched her team leader return to her seat, her smile both impressed and happy. "Well done, Ruby! You made that look effortless!"

"Oh, well, it's pretty easy…" Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't call it ' _effortless;'_ it took me a few months to get that right."

 _Effortless…_ Between Ruby and Blake, Weiss continued to stare at the spot where the Boarbatusk was fading. Ruby hadn't so much as exerted herself killing the Boarbatusk. _In two motions._ She had no clue how to use a computer, she blew up her Dust, but against the Grimm, against their actual opponent, Ruby had been as distracted and stressed as if she'd been putting up _laundry…_

Weiss felt a cold, nervous sweat form on the back of her neck as she cradled her forehead between two fingers. Her own fight with the Boarbatusk hadn't been _difficult,_ but she'd made mistakes, she had to prep herself, she had to expend Dust, and she had taken damage. Even Cardin had to struggle a little.

Ruby had made the exact same challenge… _effortless._

Weiss suddenly stood, her teeth grinding. Ruby reached out to her, calling her name, but Weiss didn't hear her or respond as she ran out of class. She needed to cool off, get a drink, _evaluate…_ she had been shown up by a fifteen year-old girl, who was a complete and total _ditz…_

First the Emerald Forest test, now _here?..._ How was it that Ruby managed to keep showing her up?! Weiss marched down the hallway, away from her team, away from her headache...

"Miss Schnee?"

Weiss froze at the voice. She was fully intent on heading straight to a water fountain and a chair to try and clear her head, but Professor Port's voice was more important. Her _teacher._ She couldn't just ignore him.

She stopped, already halfway down the hall to the next corridor. She stared down at her feet. "I'm fine professor." She spoke up through grit teeth. "I just need a drink."

"You certainly _sound_ like you need a drink, but I'm afraid we don't serve the right kind here at Beacon." Weiss heard Professor Port's footsteps as he walked down the hallway to her. He stopped a few feet behind her, and she chanced a look. His expression was not jovial nor energetic, but one of concern and thoughtfulness. He looked at her with small brown eyes as he laced his fingers together behind his back. "What troubles you, Weiss?"

"… It's not important. Just… personal stuff." Weiss sighed. She stared down at the floor, replaying that moment in her mind again and again, Ruby's almost leisurely walk forward as she cleaved the Boarbatusk in two, as if it had been little more than a piece of paper floating in the wind.

"Hmm. Miss Schnee, please follow me." Professor Port ordered. Weiss glanced up as her professor walked past her. She hesitantly stepped in line behind him and followed the stocky hunter down the hall. They walked for a few minutes before Professor Port opened a door, leading the way to a balcony that overlooked the Beacon gym yard.

The sun was high in the sky. It wasn't even noon, yet the warmth of the air hit her hard enough to make her wince. She was so used to the chilly winds of Atlas that Vale's spring mornings still shook her awake better than any coffee cup. It also halted her tumultuous feelings.

Professor Port walked to the edge of the balcony and looked over the yard, his back to Weiss. The heiress examined her teacher with a small frown, and slowly walked to his side to stare over the fields of green below. She sighed, her body relaxing immediately as she simply deflated. "Professor Port?..." She asked in a gentle voice. "Against that Boarbatusk, I did well, right? I mean, I killed it, I didn't get that hurt, right?"

Professor Port was quiet as he watched the trees sway in the distance. "You allowed it to disarm you, despite being to its side." He spoke slowly, calmly. "Boarbatusks have limited weapons. From the front, they are nigh invincible, yet despite maneuvering around it effectively, you lost your focus, you let it take your weapon which opened you up for an attack." Professor Port looked to her with an even expression. "You didn't do _badly,_ Weiss, but it was sloppy. _Very_ sloppy."

Weiss grit her teeth, her heart feeling heavier. "I wouldn't have been so out of sorts if _Ruby_ wasn't shouting at me the whole time." She said through a firm, angry jaw. Her fists trembled, her vision going watery as her emotions welled up in her.

"Are you so sure?" Port asked her, drumming the guardrail in quiet thought. "I thought her advice was well-articulated and pivotal. With it, you retrieved your weapon and avoided a second attack. Ruby seemed to make quite the difference in your fight."

"She did _not!"_ Weiss suddenly seethed, chewing her lip in anger. "I don't _need_ her!"

"Of course you don't, but would you have done nearly as well without her?" Professor Port asked with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

"We'll know next time." Weiss said firmly, and Professor Port quietly shook his head. "What?!"

"Next time, she'll be there too. And the time after that, and the time after that. She's your partner, your team; you, Ruby, miss Belladonna, and miss Xiao Long will be there to watch each other during each fight. That's what a team is, that's what a team _does."_

"I _know_ that." Weiss muttered.

"Then what's troubling you, Weiss? What's _really_ troubling you? Do you not _want_ to work as a team?" Port asked.

"N-no, it's not that! I want to work as a team…"

"Do you not _want_ Ruby's help whenever you fight?"

"No! I-I'm usually fine with her help, but…"

"Then what, Weiss?" Professor Port pressed on, staring her in the eye as the young huntress made a tight fist and slumped against the guardrail.

It took about a minute of hemming and hawing for Weiss to finally screech, "Who the hell _is_ she?" Weiss grit her teeth, eyes squeezed shut. "I spent all day today teaching her how to use a computer, teaching her how to make _Dust,_ she's _barely_ competent at the most _basic_ hunter skills! She's a babbling, nervous, awkward _mess_ who needs her hand held whenever she's mixing ingredients and typing words, she's an overly nervous little pervert who acts like every dumb fifteen-year-old girl but with a _heap_ of social issues, and then, out of nowhere, she _saves my life!"_ Weiss gasped, taking a deep breath of calming air as her emotions threatened to spill out of her closed eyes. "She saves my life _twice,_ she kills the Nevermore while all _I_ did was annoy it and set her on _fire,_ then when it's finally my time to prove I can fight, when I can _prove_ I can fight, I'm doing everything _she_ says, and then she kills _her_ Grimm before I can even finish _blinking!"_ Weiss slammed her fist onto the wooden guardrail, taking deep, loud breaths. "I have to babysit her through the most simple, _basic_ tasks, but whenever it's time to do some real hunting, to _prove_ myself, _there she is!_ She walks away like it was no big deal, that saving me was just a normal, simple thing, that making _me_ look sluggish and untalented was just a matter of flicking her wrist! I am _Weiss Schnee!_ Why am I being showed up by some _incompetent_ , _annoying,_ little _fool?!"_

"Precisely _because_ you are Weiss Schnee." Was the immediate answer. Weiss turned to give Professor Port a wild-eyed, watery look, her anger etched into every line on her face as he stood there, calm and collected, as if the girl in front of him _wasn't_ contemplating gutting him. "I am making some assumptions here, so please tell me if I'm wrong: all your life, you have been incredibly important. You had the weight of the world placed on your shoulders by family and supporters, told that one day you'll surpass every hunter and Schnee to have lived. You've been given the best trainers in everything specifically for this purpose." His eyes opened, waiting for her to say otherwise, but Weiss could only work her trembling jaw as she found herself at a loss. "Nicholas Schnee was around my age when I first met him. I was but a young man, having only recently graduated and found a job with a group of contract hunters. My team was hired to help scout and escort Schnee Dust miners to a prospective mine, and among them was good ol' Nick."

"..." Weiss's lip trembled as Professor Port looked out over the yard below, his face gentle and neutral. "You met my grandfather?"

"I _fought_ your grandfather." Port nodded slowly, making Weiss's jaw drop in offense. "He challenged each of us to a duel before we set out, and I was among the six people in our thirteen-person company to best him. He was a powerful, incredible opponent, he was a proud and boastful man, but when I chanced a blow that put him on his backside, he laughed and shook my hand. When my commander took a look at his plans and demanded a redraw of the map, Nicholas Schnee listened. When a miner corrected the way Nick swung his pickaxe to avoid overexerting himself, he paid attention. Your grandfather was a real man of the Earth. He had calluses thicker than anyone I'd ever seen, he came back to the camp covered in mud and Dust and smelling like a boy's locker room, he arm-wrestled anyone and everyone, he read books heavier than my weapon, he played chess with my company's chief strategist and won as much as he lost…" Professor Port sighed, smiling at the memory of his old days of hunting. "On top of all of that, he was a _teacher._ He could grow exasperated and tired, but he always remained calm as he explained things. His lessons were part of what helped me against the Clearblue Killer! If he hadn't set aside an hour and a half to help me install a Dust chamber in my axe, then set aside another _two_ to teach me how to use it, you would have a very different Professor Peter Port in front of you. My point is, he was smart, strong, rich, handsome, and a good teacher, but all of this was as an elderly gentleman. He still made mistakes to the day we said our goodbyes, but small ones. In order to become the mighty, powerful legend you know him as, he had to make _thousands_ of mistakes in his life, some small, some extraordinary. After all, in the end, he was but a man: foolish, fallible, and clumsy, and he wanted to make sure his workers and allies learned from his mistakes as well."

"Th-that can't be right…" Weiss frowned deeply, momentarily stunned by the passionate story. "He was a brave, noble, and strong company leader. An explorer, a worker, a fighter! Why would nobody talk about having won a duel against him? Why would nobody talk about the times he _lost?"_

"Because his losses didn't matter." Professor Port shook his finger. "What mattered was that he got stronger and won. He was a brilliant and noble man—he struck the earth with his workers for goodness' sakes! The stories don't talk about the number of times he fell down, because his heart and his strength pushed him back to his feet. People remember a perfect man… but he was far from it. Just like you, Weiss."

Weiss worked her jaw slowly, casting her eyes downward, staring at the professor's feet. "I-I never said I was perfect…"

"And nobody here expects you to be." Port said softly, giving Weiss a gentle, sympathetic look. "But back home, you are expected to be perfect because of your lineage, but strength comes from learning, and you learn the most from your failures. Do you feel you have failed today?" Professor Port asked in a sympathetic tone, making Weiss's face tighten in thought.

"... Yes." Weiss nodded. "I failed to live up to my own standards. I failed to fight the Boarbatusk as efficiently as I could have."

"So what will you do?"

"… Practice." Weiss nodded slowly, her heart calm.

"And who do you think, right now, knows best how to fight and kill Boarbatusks?"

Weiss stayed silent for a few seconds, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't ask Ruby… I-I have to overcome by myself-" A loud ' _smack'_ made her open her eyes. Professor Port lifted his hand off the handrail, the imprint of his palm still visible in the wood.

"Wrong. You are part of a team, Weiss. You can gain experience by listening to others, especially those close to you. Ruby Rose may seem foolish, but she has proven she knows how to do at least one thing right: kill a Boarbatusk."

"But… but how can I possibly take her seriously after all _her_ failures?! Mixing Dust and the computer and- and-"

"And if I recall, you have been at the mercy of a Beowolf and an Ursa, only for Ruby to continue trusting in your knowledge." Professor Port stared into Weiss's eyes, making her flinch. "You two are both _exceptional_ at different things, that is not a bad thing. You are partners, take advantage of her experience and learn from her, grow stronger, become something beyond Nicholas Schnee. You have all the tools available to you, far earlier than he did."

Weiss looked down at the grass below, watching the wind stir it. It was peaceful, silent, pleasant… it made her ache having to admit her weaknesses, especially to somebody so… _conflictingly_ skilled like Ruby… but she wanted to be the very best, like her grandfather. She nodded slowly, but a flicker of doubt crossed her brow. "Professor Port…" She whispered softly. "Did… did Ozpin make a mistake? Are you sure she's supposed to be the leader?"

Professor Port crossed his hands behind his back thoughtfully and considered the question. "You know, Weiss, it takes far more the knowledge and power to lead. They are valuable things to a leader, but not every scientist nor every warrior should be in charge. It takes a certain charisma, an inspiring confidence in one's abilities and their allies. When I saw your battle with the Nevermore in the forest, what stood out to me the most was how seamlessly you four worked together. You each have different, powerful skills, and they came together like a well-oiled machine, like your minds and hearts had become one." He bowed his head and chuckled. "Consider that, maybe, Ruby has qualities of leadership you haven't thought about. Think about how you can improve her to become a leader… and think about what she does that works. Then, in the future, when it's your turn, use what you've learned."

Weiss stared at the grass a little while longer.

That moment came rushing back to her, standing atop that tower in the canyon. Ruby's voice, for the first time, seemed to _boom,_ she seemed absolutely confident that they could kill the Nevermore, and in an instant, Weiss believed it too. There was no false hope or skewed priorities, there was no lying or backstabbing. Ruby stood before her and made Weiss believe the impossible.

Professor Port turned to look over his shoulder as Weiss raced to the door, just in time for the lunch bell to chime.

* * *

Ruby carefully picked the pickles out of her burger, setting them aside for Blake to steal. She stared at her meal with a tiny sigh before taking a bite, letting the explosion of flavors briefly soothe her. However, one tiny detail was off… "Aww… they forgot my cheese." She whispered, peeling apart the layers just to double check.

"Go ask for some." Blake ordered, jabbing a fork into her salad. Ruby leaned over to look at the shredded cheese on top of her meal… "... No, go get your own." Blake gave Ruby a defiant look as the younger girl wilted.

"Okay, so, breakfast was great, but these chicken nuggets _suck."_ Yang growled, pulling one apart to stare at the inner white meat. "They taste like that frozen crap you buy from a store."

"They probably are…" Ruby nibbled her burger with some melancholy.

" _Lame._ At least it's impossible to make ketchup bad." Yang dipped her chicken into the sugary sauce and ate with a smidge of annoyance. They ate, drank, and sat in silence. The lunch room was abuzz with chatter and activity, but Ruby, Blake, and Yang sat in around in a somber tiredness, weighed down by confusion, annoyance, and misery. None of them wanted to say it, but each knew why this discomfort had settled on them. Well, none of them except Yang. "Good riddance." She huffed.

"Mm?" Blake looked up to Yang as she sipped at her milk.

"If she's going to get pissy over nothing, then it's better that she left." Yang glared at the empty seat by her side, furiously tearing into a nugget. Blake rolled her eyes, then looked down at her lap, as Ruby's shoulders sank and put her burger down. "I'm not putting up with that attitude whenever she feels like being a bitch."

"I _was_ being kind of distracting…" Ruby brought up, but Blake snorted.

"You were giving her informative combat advice, her bruised ego is _nothing_ to get worked up over." Blake closed her eyes, trying to dismiss the niggling disappointment in the back of her mind, and the constant ' _I told you so'_ s.

"If she thinks she can come crawling back after throwing a tantrum like that, she can forget it." Yang shook her head, eyes narrowed as she ate in anger, ignoring the taste of her food.

The table fell into silent unhappiness, the food tasteless as they ate. It took the thunk of a plate and a chocolate chip cookie rolling away to the other end of the table for them to look up. Weiss settled into the seat next to Yang, an entire plate of cookies between her and Ruby.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang looked up to watch Weiss closely as she massaged her temples, took a deep breath through her nose, and finally spoke. "I made myself look _really_ childish."

"Yeah, you kinda did." Blake nodded, watching the heiress suspiciously.

"What?!" Yang demanded, "You think you can just sit down with us after running off like-" Weiss's finger pressed to Yang's lips as Weiss focused on Ruby and Ruby alone. Ruby grew tense, Yang's eyes briefly flashed red, a puff of steam escaping her hair.

"Ruby… you did nothing wrong." Weiss began slowly, staring down at her hands with a pained expression. "I was so busy trying to be _perfect,_ and _important,_ and _special_ that, when you showed that you were obviously much better suited to the task at hand, I took it as a personal attack on my ego. I know you just wanted to help me, but at the time I was trying to prove I could do it by myself."

Ruby shuffled in discomfort, she would have been happy with an apology and the cookies… "I-... It's okay, Weiss…"

"And I _know_ we're a team, so that's a really stupid thing to say!" Weiss continued, eyes squeezed shut. " _I_ wanted to be team leader so badly, and I just want to prove that I can do everything exceptionally so things might be reconsidered, but I know that's selfish because _you're_ also really skilled!"

Ruby winced. "I'm really not…"

Weiss took a deep breath. "Your call-outs really did help me against the Grimm, and I still appreciate that you saved me, I had a lot of help learning to use a computer and mix Dust myself when I was young, and it's unfair for me to expect for you to have gone through the same circumstances as me!"

Ruby opened her mouth, but shut it tightly as Blake and Yang simply stared.

"I really could use your help in fighting Boarbatusks again and I don't want to sound selfish but if you could take the time to show me how you did it I would really appreciate—"

"Weiss…"

"—your help so please consider because I am begging you and I don't think you're a bad team leader I was just really disappointed that I wasn't—"

"Weiss!"

"—but I'm willing to give you a chance as long as _you_ give your best effort so I'm really sorry and I think bunk beds are cool and- and-"

" _Weiss!"_ Ruby clapped her hands around Weiss's cheeks, making her partner stop, and suck in deep, panicked breaths. " _Breath._ Eat a cookie." Ruby ordered. Weiss's watery eyes looked into Ruby's goggles, and the younger girl put on a small, anxious smile. Ruby sat back, and Weiss took a cookie to nibble on, chewing slowly. "... It's okay." Ruby whispered.

"No, It's _not_ okay." Weiss sniffed sadly. "I made myself look stupid, all because I'm petty and jealous."

"And it's okay! You came back…"

"It's _not_ okay! You were just trying to—" Weiss squeaked, nearly leaping out of her chair as Yang pinched her butt.

"Weiss, seriously, shut up and eat the cookie." Yang ordered tersely. Weiss went quiet as she nibbled.

The whole table was silent as they all looked into their respective meals, and after a few minutes of awkward silence, Blake let out a thick, annoyed sigh. She pushed the plate of cookies aside and pushed the remainder of her salad in front of Weiss, then handed her her fork. "Your lunch _can't_ just be cookies. I'm not going to eat the rest."

Weiss blinked at the bowl, and looked back up to Blake with big, wet eyes. "Y-you're sure?"

"It's in the best interest of the team for you to be at your optimal performance." Blake chided softly, and Weiss gulped loudly, nodding her thanks.

A few chicken nuggets were tossed into her bowl, and Weiss blinked at Yang, who rolled her eyes and smirked. "You need some protein in you! Meat makes you strong, and _you_ are a blubbering mess."

"Th-thanks." She looked back as Ruby poured her fries into Weiss's salad bowl, then took the plate of cookies with a greedy smile. Weiss sniffled quietly, eating slowly and savoring the offered food. The girls around her chatted amongst themselves a bit tensely, but didn't seem resentful whatsoever. It made Weiss even more stressed; she was expecting name-calling, petty sniping, and a stream of insults. This was… _normal,_ as if they hadn't watched her storm off. "... You're all really fine with this?" She asked meekly. "Where I'm from, I'd have been a laughingstock forever."

Yang glanced over at her, chewing thoughtfully, and put on a sneaky smile. "Oh we _are_ laughing at you, but only because you deserve it, but you _did_ come crawling back with cookies and an apology, so, y'know, water under the bridge."

The blase answer made Weiss's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Really?" Weiss whispered up to Yang.

"Yeah, yeah." Yang shrugged it off.

Blake nodded slowly. "We _are_ teammates, and we can't function properly if we aren't all trying to get along. Besides, in our own, weird, awkward way, we're all friends. We won't just abandon you for one screw up…" It was a strange thing for Blake to admit, especially to Weiss Schnee, but seeing the heiress of her hated enemies crawling back to apologize… and with _sweets…_

"Yeah, you'd have to screw up _big."_ Yang nodded.

Weiss squirmed in her seat quietly. Right… friends… The friends she'd had before coming to Beacon weren't terrible people, but they weren't the most forgiving. Rich little cliques of roving, self-obsessed egos, each rich and educated, but hardly knowing anything close to an actual struggle. Many of her former friends wondered why Weiss would bother becoming a huntress, some of them accused her of being a glory hound, so few of them understood what it meant to keep up your family's legacy. None of them had followed her, and it was the loneliest thing realizing that none of her friends supported her dream in the end...

She sniffled the tiniest bit and looked up to Ruby, the younger girl savoring her eighth cookie. Weiss considered the girl in front of her… she was obviously raised away from a lot of things, and it was pretty clear why. Between her eyes and her power, keeping her isolated may have been the safest thing to do. Part of Weiss was uncomfortable with her good nature and cheer, trying to discern what selfishness or mockery Ruby hid behind her naive trust, but for all of Ruby's faults, she seemed no more cruel than a childhood teddy bear.

"Weiss?..." Ruby called quietly, making the heiress look up curiously. Ruby shifted her legs around nervously, and licked her dry lips. "Um… I know I'm not the best partner in the world, or the best leader, but… I really appreciate the help. I want to _try,_ and-and you know a lot more than me, so, if-if it's not too big of an issue…"

Weiss blinked slowly, and finally answered, "Of course. We will start on your constant stammering and self-confidence..." At that, Ruby gave a small, but nervous smile. "And I think we can call it paid back if you'll help me with my Grimm slaying." Weiss said slowly, clearly unhappy having to ask for help, but there was no laughter, no eye rolling… Ruby's smile was plain and honest.

"Sure, but, you should ask Yang too. She's the best." Ruby bobbed her head. Yang tapped her chest with her thumb and beamed.

"She's right, I _am_ the best."

Weiss simply nodded. She wasn't bad at killing Grimm, but having seen Ruby in action, she knew there was still so much more to it. She looked at Ruby, then her goggles, and imagined the eyes behind them…

Perhaps… perhaps there was a more… _practical_ way to learn as well…?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Hello everyone! Apologies for the recent confusion in chapters. The strange update and missing chapter are the result of me combining chapter 7 (Slip 'n Fall) and the old chapter 8 (Horde Mode) into one chapter, as it was originally intended to be read. That means Horde Mode is now a part of Slip 'n Fall.

I wanted to fix the chapters while adding this one, but I'm still getting used to FF, and wanted to ensure the order of chapters or upload of this chapter did not get muddled. So to those of you who are confused, I, again, apologize, that was me making sure the store would remain solidly intact before I attempted to add to it again.


	11. Physical Education

Moving a few steps closer to the counter with a timid posture, Velvet presented herself to Beacon's head chef with an expectant, though modest smile. "Hello Mrs. Kurri!" She said chipperly.

The bald, dumpy-looking woman put on a flat look as she reached underneath the counter and opened a drawer, her eyes flicking up to Velvet as she dug through the hot-hold below. "You know, you don't gotta come up and act cute, it's been a whole year, miss Scarlatina."

"I don't want to appear impolite..." Velvet's eyes dipped down, almost in shame, but the moment Mrs. Kurri held up a tall styrofoam container, Velvet nearly jumped in delight. She took the container in both hands, the warm broth inside making her salivate in anticipation of a coming meal. She lifted it to her nose, sniffing at the steam escaping the tiny puncture in the plastic lid.

"I'm expectin' you every day, Velv, and trust me, you'd get a tongue-lashing if I thought you were disrespectin' me." Kurri said as amusement tugged at the edges of her lips. "Anyways, enjoy your vegetable stew, hon, I made sure we got the tofu in early this year for ya."

"Thank you so much!" Velvet beamed, then turned on her heels after waving goodbye to the chef.

The dining hall was jam-packed with first year students who had yet to discover their hour-long lunch period could be spent away from the cafeteria. Velvet slowed her walk to examine the dozens of new faces. It was certainly hard to believe that just last year she started her own education here. She wasn't a fan of the dining hall then, she wasn't a fan of it now. Too open, too bright, too many people milling about.

She loved this place though, for how picturesque and beautiful it was through all the seasons; it was exactly like the photos in the pamphlet implied! Despite the hundreds of students, if you knew where to look at the right times of day, you could find a nice, private place to train, study, or relax!

Velvet scooted around a group of students heading back up to the counter for thirds, her ears standing straight up in case they could be a bother to anybody. The long rabbit ears did more than just identify her as a Faunus, however. They afforded her excellent hearing, and being such a wallflower meant she had experience picking out particular conversations she wanted to eavesdrop in on.

"—my third hunt with my dad, that's when I lost my ring finger, but you can barely tell with the prosthetic, right?"

"—like sixty-eight percent _girls,_ the statistics are ridiculous! We're outnumbered! There's _no_ way the four of us won't find a date before midterms."

"—five notable weak points: the mouth, each haunch, the underbelly, and the rump. Everything else on the front and the back is armored, so you'll wanna flip it or get behind it."

"—and you saw the PE coach?! He is the _yummiest_ —"

Velvet's ears flicked left and right, drawing in the conversation around her. She kept her eyes forward, concentrating on the conversations with curiosity, nearly causing her to collide with a pair of students. "Ah!" She stepped back, a blush entering her cheeks as the two first years stopped in place in surprise. "Sorry! Don't mind me!" Velvet waved a hand apologetically, then focused on the two.

One was completely unremarkable, a bit on the short side and with extremely dark hair that turned red at the tips, and a long red cloak around her shoulders, but her big, black goggles were certainly… unique. Perhaps they were prescription? It seemed strange to Velvet that anybody would keep wearing their goggles or sunglasses indoors, especially while at lunch, but then again, she knew _Coco..._ She didn't know what to make of the red-cloaked girl, but the other one…

"Watch it!" Weiss Schnee huffed, looking briefly annoyed. Velvet's ears drooped as she took in _her_ face. The moment the annoyance passed, Weiss's expression reset into a neutral frown, her posture calm, yet ladylike. She looked exactly like how Velvet thought she would from all her interviews and performances, refined and lovely, yet somehow tinged with a bitterness that Velvet couldn't explain… and kind of _short_ … "Ahem…?" Weiss prompted.

Velvet blinked, and quickly hurried past the two, slowing once she heard their footsteps resume behind her. She turned her head to watch Weiss Schnee, the heiress to one of the most controversial companies in Remnant, head towards the counter. She bat her eyes slowly, and set her cup of stew on the table, craning her ears towards the two. "So…" The dark-haired girl started. "How do I be more… _leaderlike?"_ She asked, sounding unsure.

"Acting like a leader is something that comes to people naturally, but should also be practiced. It means taking initiative and making decisions. Listening to your subordinates is _also_ important, so when I say 'this is a bad idea', it's not your cue to commit petty theft and vandalize our room…"

"Sorry!" The cloaked one squeaked.

"And don't _apologize_ so much, you need to be sure of yourself!"

Velvet wasn't sure what would prompt such a discussion, but the itch was in her palms. From her hip pouch she withdrew a large, professional camera and focused its sights on the retreating Weiss Schnee. A real-life celebrity, from a family of bullies and schemers, somebody whose voice graced the radio yearly, and whose family business earned her the ire of every animal-eared, clawed, fanged, and gilled individual in Remnant.

Her camera clicked and whirred—the flash turned off so she didn't have to worry about drawing attention—and she stared at the little screen. A tiny, candid, human moment of the recognizable Weiss Schnee's back, gesticulating as she explained something to a friend. Certainly not worth selling to some gossip outlet, but it satisfied Velvet. Her moment of recognition and trepidation forever captured, for her to privately mull over and wonder…

She returned her camera to its holster and reached back to grab ahold of her stew, but grasped at empty air. A confused frown crossed her face as she turned, and found it missing. However, her eyes slowly traveled up the broad torso of a boy much taller than her, his indigo eyes focusing on hers as he sniffed at the meal.

"The heck's this, bunbun? All I'm smelling are greens." He asked in amusement, the red-headed boy putting the cup down roughly enough for some of the hot broth to spill out of the partial opening.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm a vegetarian, I get it special ordered so—" Cardin's laugh cut her short.

"You know, if you're aiming to be a huntress, you could at least _try_ to be less of a stereotype." The boy crossed his powerful arms over his chest, his eyes roaming Velvet's slender curves like a wolf eyeing a piece of meat. It made Velvet feel small, a nervous blush entering her cheeks.

"I don't know what you mean…" Velvet took the soup and looked away from the tall boy. Many rabbit Faunus were vegetarians for dietary reasons; sharing a similar enzyme deficiency with other herbivore-based Faunus, meat was difficult to digest and lead to intestinal difficulties.

He put on a cocky smile, and Velvet flinched as his hand ran along the backs of her ears in a _very_ intimate manner. "Well, a little huntress has got to eat her meat, get big and strong to fight the Grimm." He leaned down, smiling in her face, his eyes so smug and self-confident. "But I got a perfect substitute for a little bunny like you to nibble on if she wants to stick to her greens…"

Velvet's nose twitched, and then it hit her… "Don't…" She took a step back, away from his hand as his eyes narrowed and his smile shrank. "I'm not sure what you've h-heard, but I'm not like that."

The boy sniffed loudly, clearly displeased at the rejection, but then his smile came back, just as easy as before. "So we got off on the wrong foot." He walked forward, setting a hand on her shoulder. She squirmed to get away, but he squeezed, just hard enough to keep her still. "Name's Winchester. Cardin Winchester." He stared down into her eyes, watching them quiver. "I'm a big up-and-comer, a whole family tree of hunters backing me up. We got some good money, we got a lot of history, we got some _nice_ property out on Patch…" He smiled with all his teeth, and Velvet turned away, nervous as all get-out.

"Th-that's good, but… I really should be going. My team's waiting for me." Velvet tugged away from his hand, but he didn't let go. It made her sweat harder. "Please? We're second year, w-we have a first week test to focus on! I need to eat so we can study and-"

"Second year, huh?" Cardin's eyebrow shot up, and his smile turned feral. "Well I like my girls a little older. Why are you struggling so much, bunny?" He asked, pinching to keep her still. "I can be a real good guy, but if you push my buttons…" He squeezed until her autumn-brown aura sprang up to prevent her from bruising, "I can be a real bad one too. Quit playing hard-to-get, I'm good with pets, I can keep a little rabbit like you happy…"

"S-stop! Stop! Please!" Velvet finally squeaked, grasping his wrist tightly, trying to break his grip so the pulsations of sympathetic pain would _end._ Conversation around them slowed as people stopped to watch. Cardin let out a small, unhappy growl.

"Quit playing, _rabbit."_ He spoke through grit teeth, his expression suddenly furious. "Everyone knows you long-eared freaks'll crawl into the bed of whoever can keep you fat and happy! I'm your breadwinner right here, so stop making this difficult!"

Velvet's face turned tense as anger suddenly filled her, and she stared up at Cardin with a glare that completely masked the scared young girl from before. "I…" She gasped, her grip tightening as her aura surged through her, causing his aura to spark to prevent her from crushing his wrist. "I am _not a slut."_ She hissed. "I am a _huntress._ Stop right now, or-"

Without warning, Cardin's aura flared to a dangerous level, strengthening as she struggled to escape him, far beyond the acceptable level to handle another person. He was attempting to prove a point, to overpower her through his immense brute strength and raw aura: the exact _opposite_ of professional. "Little rabbits shouldn't go around telling humans what to do. It doesn't end well for little rabbits, does it?" Cardin said in a low, controlled, but dangerous tone.

"This is- this is _Beacon,_ I won't be treated like some common _animal!"_ Velvet yelped as she was jerked closer to Cardin, barely able to stop herself from colliding with his chest. "This sort of thing won't be _tolerated!_ People like _you_ are why the White Fang have support!" Velvet didn't want to expand her aura, to cause a fight, a _scene,_ but Cardin wouldn't relent. She had to do _something_ decisive.

Cardin's smile made her skin crawl, Velvet focused her power into her knee, but before she could attack, a loud ' _clang'_ silenced every voice in the hall. Cardin leaned back a foot, a metal tray wrapped around his face. Three boys stood up from their seats a few tables away and raced to Cardin's side, as Cardin grabbed the dish and threw it to the floor, his face caked with a thin layer of vanilla pudding.

Nobody said a word; everyone just stared at the boy and his victim.

"…That is _not_ what I meant." Weiss said, her eyes wide with plain surprise as Ruby drew her arms back, squared her shoulders, and put on a _very_ unhappy frown.

Cardin let Velvet go, the Faunus stumbling back as the tall boy wiped the dessert off his face and focused his short fuse on Ruby. "Well now…" His neck tensed, his face turning a violent shade of red as Ruby's firm expression began to slip into worry. "Today's just fulla surprises… I saw your fight with the pig in class, _Ruby Rose._ Musta been easy for a little _murderer_ like you." His jaw went rigid, his eyes wide, the three boys by his side looking to him in confusion.

"I-it was an accident." Ruby shifted herself into a more confident posture, only her quivering lip betraying her emotions. "You shouldn't pick on people, Cardin."

"You know him?!" Weiss hissed in surprise.

"You know _her?"_ Russel, Cardin's partner, looked up to him in confusion.

"Yeah, I know her. She's the bitch that _killed my dog!"_ Cardin's sucked his lips in angrily, stomping forward, finger pointed between Ruby's eyes. The younger girl tried to stand her ground, but slid back a step as Cardin drew closer, only stopping when she was in reach of him. The cafeteria was silent, everybody watching the drama unfold with big, curious eyes. "Oh and it wasn't a good death, _was it Ruby?_ Were you disappointed with the Boarbatusk? That it didn't leave you _soaked in blood?!"_ He demanded loudly.

"I-I-It- I didn't- it wasn't on p-purpose…" Ruby stammered through her grit teeth, her shoulders hunching in distress as Cardin grew a vile smile.

"Who the hell even let a brat like you in here? You never went to Signal! Did Yang crawl into Ozpin's bed for you?" The accusation sent Ruby's heart right into her throat, and she turned a worrying shade of red.

"Hey!" Weiss grabbed his finger, wrenching it away from her partner angrily. "Who do you think you are, throwing around baseless accusations towards _anybody?_ You don't think she could have gotten in on her own merits?!" Weiss's voice rose, her eyes shimmering furiously.

Her face wrenched to the left from his open-handed slap, her eyes wide with surprise, her white aura spreading across her cheek. "Shut up, _Schnee._ Don't even _think_ about getting between us! This is Vale, your money can't- _what- what the f-?!"_ Cardin was thrown back as Ruby slammed into his midsection, roaring like a demon as her small fists rained down on his stomach. Russel, Dove, and Sky descended on her, grabbing her arms, kicking at her ribs as Cardin grabbed her face, but her teeth dug into his thumb, making him yelp as she, with surprising ease, thrashed her way out of his teammates' grip. Sky Lark aimed a kick square at her forehead, knocking her off of Cardin and onto her back. She sat upright with a furious expression, her inky black aura fading from her face as a subtle, but noticeable clicking filling the air, while her shadow roiled beneath her, the monsters inside hidden underneath her cloak.

Cardin stood, shoulders squared as Weiss ran to her partner and grabbed Ruby's arm to help her up, but froze as the bigger boy threw himself forward, snarling like an animal as reached for Ruby's neck. " _Cardin!"_ A new voice made him stop in place. Almost instantly, the heat of the moment turned ice-cold, and the boy snapped straight up, his eyes shivering in a sudden fear.

Warmth spread across the room, and a brand new terror sprang forth in the audience as a new person entered the scene. Her golden locks glowed like a wild flame, eyes blazing red, steam venting from her uncontrollably as Yang Xiao Long stormed towards the taller boy like pure rage incarnate. Cardin turned away from Ruby, facing the older sister with sweat on his brow as his three teammates moved to his sides, taking ready positions as Yang slowed, finger extended towards the boy.

"It. Is our _first. Goddamned. Day."_ Yang spoke in a surprisingly controlled, articulate tone before jerking her thumb towards the exit. "You and your team better be out of my sight in the next five seconds or we are reliving that whole first year at Signal here and _now_." Yang cracked knuckles of one hand.

Cardin, suddenly fearing for the safety and wellness of his body, looked to his teammates, then to Yang, then back to Ruby. His eyes narrowed, and spoke between furious huffs, "This isn't over, _killer._ When Yang's not around…" The statement hung in the air warningly, and only turning back to face Yang did he realize his mistake.

He crumpled over, and only when he let out a delicate, unmanly whimper did Yang pull her fist from his gut. An elbow to the back of his head sent him to the floor with an unhealthy crack, his aura flaring up vibrantly to protect him, and Yang strode through his panicking teammates fearlessly. The three boys, having better survival instincts than their leader, wisely stood aside for her, and only rushed to collect Cardin when Yang had passed. They hauled him out of the dining hall, and with a final cloud of steam escaping her hair, Yang went back to normal.

" _Show's over, folks!_ Get back to lunch!" The blonde called. Most of the students forced themselves into casual conversation to try and alleviate the suddenly violent atmosphere, but some decided to take their lunch elsewhere. With an unhappy sigh, Yang reached down and took Ruby's hand, pulling her to her feet. Gentle fingers ran through the younger girl's hair, soothing her as Ruby's lips quivered, threatening to break out into a full-on wail. "If I knew that ass-and-a-half was here in Beacon, I wouldn't have let you outta my sight." Yang murmured, pulling Ruby closer.

Ruby wrapped herself around Yang and hid her blubbering against her sister's collarbone, getting delicate head rubs and consoling whispers from her older sister. Weiss stared in a mixture of unease and anger, rubbing her cheek where Cardin had struck her. "...Who was _that?!"_ She finally demanded, her lip quivering.

"A big nobody. You need a hug too, princess?" Yang asked, rubbing Ruby's back.

"No!" Weiss snapped, then after a moment of consideration, deflated. "...Maybe a little." She stepped closer, letting Yang tug her into a one-armed embrace. Weiss leaned against the blonde while furiously working her jaw. "No, seriously, who was that?"

"Uh, yeah, seems like you three have history." Curiously, Yang glanced over her shoulder to see Blake soothingly stroking Velvet's hand. The rabbit girl watched Ruby, Weiss, and Yang worriedly. Blake cocked her head at her partner. "Well? Spill."

"... Ugh, fine." Yang grunted, letting Weiss go. "But not _here."_ She pointed towards the door. Yang all but carried Ruby to the exit, while Weiss followed with a curious frown. Blake glanced to Velvet, nodded in silent sympathy, and went after her team.

Velvet watched the four of them go, then glanced down to her cup of stew. She gave a small frown.

Team RWBY walked far down the hall, towards a cushioned bench mounted on a wall. Yang dropped down, letting Ruby plop next to her. Weiss and Blake stared stood in front of them both, refusing to sit. It took a minute for Yang to check over Ruby and stroke her cheeks while emitting an unhappy groan.

"...Well?" Blake quirked an eyebrow, agitated by the silence. "Who was that? And why was he saying Ruby killed his dog?"

"Because she _did,_ but it was not her fault." Yang growled, stroking Ruby's head as the younger girl flinched.

"Right…" Weiss suddenly recalled, "It attacked her, correct?" Weiss frowned when she got a nod.

"Bastard thought it would be funny to take his hundred-pound mutt off its leash and let it come charging the house for whatever joke he thought he was playing. Ruby was doing whatever and… yeah." Yang shook her head, her eyes sinking at the memory. "I don't know who attacked first, but it scared the hell out of her, and her semblance activated…" Yang trailed off as she looked from Weiss to Blake, her lips going thin as she forced her train of thought to halt. Blake waited impatiently.

"And?" Blake tapped her foot. "Ruby's semblance activated…?"

"And it died! That's it." Yang huffed, making Blake's nose crinkle, unsatisfied with the answer.

"Not that we need details about _that_ particular incident, but Yang, you never answered us: who is he?" Weiss crossed her arms and gave her a demanding look.

Yang sat there, her face sporting a big frown as she huffed, puffed, and seemed like she was about to start her explanation, but ultimately failed. Ruby roused herself up to look at her teammates, her panic and misery gone for the most part. "He's Yang's ex-boyfriend."

Weiss and Blake stared at Ruby in quiet disbelief, then to the aggravated Yang in horror. " _... WHAT?!"_ Weiss shouted, eyes squeezed shut as if she had heard an atrocious lie.

" _Two. Weeks."_ Yang grunted, pressing her hands to her face as she burned in shame. "We dated for _two weeks_ because, at the time, baby Yang didn't know how delicious chicks were and went out with a guy or two, including tall, handsome, and god-awful!"

"His name is Cardin Winchester." Ruby said with a rigid frown. "And he's an asshole."

" _Ruby!"_ Yang stared aghast at her sister's profanity, making Ruby pout childishly. Yang shook her head. "She's right though, he's a prick. He can be _charming_ if he wants to be, it's how we dated for two weeks, but then the dog thing happened, he hurt Ruby, and for the next year he was my go-to punching bag while I scored more chicks than he _ever_ did."

"Inspiring." Blake said dryly, her eyes softening. "You two dated, but did you… I mean, did you ever…?" Blake raised a hand, awkwardly gesturing in nonsensical ways. Yang rolled her eyes as hard as she could.

"I can tell you his _measurements,_ but no, he never got in me." Yang said flatly.

"I think I can live with the mystery of what's in his pants." Blake shook her head. Silently, she moved to Yang's side, and took her hand. Yang looked to Blake with earnest surprise as the dark-haired girl soothed her with a squeeze of her hand. "We all make mistakes, and you clearly learned from it. You got away from him _far_ faster than most girls would have. It's okay."

"Yeah…" Weiss nodded, lowering her head and putting on a small, if forced smile. "We're all just a little freaked out." She sighed, rubbing her cheek.

"... Right." Yang grunted, her shoulders tensing in anger. "He _hit_ you." As she said it, an evil look went through her eyes. "I'm gonna kick his ass."

"I'd normally say 'please do', but I'll ask you to refrain from doing anything that might get us expelled." Weiss warned, sitting next to Ruby, leaning against her partner in a comforting way.

"Ruby!" A familiar voice called. Team RWBY glanced down the hall to see team JNPR running towards them with worried looks. Jaune lead the four to a halt in front of RWBY, panting in clear distress. "Dude, what the hell was with that guy?!" Jaune asked. He looked from Ruby, to Weiss, to Blake, to Yang.

"Yang's ex-boyfriend, complete jerk." Blake recited, earning an unappreciative elbow to her ribs from Yang. The blonde girl, however, sighed.

"That about sums it up. If you four wanna have a good time, don't mess with him. Macho meathead who thinks he can solve everything with a dick-waving contest." Yang stood, settling a hand on Ruby's head.

"... You _dated_ him?" Jaune asked with a slow blink.

" _Ugh."_ Yang quickly re-explained her relationship with him as Nora embraced Ruby, pulling her into an unusually gentle snuggle that made the smaller girl much less inclined to try and escape. "—and no we didn't bang."

"Well that's a relief." Jaune frowned, making Yang give him a curious, if amused smirk.

"Why's that? I've spoiled myself rotten on the finer sex, he'd just be another notch on the bedpost."

"It's not _that,_ but, like… isn't it different between girls and boys?" Jaune was clearly trying to puzzle out something he couldn't explain in his head. "I dunno, giving him the satisfaction…"

"You're not _wrong,_ it would've sucked, but it's fine. It's all fine. Why's everyone interested in whether or not I got physical with the guy?!" Yang threw her hands up, trying to end this conversation.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, a frown on his face. "I dunno, I just don't like the idea of him holding it over your head!" He answered, hands over his head, giving Yang a pout. Yang's composure briefly gave out as she stared at Jaune, then waved the conversation away with a grouchy look and a glowing blush.

"W-whatever, just don't get involved with the guy and you'll be okay, if he starts giving you crap, come tell me." Yang fought to put on a confident smile. "I have _zero_ issues bruising his pretty-boy face _and_ his ego."

Understanding, though uneasy nods went through the other seven. When it was brought up, Yang retold the story of Ruby and the dog. Ren leaned against the far wall, watching his new friends socialize and comfort one-another, when a thump by his side got his attention. He glanced to Blake as the dark-haired girl frowned.

"Hm." He nodded to her.

"Mm." She nodded back.

Their acknowledgements given, they went back to observing their teams. Ren watched Nora as she and Yang took turns coming up with worse and worse names for Cardin, Jaune sat with Ruby and awkwardly rubbed her shoulder, clearly unsure if any more would be acceptable, and Pyrrha inspected a blushing Weiss's cheek. Ren tilted his head, looking to Blake thoughtfully. "Sort of makes you understand the White Fang, doesn't it?"

He took note of the way Blake tensed up instantly, but then relaxed back to normal and glanced over at him. "What makes you say that?" She asked.

"This all started because he was picking on that rabbit Faunus, yes?" Ren looked back at Nora. He put on a fond smile as Nora said _something_ that made Yang nearly double over laughing. "Had Ruby and Weiss not stepped in…"

"She would more than likely have been fine." Blake said calmly, even though her gaze was now on the floor. Ren shot her a questioning look. "She's a huntress. She probably would have done _something._ If not her or Ruby, then somebody would have…"

"We'd like to think that, wouldn't we?" Ren asked. Blake gave an ambiguous grunt. "A room full of people, and nobody else made a move to stop him."

"Nobody likes getting between people. Grimm are easy, they already hate you, and they can only hurt you physically. Strife between people is different. People hold grudges, and defusing one situation can just lead to another, but with you and everything you love involved now…"

"Mm, yes. I get the feeling your team may be involved now." Ren sighed. "It's fine, however. I'm sure Jaune will want us to help."

"And I'm sure we'll be thankful." Blake nodded, but internally mulled it over. Nobody else stepped in to stop the blatant violation social decency. It made her skin itch. A Faunus was being harassed and only Ruby and _Weiss_ intervened… yes, it made the White Fang understandable. This sort of thing was why the Fang even _existed._ "'We acknowledged your authority, and have refrained from questioning it, until your authority turned a blind eye towards our plight, so for sanctuary's sake, we became the new authority.'" Blake recited under her breath, drawing Ren's quizzical eye.

"I'm afraid I don't recognize the quote."

"Creighton Preng, Faunus activist and poet in Mistral, addressing the Chief Justice of Mistral after being arrested for the crime of creating a vigilante police force to patrol Faunus ghettos." Blake said off-handedly, her eyes hardening. "Both of his daughters had been kidnapped off the streets, and he planted the seeds of anti-human revolution in early Faunus citizens."

"I see." Ren Crossed his arms thoughtfully. "... Nora and I were orphaned at an early age together, so our education is spotty at best. History was, however, always my favorite subject."

"Mine too." Blake smiled. "It's just…" Her smile drooped as she focused on her team. "It can be so full of woe and injustice. We acknowledge the horrors of the old, corrupt administrations today, but those who suffered did so without retribution. There are moments you want to reach through time and just _throttle_ everyone for being so self-centered and speciest!" Blake grunted, showing teeth with her frustrated glare.

"I understand." Ren nodded his head, turning to look at her with a pleasant look. "But there are people - people like _you_ \- who want to fight that corruption. The Faunus are in good hands, should you lend them your aid."

The statement, meant to be encouraging and confident, had the unintended side-effect of making Blake droop, as if suddenly wounded. She shot Ren a forced smile, then looked down at her feet. "... I hope so." She whispered, too quiet for him to hear the pain in her voice.

"...Hello?" The eight teens turned towards the new voice. Holding a styrofoam cup, her tall ears flicking gently in nervousness, Velvet blushed and took a few steps towards Ruby and Weiss.

"Hi." Ruby stood up, shuffling forward to meet the older girl. "Sorry we kind of left you behind… are you okay?" Ruby asked, awkwardly sticking a hand out.

Velvet took the offered hand with a small smile. "Fine, thank you. Err, thanks _to_ you, I should say. It was certainly better than fighting that thug by myself." With a limp shake, both girls let go. Velvet cleared her throat and blushed. "I'm Velvet Scarlatina, I'm a second year here at Beacon."

Ruby smiled a little nervously, fumbling to introduce herself. "Oh! Uh, I'm- err, I'm Ruby Rose! This is my first year here! It's nice to meet you Velvet! Oh!" Ruby reached out, tugging Weiss away from Pyrrha to push the Schnee heiress in front of Velvet. "This is Weiss! She was the one who told me we should do something!"

Weiss blinked in agitation at her forced inclusion, then straightened up and bowed her head. "I'm sorry you had to experience such… _rudeness,_ Velvet. It's pathetic there are still people who will attack a Faunus with a total disregard for their station."

"Oh, thank you... Um… what do you mean?" Velvet looked down at Weiss with a small frown.

"I _mean_ that you're a huntress. Faunus or not, hunters should be respected. _Especially_ by other hunters." Weiss pursed her lips unhappily, and Velvet gave a slow, unsure nod.

"Thank you, I think."

"Hey!" Weiss squeaked as she was shoved aside. Velvet blinked as she took another hand, and looked into the lavender eyes of her third savior.

"Hey cutie, name's Yang." Yang bat her eyelids, and Velvet felt heat fill her cheeks. "Don't worry about that asshat, if he gives you any trouble, just call for me. In the meantime, you wanna talk rewards? I would _love_ to take you out…"

The heat reached Velvet's shoulders, and Yang was unceremoniously tossed away by Ruby. The younger sister shot the older an annoyed glare, then looked back up to Velvet with a small smile. "Don't worry, like Yang said, we're willing to help you if Cardin comes back. I hope he didn't spoil your appetite!"

"Not at all!" Velvet chuckled, favoring Ruby with a pleasant, happy grin. "If anything, all this activity's made me much hungrier, but thank you for your concern. Oh!" She perked up. "Listen, Ruby, if you ever need some advice or help around Beacon, don't hesitate to ask me or my teammates. I'm part of team CFVY, spelled _c-f-v-y_. My team leader, Coco, will hear all about you, so I'm sure she'll be more than willing to return the favor."

"That sounds great!" Ruby bobbed her head, shifting in place excitedly. "And, um, we're team RWBY." Ruby gestured for her teammates, and Blake and Yang stood with Ruby and Weiss, the four of them putting on a confident display.

"Team JNPR." Jaune waved, standing as Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren stood around him. Velvet smiled, bowing low.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I wish I could stay, but I'm being expected. I hope to see the eight of you some more around campus!" She waved to the eight of them, walking past them with her stew in hand.

She head down the hall, stopping before turning the corner to throw them one last look, and smiled. Silently, she pulled her camera out of her hip pouch. The eight of them intermingled, their teams indistinguishable from each other in the moment. She snapped a picture. She would be able to tell Coco that there were at least eight new hunters worth knowing…

* * *

"C'mon slowpoke, we don't have all day!" Blake called mockingly. She deftly grabbed ahold of protrusions in Beacon's wall, hauling herself quickly and surely up to the roof. Down below, standing on the balcony Blake started her climb from, Yang just grinned.

"Ya ever think I'm staying here 'cause I like the view?" Yang shouted back. Blake looked down from the ledge she was holding at her skirt. _Right._ She'd forgotten she did most of her climbing before in _pants._ Certainly explained the sudden draft betwixt her thighs.

Annoyance passed through her, then begrudging acceptance, then an amusing little idea. She shot Yang a small grin and shook her rump, drawing an enthused gasp from below, then hauled herself onto one of Beacon's many roofs. The flat-topped, square roof was pleasantly private compared to the opulent halls and vast rooms, packed with mingling, busy, or relaxing students. It was flanked by other buildings connected side-by-side, and backed by the tall, central tower of Beacon, providing a barrier to the wind and sun.

It was nice to be in the open air again, away from people, but also not surrounded by seemingly endless forest. If Blake missed anything while she was still with the Fang, it was the sense of security a city provided. It was an exciting realization that she'd have access to air conditioning, hot water, and a cozy bed at all times.

"Nng!" Blake peeked over the edge as Yang pulled herself up slowly. Not slow for your average hunter, granted, but slow for _Blake._ "Jeez, you make this look easy!" Yang stared up at her partner with some admiration, holding a hand out. Blake grasped Yang's hand and helped haul the blonde up. She stood back to stare as Yang dusted off the front of her skirt and turned, whistling at the view. "Okay, you're right, _way_ better than finding an open window to chill at."

"Mhmm. So, real question, do you have an _off_ button?" Blake asked, hands on her hips. Yang turned to meet her wry smile, and showed off a toothy grin.

"Don't know watcha mean, Babs." Yang stuck her tongue out.

"I'll have to ask Ruby what gets your mind off girls, she seems like she'd know a thing or two…"

"Hah! As if, Ruby couldn't hobble me for long, I got my secrets!" Yang beamed. "'Sides, I'm not _always_ thinking about girls. It wounds me that you'd think I'm so one dimensional!"

"Let's see, you flirted with me, you flirted with Weiss, you flirted with that Vacuan girl in class, you flirted with Velvet…" Blake counted on her fingers, smirking as Yang just stretched her arms above her head.

"Hey, I just want people to know that there's a hot new piece on campus who is both smooth _and_ available." Yang wiggled her eyebrows, her smile as confident as ever. "I'm going to take my time picking Mrs. Xiao Long, make sure I 'sow my seed' in the meantime. I am going to bring at least a _few_ girls a revelation on the better half of the gender line!"

Blake rolled her eyes, wandering to the side of the rooftop to look up at the next roof. It was slanted, its shingles smooth, but with enough grooving to serve as usable footholds. "I hope you aren't looking to teach these poor girls humility; I can only take so much hot air."

Yang laughed, watching Blake size up the next roof with a self-indulgent grin. "Hey, when you're the sexiest babe on campus, you can't act humble."

"You think you're the sexiest?" Blake raised an eyebrow, offering a devious smile.

"Have you _looked_ at me?" Yang asked, lifting her bust tauntingly. Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't know, was never a fan of blonde hair and big boobs. I like things soft, sweet, cute…" Blake tapped her lip, a mean look crossing her face. "Your sister's single, right?" Blake cocked her hip in obvious interest, and Yang's proud exterior crashed, her hands dropping off her hips as she gave Blake an offended expression.

"You _can't_ be serious. _Ruby?_ She's two years younger than you!" Yang huffed with a sudden anger. "And even besides that, she's _off-limits._ Big sister's orders!"

"Mm, but it's such a big school, not like you can always be there to stop me from stealing her away." Blake fluttered her lashes, making Yang walk over with a posture that practically _roared_ danger.

"I have _one_ rule." Yang said warningly, jabbing Blake's collarbone with one finger. " _Nobody_ does _anything_ to hurt or defile my sister. I don't care who it is, she's sheltered, _innocent,_ if she gets the wrong idea about what romance or sex is-"

"And _you_ are providing her with a good example?" Blake interrupted, raising an eyebrow. The question made Yang's speech screech to a halt, grasping at half-formed excuses that fell apart mid-word. Yang held her hands up, making an enraged noise as Blake just smiled in triumph, and without warning, grabbed Yang's arm. Yang gasped as she was suddenly pressed to the wall of the next building, Blake pushing up against her, eye to eye, Blake's breath brushing her lips. "I'm no good with rules, Yang. I just want to be me…" She ran her finger along Yang's cheek, making the blonde flush with color, her surprise keeping her from responding. Then, without another word, Blake jumped. Yang let out a yelp as her partner clamored up her shoulders, using her as a stepping stone to the next roof.

Yang turned, still blushing horribly as she stared up at Blake's back, the dark-haired woman staring up at the sky at a flock of passing birds before turning to shoot Yang a pleased look. "Well? Don't make me wait." Blake admonished, then walked out of view.

It took a good jump and some squirming for Yang to pull herself up to Blake's level. Blake sat at the far end of this rooftop, watching the sky with big golden eyes. Yang gave her an embarrassed stink-eye, then walked over to settle down by her side. Yang looked up with her, focusing on the cloud above. "Okay…" Yang finally said. "You got me."

"Mm?" Blake inquired, not looking to her partner.

"The whole 'make-Yang-grouchy-to-use-her-as-a-ladder' thing? Brilliant." Yang didn't sound convinced even as she said it, and Blake snickered.

"I thought so. Better than asking you for a boost, since it'd only give you an excuse to perv on me again." Blake put on a half-smile, amused, but distracted as she watched the sky.

"You realize we'll be using the same showers, right? I've seen you naked, Blake." Yang snorted, and Blake finally glanced down, her smile small and cruel.

"Mhmm. And if I recall, you couldn't take your eyes off me." Blake pointed out, prodding Yang's nose. The blonde gave a dismissive grunt, but Blake's smile grew. "I bet you're all excited to see me again."

"What can I say?" Yang leaned close, pressing to Blake enough to share some of her intense body heat. "I'm in a school full of gems, and I spotted a diamond among them."

"...You're too much, Yang." Blake scooted away, her smile twitching nervously. Yang just laughed in victory, even if it was a small one. Blake continued to stare upwards, never looking at anything in particular. Yang sat in silence with her. The wind made the trees below shiver, the sounds of shifting leaves filling the air, followed by the call of a bird in the distance. It was warm, cozy, and boring.

"So, watcha looking at?" Yang asked, trying to follow Blake's eyes.

"Nothing, really." Blake shrugged. Yang pouted, then began to kick her feet.

"Theeeen watcha doin'?" Yang cocked her head at Blake.

"Digesting, mostly." Blake answered dryly. Yang groaned.

"So then why are we here?"

Blake gave Yang an impatient look. "Just… enjoying the day. Y'know, meditating, relaxing, letting little worries flow away with the breeze as we soak in the sun…" Blake lay on her back, closing her eyes.

"Boooring!" Yang grunted, drawing her knees up to give her chin a rest. She closed her eyes and made a low whine. "You don't even wanna join Ruby and Weiss to study? At least that's _something_."

"Give them their space. They're still adjusting to each other, they need to have time to work on their partnership together." Blake didn't open her eyes. She did, however, glance as she heard clothing shift, and a low, annoyed puff of air escaped her as she saw Yang sliding her skirt up enough to show some silky thigh.

"Then c'mon, let's work on our own partnership!" Yang wiggled her eyebrows, her smile confident, her eyes seductive. "What's a little fooling around between partners? Eh?" Yang grinned.

Blake turned back and closed her eyes. "No."

"Oh _come on,_ we can't do this for an hour straight! Recess is supposed to be used for, like, _studying,_ or practicing, or doing _something."_ Yang grouched, arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh, don't _whine._ It's the perfect time for a nap! We even got an alarm set before PE." Blake sighed. Maybe this was a mistake, she should have figured Yang would be the over-active type.

"This is supposed to be the time of our lives!" Yang threw her hands out anxiously. "The years before we become full-fledged hunters; we're supposed to be going out there and making mistakes and memories! Fighting, fooling around, sneaking booze… what's the fun in just lazing around for an hour?!"

"The _fun_ comes from not having to _worry_ about having fun." Blake sat up, meeting Yang's eyes with a frown. "I spent years in a sleeping bag, under a tent, worried about Grimm, food, and basic hygiene. I'm finally back in civilization where I can live normally. I don't need to go out to have fun, I can lay here, count my blessings, and close my eyes for an hour and be fine."

"Isn't your life passing you by, then?" Yang demanded, hands on her hips now. "Like, what are you going to tell people, 'my Beacon years were great, I went to class, took a nap, then went to bed?!'" Yang grumbled.

"Yeah, and I'll tell them it was _amazing_ because I didn't spend the whole day wondering when my next meal would come, or worrying there was a Grimm hiding out nearby!" Blake matched Yang's growl, and her eyes sharpened. "Just because you're a bloodthirsty horndog doesn't mean the rest of us have to be."

"But I _don't like_ this!" Yang gestured to the both of them, sitting there, doing nothing. "It just feels like a _waste._ You said it yourself, we're in civilization, it's safe! Sure we can nap, but… there's so much more to do when you want to do nothing."

"Like?" Blake asked flatly.

Yang thought for a moment. She shifted in place, trying to get her blood flowing, trying to think… then, with a little grunt, she finally spoke. "When I was laid up in bed with a broken leg, Ruby and I used to talk for _hours._ Play little word games, play board games, just discuss philosophy, and training, and hunting. It was so boring at the time, but once I could run around again, those talks and games became fun. It was bonding time with my sister, I wasn't _forced_ to sit there. I don't like being lazy for too long, there's too much to do in this world before I become a fully licensed huntress." Yang frowned. "I'm just worried I won't get to do it."

Blake considered the blonde for a moment. This was a small, but notable moment of weakness. Yang seemed easily susceptible to those. Her boisterousness didn't seem like an act, but there was still a young, bruisable little lady beneath it. Blake sighed. She enjoyed silence and stillness, it allowed her to think, but Yang wasn't open to sharing that. However, Blake relented that, as they were both being selfish, some compromise must have been in reach. "... Shiritori?" Blake offered.

"Eh?" Yang blinked.

"Ever heard of it? Mistral word game." Blake stirred her hand in slow thought. "I'll start with a word, and you have to take the sound that word ends on to start the next word."

"Oh, er, I've heard of it." Yang nodded, watching Blake curiously.

"Alright. Flirt."

"... Flirt?" Yang blinked slowly. "You, uh, you rock that skirt?"

"No, fool, that's the starting word." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Oh! Shoot, uh…" Yang worked her jaw. "Tale."

"Love."

"Villain? Isn't this game only supposed to be played with nouns?"

"Love is an abstract noun. Nuisance."

"Slate."

"Tap."

"Pollen."

"Nuisa- uh… niche."

"Hah! Sugar."

"Rib."

"Back."

"Kebab."

"Hmm, bra!"

"F-cup."

"Eh?" Yang tilted her head to the side, staring at Blake with a raised eyebrow.

Blake lazily raised a finger and pointed to Yang's chest. "F. Am I right?" Blake had a neutral expression, making it impossible to tell what her intention was.

Yang fought the urge to blush again, and simply grinned. "Only one way to find out, Blakey."

"Mm. You're right. I'll go through your laundry next week." Blake smirked.

"You're _so_ weird." Yang chuckled, giving Blake a fond look. "I think I like it."

"Then the next four years _might_ be tolerable." Blake sighed softly, closing her eyes as she gave a small smile. She heard Yang lay down next to her, and she briefly wondered if she was going to actually enjoy the silence.

"... Puke."

Blake cracked an eye open and frowned. "Mm?"

"F-cup ends with a 'p'. Puke."

"... Cuddle."

"Is that an invitation?"

"No."

"Lair, then."

"Read…"

It was strange, Blake thought stared up at the sky, absentmindedly playing the game, she had momentarily forgotten why she was here in the first place. Blake often forgot she was a teenage girl, and always wondered what she missed while in the Fang...

* * *

" _..._ _Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…"_ The squealing continued for at least another ten seconds as Weiss plugged her ears, quietly wondering when the joy would _end._ "It's so _huge!"_ Ruby shouted, running into the library with Weiss swiftly chasing after her.

"Ruby, don't go running off! And be quiet, we are in a library!" Weiss hissed at her partner as they ran.

Behind them, walking into the Beacon Academy library, Jaune rested a hand on his hip and stared blankly around the gigantic room. Bookshelves four times his height stood row by row from the entrance to the back wall, with a second story way, way up high, where there were even _more_ bookshelves. Wall-to-wall, it was endless literature, and Jaune could feel his head spinning as he looked up to the tall, arched ceilings.

Ruby was right, this place was _massive._ The ground floor had such an enormous mid-section that even the dozens of long, white study tables left perfectly comfortable walking room down the middle, or even into the aisles. Jaune scratched the back of his head as he felt an elbow brush against his.

"It's amazing." Pyrrha whispered by his side, eyes glimmering in delight. She glanced to Jaune with a pleasant, happy expression, and lead the way down the middle, glancing left and right at everything, to try and take it all _in._ "My goodness, not even Shade was so…" Pyrrha spun gracefully on her heels as she walked, beaming as she did. "I mean, it had a perfectly suitable library but…" She sped down an aisle, Jaune rushing to keep up. " _This…!"_ Pyrrha ran her fingers along the spines of the books on both sides of her as she walked.

A small squeal of joy told Jaune and Pyrrha that Ruby had found something of interest, and the loud hush that followed let them know that Weiss had caught up.

"I've never seen so many books in my life." Jaune admitted, looking to his left. ' _Following in Their Footsteps: Where Did We Learn to Hunt?'_ He examined the book thoughtfully, before tugging it off the shelf and putting it under his arm. "I think, back on the farm, we only had storybooks and, like, a Holy Trilogy set. Do all of these have stuff on being a hunter?" Jaune asked, bewildered.

"Not this one!" Pyrrha stood on the steps of a pushable staircase, perusing the contents a book. She snapped it shut and waved it to Jaune. " _Camping Recipes for Game Hunters!"_ She put it back, then grabbed another of the shelf. "And here's one about the Vacuan Spice Industry, and here's an Atlas Home Cookware Guide! I really should learn to cook one of these days…" Pyrrha said idly, making Jaune smirk.

"Y'know, it used to be _real_ hard for me to read." Jaune mentioned, walking past the pushable stairs to look at an enormous book jutting out from the shelf due to its sheer size; ' _A History of Heroes: Hunters Through the Ages, from A-Z.'_ "Huh…" Jaune stared, then slid it off the shelf.

"In what way?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune backed away from the shelf as the metal staircase suddenly began to move, slowly rolling down the aisle as Pyrrha, not touching any buttons, simply reading passing book titles. Jaune didn't notice that, when the stairs stopped, Pyrrha's shoulders relaxed.

"There's some condition for it, I dunno. Words just got all jumbled up." Jaune looked up to Pyrrha with a smile. Somehow, it was hard to believe this girl was a world-class gladiator, but she was no doubt incredibly competent during their initiation. Jaune's hand subconsciously felt for his sword, for reassurance that he himself was skilled… he envied Pyrrha for her fame and talent. Glancing at ' _A History of Heroes'_ made him silently ache, wondering if his ancestors were in it.

"And are you okay now?" Pyrrha called from up high. She pulled a book off the shelf and flipped through it idly, a small smile on her face.

"S'long as I take it slow, it's no biggie." Jaune watched Pyrrha descend the staircase as they got to the end of the aisle. Underneath the second-floor balconies, at the far edges of the room, there was still plenty of space for students to walk shoulder-to-shoulder between the aisles and the bookshelves against the wall. However, the bookshelves on the edges were different, in that they contained other learning materials than books.

Audio CDs, plastic cases containing education flash-drives for their scrolls, magazines, even some children's guides to hunting for kids ten and under. They both stopped as they found a shelf full of movies. "Oh wow, look at these old tapes." Pyrrha slide a large, square case out of the shelf. The old tape inside had a faded sticker advertising the movie recorded on it. Pyrrha returned it, took a step, glanced… " _Eee!"_ She suddenly squeaked, making Jaune nearly jump out of his skin as her tone suddenly matched _Ruby's._ "They have the Bunshido Blade collection!" Pyrrha whispered in awe, grabbing a case off the shelf.

Jaune leaned over to look at the cover of the movie, which prominently featured a male rabbit faunus in a traditional Mistral-style yukata wielding a katana. The cover was so absurdly cheesy that Jaune had to hide his mouth behind his hand to not burst out laughing as Pyrrha poured over the case carefully, reading the blurb on the back with a fascinated expression. "You know, when I think 'gladiator tournament star', I _don't_ think 'movie fanatic.'" Jaune teased, making Pyrrha blush, huffing obstinately.

"Unfortunately, when your schedule is busy, sometimes the best thing you can do for entertainment is to load up a movie between classes and training. Believe me, I hadn't put much value in an advanced scroll until I found I could download ' _All My Shadows'_ on it."

"... Isn't that the forty year-running soap opera about the immortal, shape-shifting vampire dude whose girlfriends keep getting killed?"

"Life just keeps finding ways to torment his fragile heart…" Pyrrha sighed sadly.

Jaune decided to end the conversation early…

" _Ruby that is a staircase not monkey bars!"_ Weiss's voice rang out across the library as Jaune and Pyrrha travelled upstairs. The second floor was packed to the gills with novels, everything from picture books parents would read aloud to their toddlers to modern dark fantasies written for teens.

Jaune couldn't imagine why a professional hunter school would keep so many fictional stories, especially when so many of them were aimed at kids, but judging by the pile of books marching along the other balcony, tailed by a facepalming Weiss, it made Ruby happy.

He and Pyrrha plopped down at a table with their books. Jaune opened ' _A History of Heroes'_ and began to search the index. As his eyes ran down the huge number of 'A' names, Jaune sighed, thinking of his family.

Since he was a young man, just barely allowed to hold the garden hose, back when his mother's enormous sun hat would slip down and cover his eyes, he remembered his grandfather as an extremely slow, tottering man. He was always hunched over his cane whenever he came and visited with his wife, his smile warm, his eyes milky with early signs of blindness, always complaining about his joints, his back, his feet, and always telling Jaune to square his shoulders and speak up.

He always brought little hard candies for the eight Arc children, and liked to sit next to Jaune so the younger man could stealthily sneak his grandfather his vegetables, letting him leave the table early to go play outside with his older sisters. His grandfather, Jaune Arc the 11th, spoke slowly, clearly, and fondly of his retired life in the country, and visited every week that he could to swap stories, rumors, and jokes with his son, Jaune Arc the 12th.

Jaune Arc the 13th's eyes stopped as he focused on a name in the enormous index: Jaune Arc the 4th. He flipped to the page number, watching the pages fly by like a movie effect.

His uncle, Jameson Arc, wasn't a hunter, but was a border guard by trade. Vale had become a pretty safe place in the past few generations, but the Grimm were still restless, relentless, just not as numerous. When Jaune—the present Jaune—turned thirteen, he was allowed to sit in with his father, uncle, and grandfather and share a small sip of alcohol around the fire. It was there Jaune learned something that changed his perspective on his little farm life: his grandfather was once a hunter. Not just any hunter, but the 11th in line for a lineage of blonde, knightly hunters that dated back to a time when Vale still had kings, still treated Faunus like savages stalking the woods, and treated Grimm hunting as a glorious task of eventual martyrdom. There was an old saying Jaune's grandfather had shared: " _There's two reasons hunters turn old: they're cowards, or very very lucky."_

The Arc lineage was (in)famous as both.

The 11th, a decorated knight from the Color Wars, fought in sixteen battles, was recorded to have gotten drunk and dumped a bottle of robin's-egg-blue hair dye on some Mistral captives before sending them back to their country. His regiment even came up with a drinking song in his honor. Every Jaune Arc before him had a record as either a man who saw the end of many battles until their old age caught up to them, or were court martialed for fleeing their positions.

The two exceptions to both of those, so far, were present Jaune and his father.

Jaune knew why though. Jaune Arc the 12th, a kind, loving family man, who, to this day, refused to get the arm on his glasses fixed, whose favorite breakfast was scrambled eggs and ketchup, who started a small farm with his wonderful, if stern wife to feed their coming brood. Yes, he could swing a sword, but had locked aura. He was a man who was more than content with obscurity, and thought his family would be too…

Then there was Jaune Arc the 13th. A young man who spent his whole life believing that his family was as unremarkable as the tough, tasteless carrots they grew, who heard his grandfather's war stories for the first time while the old man and his sons were drunk on cheap bourbon. Never once had Jaune thought his family was anything more than simple farmfolk. His grandfather, old and bent like the gnarled limb of a world-worn tree, wasn't a general store owner all his life, he was an old warrior, an aged hunter, one from a line of fondly remembered martyrs and disparaged charlatans…

Finally, Crocea Mors, his family sword, which had belonged to his grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather. It was at that time Jaune found out that he wasn't just some country boy, his family had a history. Maybe not a _famous_ one, but every noble Arc before him did their country and fellow man a service. At first, Jaune had felt betrayed he'd had this information hidden from him, but then he grew _dedicated._

Fighting lessons from his uncle using an old wooden sword, stories from his grandfather about his time on the battlefield, working until his fingers were bleeding to prove he was serious about taking Crocea Mors for himself… and slipping out late at night with a letter of acceptance from the most prestigious hunting academy in Vale.

As Jaune read about his ancestry in the book of heroes, he once again pondered what he hoped to prove by coming here…

"Here, Jaune." Pyrrha slid a book across the table, smiling at her partner as Jaune blinked, broken from his trance, and took the offered book. It was already opened to a page simply titled: ' _Aura.'_ "This is the book I used when I was young to understand aura, and refine it into a honed shield and weapon. If you have any questions…" Pyrrha nodded to him, smiling in offering.

"Sure, thanks Pyrrha." Jaune looked down at the book, but the words were blurry, his mind elsewhere. "Actually, know what, I got a question for you right now." Jaune sat up straight, squaring his shoulders, his grandfather's voice reminding him that girls liked that. Pyrrha's eyes fixated on him attentively, fingers lacing on the table in front of her. "Pyrrha, why do you want to be a hunter?"

Pyrrha drummed the table with her fingers thoughtfully, humming as she thought of an answer. "To become something greater than just a cereal box mascot." Pyrrha closed her eyes as the answer came to her. "This may sound selfish, but I loved when people grew excited by the mere mention of my name, to know that I was an inspiration and a hero. However, I felt that, as a gladiator, I got that sort of fame for all the wrong reasons. I want to be a hunter to protect people, and inspire them to stand against the terrors and wrongs of the world." Pyrrha spoke with confidence, but left out her desire to befriend people her own age, to grow that friendship and trust that teams of hunters cultivated in a way that no normal person could.

"Good reasons." Jaune smiled at his partner, causing her cheeks to redden as she returned it. "I think most people these days want to become celebrities, you kinda already have that, so this is just you being… what's the word? Altruistic?"

"Yes, but…" Pyrrha squirmed, her smile faltering. "I do crave that sort of fame again, just… not from a place as corrupting and manipulative as the MRT. I have resolved to become the _best_ hunter this world has ever seen. Even if there are no ways to measure such a thing, I someday hope that, with the success and safety my team and I bring to the world, I will be remembered fondly as somebody to be looked up to."

"See? That's an _awesome_ dream. Save everyone and be a celebrity! That's kind of what I want too…" Jaune sighed, looking at an old portrait of his great great great etc. grandfather, his straight blonde hair draping around his head as Crocea Mors was proudly laid across his shoulder.

"Then what do you want out of becoming a hunter, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

Jaune was silent as he looked at his ancestor. His fingers twitched as he mulled the question over in his head, and he suddenly itched to hold Crocea Mors again, his connection to his family, an heirloom that felt natural and… _right_ in his palm. He hummed thoughtfully, crossed his arms, and leaned back to look up at the ceiling. "I mean, I want people to know _my_ name. I wanna show up in books and on TV and stuff, but… I dunno. I spent a long time just living on a farm, I never thought about what was behind the hills, or over the mountains. When I found out my peepaw was this totally amazing soldier in the Color Wars, like… I dunno. I felt like I had to do something."

"You felt there were expectations you weren't living up to."

"Right, thanks Weiss. I want to make my family proud, I want to stand with the other Jaunes in my family as a hero, I don't want to be stuck on a farm pulling vegetables all my li— _Weiss?!"_ Jaune suddenly jumped away from the girl in white, who stood there with an almost sympathetic look, but as Jaune scrambled to regain his composure, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Can I sit here?" Weiss asked Pyrrha, earning a tentative nod. "Thanks. _Somebody_ came here to learn about the old leaders of great. _Somebody, instead,_ decided they wanted to read the whole Fox Hunter series instead."

" _They're signed by the original author!"_ Ruby's voice rose up from behind a shelf some distance away.

" _We agreed to work on your_ —forget it!" Weiss threw her hands up, plopped down next to Pyrrha, and cracked open a Remnant history textbook.

Weiss quietly groused below her breath. Jaune stared at his book for a second, then stood, hands on the table. "Ruby Rose, come here _right now!"_ He ordered at the top of his voice. Pyrrha and Weiss both stared at him in shock as, a minute later, Ruby shuffled into view holding an open novel.

"B-but I just started!" She squeaked, holding the book up.

"Young lady, you came here to _learn,_ so sit down with Weiss." Jaune stared at her firmly, and Ruby whimpered, sighed, and slowly slid into the chair by his side. Satisfied, Jaune sat down and went back to blankly staring at the chapter on Aura as both of their partners looked to each other in a bewildered fashion.

"Don't gotta be so shouty about it." Ruby mumbled as Weiss took a large, old tome and slid it to Ruby. ' _Jameson Bravo: The First Leader of Vale.'_ Ruby cracked it open with a beleaguered sigh, and began to read as Weiss inspected her.

"Hey, I grew up with seven sisters. I know what it takes." Jaune said triumphantly.

"... Thank you, Jaune." Weiss nodded her head. Pyrrha appraised her leader, her eyes sparkling as Jaune flexed.

"Anything for a lady in need." Jaune wiggled his eyebrows at Weiss, her pleased look turning sour. Jaune winced as Weiss rolled her eyes and stood by Ruby's side.

"So, what made Bravo a good leader?" Weiss asked her partner, and Ruby paused on a page prominently displaying his portrait.

"...His gigantic moustache. Definitely that." Ruby rubbed her bald upper lip. Weiss slapped her own forehead, then flicked Ruby's nose. "Oooowww… shoulda just stuck with Fox Hunter..."

"I'm starting to think that I'd be better off with your sister as a partner…"

Ruby pouted even more, and continued to read.

Jaune looked between the three girls around him, and the realization struck: three _girls._ His grandfather and uncle would have high-fived him. They were a diverse three too. A formerly-professional Mistral gladiator, an underage Vale shut-in, and an Atlas debutante who was just… _so…_

Jaune hid a shudder and tried to focus, but his musings on his home life left him distracted. He did not get much reading done...

* * *

Beacon Academy's PE grounds were a professionally cared for field of green behind the school building. The grass was trimmed to a uniform height, an inch tall across an entire, empty mile, contained by a tall, sturdy, steel-cable fence in the event that the student's activities attracted Grimm.

Ruby looked up at the prominent feature set in the exact middle of the field: a simple obstacle course had been built using a tall, sloped rock-climbing wall, a long, simple wooden balance beam suspended over an above-ground pool, and at the very end, at the top of a forty-foot wooden tower, was a bell. The tower itself looked like a slender, octagonal grain silo, its sides made up of dozens of opened or closed slats, with numerous 'branches' jutting out of the sides to hang onto… or block progress? They looked like they had some sort of dark liquid dripping off their sides. Ruby squinted and tried to get a better look.

As good as her vision was, the stupid goggles still got in the way. She scratched at the edges of her headwear subconsciously, trying to get rid of the nervous itch she suddenly had.

"You should probably remove them." Blake murmured by her side. Ruby glanced over at Blake with a small frown, and shook her head.

"B-but my eyes…" Ruby sighed, sincerely wishing she _could_ take her goggles off. The breeze today was nice, it whispered temptingly into her ear, but Ruby only had to imagine the headmaster's disappointed frown to cease those rebellious thoughts.

"Whatever condition you have can't be _that_ bad." Blake ran the back of her pointer finger along Ruby's cheek consolingly, and Ruby blushed, leaning in it, ever hungry for a friendly touch.

"It really is." Ruby sighed. Blake took her finger back after a second and ignored her curiosity. Blake knew of very few eye conditions, but she had the feeling she would have at least heard of _one_ that demanded complete privacy…

She quietly mused over the idea that Ruby was missing an eye and wanted to hide such an obvious defect with those goggles. She quietly watched Ruby look around, seeing if she favored looking at people in one particular direction.

" _Oh my god."_ Yang whispered, leaning against Blake with an excited smile. Blake shrugged her off with a quirk of her eyebrow. "These PE uniforms are amazing." Yang pointed to a group of girls not too far away, chatting amongst each other and paying no attention to Yang's lecherous gaze.

All of them wore a simple uniform: a white, fitted sports shirt made with a soft material to prevent skin irritation, emblazoned with the Beacon Academy twin axes on the left breast, and knee-length blue running shorts that clung to the thighs for ease of movement and no snagging on nearby scenery. Tall, white tube socks and running sneakers protected their feet, and the girls were given sturdy and stable sports bras that, to numerous student's disappointment, actually did a reasonable job of shrinking Yang's bust.

It had the exact opposite effect on the student's backsides, however.

" _Daaaaaaaaamn,_ check out those _buns."_ Yang let out a loud, audience-gathering whistle.

" _Please_ don't!" Jaune whimpered, hands shielding his backside as Nora cackled.

"I know who brought dinner tonight, arf arf!" Nora cooed. A snicker ran through the crowd as Jaune groaned, moving his hands.

"Work it, blondie!" A boy shouted from somewhere in the crowd of students.

"Hey!" Jaune whirled around, pointing to his audience. "I am _not_ just a piece of meat!" He insisted, only to draw out a few more giggles.

"Your skin and muscle say otherwise." Ren said, his lips tugging up into a ghost of a smile as Jaune turned his finger to Ren.

"Don't you go encouraging them!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth, watching her leader protect his butt from the suddenly curious eyes of his peers, though she had to admit, there was definitely an appeal to that muscled rump.

Ruby stared at Jaune, then to her older sister, who was chatting with some girls and boys as they openly eyed her up. Unlike Jaune, Yang soaked in the attention, almost revelling in having her good looks appreciated. Ruby turned towards Weiss, who stood off to the side, trying to ignore everyone else's hormonal childishness. "Weiss?"

"Yes Ruby?" Weiss responded, glancing to her partner, almost looking relieved she was being distracted from this tomfoolery.

Ruby then turned, looking over her shoulder, wiggling her shapely backside while staring down the back of her legs. "Do I have a nice butt?" She asked.

Weiss risked a glance down. Blake leaned closer to join in. "... No comment." Weiss grunted, turning away with rosey cheeks.

Blake just hummed.

"Hey!" Nora suddenly popped in, grabbing their attention with an excited smile. Ren followed behind her, giving Ruby the time to notice that he had quite a nice set of calves. "So while Ren and I were scoping out the best make-out spots—"

" _Exploring our school's facilities."_ Ren asserted with a small glare at Nora.

"So while Ren and I were scoping out the ' _school's facilities',_ we heard an _iiiiinteresting_ rumor." Nora's smile grew feral, while Ren rolled his eyes.

"Interesting how?" Blake asked, stopping her ears from quirking in interest.

"It's merely a rumor, and we only heard a bit from a pair of girls we were passing by." Ren said with a small sigh. "It's not amazingly thought-provoking or anything."

"Ren, hush!" Nora ordered, planting her hands on her broad hips. "So, according to a couple of clucking hens we overheard, _apparently_ the new PE teacher is, like, _the_ hottest thing since Fire dust." Her toothy smile told them all they needed to know about her excitement.

"Whoa, for real?" Yang stepped in, having excused herself from showing off to strangers. "Man coach or woman coach?" She crossed her arms over her imprisoned bust.

"Man!" Nora said with a confident nod.

"Ugh. Well, eyecandy's eyecandy, he'd better not start offering me some after-class tutoring." Yang snorted.

"Didn't dad break that guy's ribs?" Ruby perked up.

"Four of 'em." Yang nodded.

Weiss rolled her eyes and raised her voice. "Why does it even matter? This isn't a fashion magazine, we're not here to look at cute boys, or hot men, or whatever you oafs are thinking."

"What's wrong with a little admiring, Weiss?" Blake asked with a tilt of her head. "Unless, princess is feeling all lonely without attention?"

"I am _not!"_ Weiss stamped her foot.

"If anything," Ren barely had to raise his voice to get their attention, "It's promising. If he is attractive, then he is more than likely physically fit. We _want_ to get physically fit."

"Ren is correct, we should look forward to meeting our coach for his educational potential, not just his physical attractiveness." Pyrrha said with a pleased smile. She was only thinly aware that Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, _and_ Nora were each checking her out. Between her long, long legs and shapely hips, she was a _lot_ of good-looking young woman. Ren, being a committed man, ensured Nora was distracted before chancing a look of his own.

"Ahem." Weiss sighed at Nora's enamored wiggling as the other girl shamelessly pressed on with her ogling. "Pyrrha's right, of course. We should make the most of the lesson regardless of what our teacher looks like. This appears to be an intriguing way to workout." She looked up at the obstacle course and pushed down a bubble of worry in her belly. She had been tried and trialed many times before, but while her knowledge was something to sing praises of, she was still afraid for her physical performance.

"Oh this is _nothing."_ Yang snorted, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Tell 'em Rubes. Uncle Qrow used to make us dig holes until we were tired, then made us climb our way out. Heck, remember the time he took us to the Patchwork Cliffs?"

Ruby shuddered, rubbing her fingertips together. "Every hole, scorpions… _Every. Single. Hole."_ She whimpered. Weiss raised a tall, curious eyebrow as Blake gently knit her brow in mixed concern for her teammates and confusion at the logistics involved with that task...

"Heck, we didn't even do our stamina swims in a pool! He took us out to the ocean, threw a javelin, and told us to go find it." Yang grunted, her muscles flexing at the memory. Her sister rotated her left shoulder, as if trying to work out a phantom kink in the lean muscles.

"He tied a rock to one and didn't tell us it would _sink._ We were swimming for six hours looking for it!" Ruby said grouchily. "We didn't figure it out until high-tide took us under and I ran into it! Th-the stick end, not the sharp end."

"Oh man, we kicked his ass for that one." Yang chuckled, and Ruby smiled widely, flashing her neat little teeth in a blend of a grin and a snarl.

" _I hope he still has that scar."_ She purred to herself, her tone dripping bloody vengeance. Yang nodded and laughed, slapping Ruby on the back, but everyone else felt a chill go down their spine as they watched their young friend flex her strong little fingers into angry claws…

"So, yeah, this'll be nothing. Ruby and I are pros at handling weird, random, physical crap." Yang said with a smooth, pleased smile, ruffling Ruby's hair and breaking her little sister out of her dark memories. Ruby squeaked cutely at the affection and leaned into it, the sisters ignorant of the relief that surged through their team and friends.

"I hope you're right." Weiss nodded, flicking the pair one last unsure glance before resetting her focus on quietly watching the obstacle course. As her friends fell into idle conversations around her, Weiss tried to recall the most trying physical task she had ever experienced as part of her training, hoping to find past skills may apply here. She had climbed walls, ran miles, swam laps, jumped hurdles, caught rings fired out of spring-loaded launchers, she had done dozens of different physical activities, and she was somewhat pleased and entirely satisfied that none of them involved scorpions. The knot in her stomach eased… she'd probably done everything this course looked to offer, if not in a single marathon. Her stamina may be a factor, but she felt more sure of her ability to actually perform the tasks at hand. Her self-doubts somewhat mollified, she widened her musings to try and measure her teammates potential matchups with the challenges ahead.

Yang seemed like a physical beast, Weiss wouldn't be surprised if their most perverse teammate was also the best at this class. Those curves were laid over potent, steely muscles… the only question in Weiss' mind was if Yang had persistence to match her raw power, and she strongly suspected Yang would make a lewd comment about being able to 'go for days' if asked. Blake was nimble, quick, so sure of her balance, capable of high-flying acrobatics, all with the casual ease of someone long used to such exertion… this shouldn't be too difficult for her at all. Ruby, for all her faults, was genuinely capable when it came to fieldwork. Swinging that massive scythe took core and upper body strength and Ruby's legs had worked like tireless pistons in the forest when the need to run arose. The younger girl's only questionable skill may be a lack of balance without her weapon in hand, Ruby somehow seemed… clumsier without her scythe. Weiss frowned a bit as her tabulation of her teammates strengths caused her to silently worry that she wouldn't measure up… there was no room for the skills of a promising Dust Sorceress in a test of physical prowess.

She took a deep breath, and let it go. She flinched as something brushed her arm, and she glanced over to see Ruby smiling at her. Weiss blushed, but when Ruby nodded at her, smiling like the day had done nothing but go her way, Weiss felt her tension ease. Yes, they could do this, _together,_ and if Weiss did not shine brightest, that was fine since the whole point was to test and improve everyone's limits _._ Weiss was slightly unnerved that just one simple expression from someone she'd know for all of two days made her feel so much bolder, but she returned the smile, if smaller and less sure, regardless of her jumbled emotions.

Professor Port's advice whispered in her ears. This was a place of learning and growth… this was the one place it was okay to fail as long as failure made her stronger. She couldn't give in! She had to try… even if she fell over, she had to pull herself to her feet and drag herself to the finish line.. She, and everyone on her team had to work together to succeed. She wouldn't be the weak link… no, even if she was the weak link, she would still be strong enough to see her team through. Today, she might need their strength and skills, but tomorrow it could be her talents that won the day!

No looking down on herself.

They could win.

Weiss' shoulders straightened and her eyes shone with silent determination as the rest of RWBY and JNPR intermingled, waiting for the lesson to start. A small gasp came from the back of the crowd, drawing all of their attention, causing the eight teens to crane their heads and, in one case quirk her pointed ears, as they heard excited cooing, squealing, and ' _awwww!'_ s from the back of the crowd of students. Weiss looked to her teammates with a small, curious frown, earning only shrugs in return.

" _A puppy!"_ Nora suddenly squeaked, having pressed closer to whatever was drawing everyone's attention.

"Puppy?" Pyrrha asked, following Nora's eyes. The other six swarmed the two to get a closer look. Pyrrha gasped. "It's… it's so _precious."_ She whispered.

"It… it has little dog goggles." Blake stated, rearing backwards as the dog trotted around the students, tongue hanging out of its mouth.

"And swim trunks?" Weiss cocked her head, staring at the mangy, flea-bitten little mutt as the urge to go swamp it in love filled her.

"And a shark's fin." Jaune blinked slowly, staring at the fake fin that swung on its back with each happy little step the dog took.

Ruby and Yang both stared at the dog as it stopped at the front of the group and fixated on them in particular. Its tiny tail wagged in absolute joy as it whined and yipped up at the two stunned teenagers. "... Zwei?" They both whispered in mounting confusion. The corgi ran in a brief circle, the yap turning into a short bark of excitement at the sound of its name.

"Zwei?" The other six repeated back to them, their quest for answers distracting them from the now whispering crowd and the tall figure pushing through it.

"Hey kids! Sorry I'm late, had to go dig something out of my luggage!" A voice rang across the crowd. Ruby and Yang froze, a sudden realization sending a shiver up their spines as they swiftly pushed through their friends to stare.

"... Uh…" Was all Nora managed, watching the coach strut forward.

" _Uuuuhhh…"_ Pyrrha's groan was significantly less dignified.

"... Hubba hubba." Blake added under her breath as her eyes widened, trying to take it all in.

" _Dad?!"_ Yang's screech made nearly everyone flee as her hair fired up in a brief, if radiant, fit of defensive surprise. Ruby just pointed at her father and made a sound somewhere between the muted shriek of an excited five year old and the pitiful noise of of an inflated balloon escaping your fingers to wheeze through the air until it was empty.

"Hey girls!" Taiyang Xiao Long strode through the throng of students that parted before him, a confident swagger in his walk, a large camp cooler in his hands. His broad, happy smile and quick, appraising glances toward the passing students sent more than a few heart rates up. Wearing a larger version of what his students were wearing, except with orange stripes along the sleeves and a whistle around his neck, Taiyang set the cooler down before him and stared down the daughters and their new companions with his fists on his hips, muscles bulging from his arms to his legs, the pool-ready corgi plopping down in front of him with an unwavering, dim joy that only dogs could have. Tai's ever-present blonde stubble and piercing blue eyes went from face to face, before finally settling on the only two that weren't utterly thrilled to see him. "Okay, so, before we get class started, I know what you two are thinking…" He raised his hands towards his daughters with a calming smile.

"You…" Ruby spoke up softly. "You defeated the old PE teacher in a fight to the death and took his power?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"... Okay, so I don't know what _you're_ thinking, Ruby, but I like that train of thought." He rested a friendly hand on her head and rustled her hair, making her shoulders relax as an unsure giggle escaped her.

"Dad?" Yang finally spoke up, one eyebrow raised way up high as she leaned in with a small, bewildered voice. "Why are you here?" She whispered.

"Hey, I told you two before you left I had a surprise when you first settled in here." Tai knelt down with a small, evil smile as he got face to face with his daughter. "And that's _Coach_ Dad to you, sweetheart." His smile grew as Yang's eyebrow twitched violently.

"... How?" Yang whispered in disbelief.

"Well…" Tai's grin continued. "I got a call from Professor Ozpin not too long after Ruby got accepted into Beacon. He was nice and honest about Qrow wanting me to get a job to stay busy out of the house. Now, Qrow's usually not the most affectionate guy, so I was kinda surprised, I didn't expect him to be so concerned with me being all alone." Yang stared at him, comprehension dawning, mouth widening in a silent scream. "Good to see you too, sweetie pie." Tai winked and took a few steps back to start his class.

Ruby and Yang silently glanced to one another. " _... I did this."_ Yang whispered in horror. Yang didn't see it, but Ruby's eyes got as wide as saucers. She glanced up at her father as he planted his hands on his hips and looked among the gathered students. His voice raised into what Yang and Ruby thought of as his 'dad voice', strong and carrying, unyielding and firm, but only demanding attention and respect. He wasn't shouting… yet. It was simple habit that made Ruby twiddle her fingers and wonder if she'd finished her chores and Yang's eyes darted a bit as she mentally reconstructed the last few weeks, looking frantically for anything she might get grounded for.

"Alright kids, unfortunately I don't have a fancy introduction for you, I'm Taiyang Xiao Long, but you can call me Coach Tai." With a heart-meltingly happy smile, he pointed down to Zwei. "And this is my good buddy Zwei! He's a hunting corgi!" Zwei stood up on his two hind legs, hopping in place and barking in excitement, drawing girlish squealing from the crowd… and not just from the girls. Taiyang jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the obstacle course. "I got this set up today to see how each of you works as a team. Don't expect this sorta stuff every day, I'm mostly gonna focus on buffing y'all up. I expect hard work, dedication, and a good attitude coming out to this field! That being said, if you're sick, hurt, or having a crap day, we can talk about it, but without further ado, the most _important_ part of exercise: warm-up! Everyone spread out and split into your teams, I want the leader in front of the team where I can see them."

The crowd spread out, sticking to their small, four-man squads. After an attempt to slink off to a different part of the field was aborted by an intense look of fatherly disapproval, Team RWBY stood up front and center, with team JNPR immediately behind them, Ruby and Jaune standing in front of their teams. Blake subtly nudged Yang.

"He's your dad?" Blake whispered with fascinated eyebrows.

"Yeah…" Yang groaned, staring at her father as if he'd magically change into somebody else if she focused her eyes the right way.

Blake swept her eyes up Yang's tense frame and put on an extra mischievous smile as she glanced to Tai, forcing a gleam of calculating infatuation into her eyes and voice. "Hmm, think you could introduce us? Put in a good word for your partner?" Blake all but purred, and Yang's entire face turned grey for a heartbeat before being overtaken by a bright red hue as she reached over and swatted her partner's shoulder.

"Would you quit trying to fuck my family?! Seriously not cool! Don't- stop laughing dammit—are you kidding or not?!" Yang hissed too low for Ruby to hear her, as Blake hid her mirth behind her hands. Despite her irritated outrage, Yang made a mental note that Blake's eyes lit up as brightly as Ruby's smile when she was genuinely, deeply pleased and amused. If only she liked cookies rather than Yang's suffering...

"Would the both of you calm down?" Weiss asked in a sigh, rolling her eyes as she kept her face pointing forward. Yang sighed and turned her back on the smugly grinning Blake.

"... At least you aren't interested." Yang looked to Weiss with relief and a tiny smile of approval. Weiss tossed her head, resettling her braid as her chin raised a proud fraction of an inch.

"He is an attractive man, but I am here to improve _, not_ to count his luscious abs through his shirt." Weiss stated factually.

"Right, _thank_ you Wei—wait, what was that again?" Yang glared at the shorter girl. Weiss shot Yang a victorious smirk over her shoulder, and Blake began to tear up trying not to giggle out loud as Yang growled at just the right tone to make Zwei stare at his mistress in alert canine concern, his big triangular ears catching the noise Tai missed as he lead the class.

Ruby stood up front, ignorant to her team's foolishness, and focused on her father before her. Taiyang looked across the field, identifying the leader of each team. The last person he focused on was Ruby, and a small, proud smile crossed his face, which Ruby returned. With a small bow of his head, he crossed his arms over his visibly powerful chest.

"Leaders, be sure to keep your team on task. We're going to be starting with some loosening warm-ups before we get into muscle warm-ups. Now follow along, try and keep up." Taiyang ordered.

To Ruby and Yang, this was perfectly normal. Taiyang was their trainer as much as he was their father. While Qrow was Ruby's combat and field instructor, it was Taiyang that helped her gain the strength, flexibility, and endurance to keep in the fight, and this was just the beginning. Memories of countless laps, endless lifts, and enough push-ups to last her a lifetime… and that was _before_ she entered a school dedicated to honing her into a weapon of protection.

Her father knew what she was capable of, but that didn't mean she couldn't surprise him. She would prove, even to him, that she deserved to be here. She would make her father proud.

It always started simple. Rolling shoulders and wrists, curling and uncurling fingers, twisting their torsos, and carefully rolling their legs, but then came the push-ups, the sit-ups, the curls, the side-hops, Ruby was just happy he wasn't demanding dragon flags. Ruby _hated_ dragon flags… but she kept her eye on the obstacle course the entire time. Her father wouldn't push them too far if he intended for them to run the course. He had his class warming up for a good twenty minutes, with barely any time to take a breath or a break.

By the time he called an end to it, Blake collapsed on her front, her limbs aching as sweat poured down her body, too sore to even care at the way her breasts complained at being used as airbags. She glanced up at her coach, who now seemed _sensibly_ buff if he considered _that_ a warm-up. The drills in the White Fang were tough, but those were the actual _work-outs_. If the coach was allowed to build an obstacle course, she could only imagine the sort of devices he could pull out of the gym to make the ache _worse._

"Everyone take a five minute break! We got water if you need it!" Taiyang called out. Plenty of students stayed on their backs or fronts to catch a breath, several of them stood up to shamble over to the cooler. Blake lifted herself up and watched Ruby and Yang head straight to their father, both sweating, their arm and leg muscles visibly bulging, and despite this, neither of them looked dog-tired.

It clicked. They were this work-out freak's daughters… Blake glanced over to Weiss, seeing the princess cooling off in the grass, sprawled spread eagle on her back, eyes closed, panting heavily, and Blake subtly shifted her ears forward to listen in on the three as other students stumbled up to grab water bottles.

"Well, some things aren't gonna change, I guess." Yang said, her tone a little more relaxed as she looked up at her dad. Taiyang chuckled, resting a hand on her blonde head. Blake marveled at how easily Tai made Yang, one of the tallest and heavily muscled girls in the school, look lean and small under his hand. She swallowed, remembering another giant of a man with huge, warm hands and violently shoved the memory away.

"Sweetie, as long as I'm here, you're gonna have no chance to relax, believe me." Taiyang's smile was daring in a way that would normally offend Blake, like he didn't _believe_ his own daughter was capable of keeping up, but Yang merely laughed.

"Yeah pops, I'm in _so_ much trouble. Not like I rocked your workouts before." Yang sipped at a water bottle, shimmying her rounded hips with a smirk.

"I'm not concerned about you getting fat, honey, but if you thought what I put you through before was bad?" Taiyang snorted, his smile growing more and more smug. "You and your sister are going to come out of this stronger than ever. Now that your pop's got a _job_ making you kids serious butt-kickers, I'm going to make sure you two will out bench Ursas."

"You're _such_ a pain in the ass, dad." Yang didn't sound angry, and Taiyang let out a happy laugh.

Ruby curiously stared up at her father, clutching her water bottle. "So you _are_ staying here? You and Zwei?" Upon hearing his name, the corgi toddled over and laid on Ruby's feet, yapping in delight when Yang knelt to pet him.

"Yeah Ruby." Taiyang smiled in delight at his youngest, a much different smile than how smug he looked towards Yang. "The headmaster offered me the job. You got your _uncle_ to thank for that."

Ruby beamed up at Tai. "We _all_ came to Beacon!... Is it okay to hug you? I remember you beat up that one teacher for hugging Yang."

"That's because it was a bad hug." Tai explained, pulling Ruby close and stroking her back. "Real proud of you for keeping up with your sister, Ruby." He murmured, making Ruby squeak in joy.

"Gotta keep control of her somehow!"

Yang scoffed. "As if!"

The three turned to look as Jaune stumbled forward, flanked by his team. Pyrrha looked surprisingly fine; sweaty, but no worse than Yang, while Nora's small, compact muscles pumped up to the point of looking ready to burst from her limbs. It genuinely surprised her surrounding friends that she was built like a tree. Ren, meanwhile, took slow, light breaths, but he hunched and moved sluggishly, clearly as winded as Blake.

"Water?" Jaune rasped. Yang knelt down to open the cooler, tossing four bottles up to team JNPR, pausing briefly to grin at something in the chest.

"Really, dad?" Yang snickered, and her father cracked a smile.

"Oh, just you wait and see, sweetie." Taiyang rubbed his hands together in sadistic delight as others looked on in quiet fear.

"Ah!" Ruby perked up, grabbing Jaune's arm. Jaune glanced down from chugging water, giving her a questioning look. "Weiss and Blake weren't any help, and I can't ask _Yang,_ so, Jaune?" Ruby managed a completely innocent look, despite the goggles blocking the view. She spun on her heel and stood on her toes! "Do I have a nice butt?"

Pyrrha covered her mouth, water shooting out her nose, to her pained embarrassment, while Nora didn't even get far enough to cover her mouth, spraying water out through the gaps in her teeth. Ren took a step back, his eyes swiftly looking over to Taiyang and Yang and at absolutely nothing else.

He was a survivor and had learned long ago the difference between a tactically necessary risk and courting death through one's own idiocy.

"That's Jaune?" Taiyang asked Yang under his breath, his eyes darkening.

"Mhmm." Yang nodded, drinking as she glanced at her father.

"Ruby's first friend?" Taiyang recalled from Ruby's letter, and cracked the knuckles of one hand.

"Mhmm…" Yang hummed, popping the bottle out of her mouth and screwing the cap back on with an amused smirk.

Jaune, without a word, motioned for Ruby to hold still, and she obliged. He leaned back and glanced over her frame with the well-practiced, neutral objectivity of somebody who had far too many sisters asking the same questions. His team went stiff as Taiyang cracked the knuckles of his other hand, _then_ his neck.

"It's great." Jaune nodded his head, barely noticing the tension to his side as his eyes went back to Ruby's jubilant face without so much as a victorious smirk. "Why?" he asked as she turned to face him fully once more.

"Everybody's talking about how great _your_ butt is… Is having a nice butt a quality of a great leader?" Ruby asked curiously, glancing back at her rear as best she could. Jaune turned an annoyed shade of red and Blake bit down on her lip as Ruby's attempts to check out her own rump showed off her lean but shapely legs in ways Blake usually only got to read about. What was it with the women in that family?!

"My butt's not _that_ great!" Jaune puffed. "And I'm not too sure about _me_ being a great leader…"

"I'm not sure I'm a good leader, either…" Ruby sighed.

Jaune fixated on Ruby's small frown, and decided that she was not allowed to have such a poor mood. He rested a hand on her sweaty back and smiled a goofy smile, shooting her a thumbs up. "But if we're basing leadership on _butts,_ you're a good leader!" He said confidently. Ruby turned a little red, her smile returning.

"Aww…" Ruby cooed, flattered. Then she paused, frowned, and glanced up to her father. "Dad, if you hurt Jaune, you're _grounded."_ She spoke with a firmness unbecoming of her normal sweetness. Taiyang quietly pulled his hands away from Jaune's neck in response, though his eyes still burned with malice and his body remained a small inferno of aura until he took a few calming breaths. Blake suspected she knew where Yang got her protective streak from.

"Yes sweetie…" Taiyang muttered bitterly, giving Jaune a poisonous glare that left the young man sweating in silent terror. "Get back in place, I'm gonna start the obstacle course runs soon. Ready to have some fun?" He asked Yang in particular. The blonde tossed him a smile brimming with confidence, and he nodded as the six of them returned to their spots, Yang tossing Weiss and Blake a water bottle each.

Taiyang's voice rose, booming across the field, "Everyone, back on your feet! It's time for the _real_ meat of this course!" He raised a finger, pointing to the conglomeration of gym equipment set up behind him. "We're going to have the teams line up. Team one will be told when to go, and as soon as team one clears the first obstacle, team two goes. This is _not_ a race, but if your team laps a team ahead of you… well, somebody needs some more practice." Taiyang scanned the teenagers in front of him, filling the role of a coach well enough that each student paid him their unerring, silent attention. "Your objective is to reach the bell at the top. Once you do, get down here, tell me your team name, and you'll be given the chance to relax. 'Til then… get in line."

As a solid mass of bodies, the students headed towards the first obstacle: a twenty-foot climbing wall. It didn't look too difficult, but Ruby knew it wasn't the climbing that mattered, it was climbing quickly so the next team could go. She'd read about too many teams failing to pull themselves to safety in a timely manner and losing lives and limbs to the dangers crawling after them. Her father and uncle were especially insistent that she and Yang knew how to climb quickly and surely _._

Team RWBY stood second in line behind team JNPR, and Weiss grinned silently. This did not go unnoticed by Blake, who only briefly hesitated before deciding to indulge her curiosity and nudged Weiss with her elbow. "You look like a fox in a hen coop." Blake whispered.

"This is perfect." Weiss murmured, arms crossed over her chest. She pointed to Pyrrha, who stood by Jaune's side. Pyrrha had set a tender hand on his shoulder, and was speaking quietly with him while Nora and Ren stretched to loosen up behind them. "We're going second, if there are any _surprises,_ we'll see them before our turn. On top of that, this is Pyrrha Nikos in front of us. We'll know exactly where to go and what to do just by watching her."

"... Normally I'd accuse you of being far too happy to use them as bait, but intelligence is intelligence." The dark-haired girl nodded. Blake's more experienced eye picked up on how firm Jaune's shoulders were. His posture was impeccable but far too rigid, which was a radical difference from his normal half-slouch. He was nervous, something that made Blake frown. This should be a taxing, but straightforward course for a hunter with at least a few years of training. Perhaps she was reading too much into his posture, he may just be shy in front of a large group of strangers, but she always had a nose for the nervous members of her unit.

"It's the perfect position: early enough we won't get lazy, but not so early we won't know what to expect." Weiss nodded, her eyes remaining focused on Pyrrha.

"Like a dog with a shark's fin going for a swim?" Blake asked, her dry voice tinged with confusion. Weiss rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to chide Blake for being as irreverent as Yang, until she followed where Blake was looking. Taiyang was petting Zwei's head, the dog resting his forepaws on the edge of the aboveground pool, yipping and chasing his master's fingers with playful nips as his squirming rump and kicking back legs sprayed water behind him. Taiyang's happy smile appeared so innocent and childish as he teased the pooch, but after he ruffled Zwei's ears one last time, he turned to face the students. Zwei, meanwhile, turned towards the water and happily doggy-paddled around, seemingly content to stay in the water all day as the plastic fin bounced and bobbed on his spine, while his short legs propelled him through the water with surprising speed and ease.

"Alright boys and girls—and whatever else you might be, I try not to judge—we're about ready to begin!" Taiyang announced. He planted his fists on his hips and stuck out his chest, chin raised so he could look down on his students, despite some of them being taller than he was. "What you're looking at may seem simple, but this isn't about challenging you. This is about proving to me you were taught right. You can be the toughest badass in the field, but if you die because you can't haul yourself up a cliff, nobody's going to _remember_ you as that tough badass. Ring the bell, that's all you gotta do. Oh! _And no semblance use!_ " He shot his daughters a quick glare that was met with far too innocent smiles. He reminded himself that, this time, it wasn't his stuff in the line of fire. Beside them, Weiss secretly squeezed something in her short's pocket. "Now get ready!"

Team RWBY stood in a readied position as team JNPR primed themselves. Ren and Nora entered the same stance, one leg forward, one leg back, eyes to the front of their team. Pyrrha was crouched in a runner's position, eyes straight ahead. Jaune glanced over his team with a thoughtful frown. "Real quick," The blonde began, drawing their attention. "Ren goes first." He stated, making his three team members look to him in surprise. He squirmed in place, feeling compelled to explain himself to their questioning eyes. "Ren, you have a good eye for detail, good at high-flying stuff, I want you guiding the team."

"... Understood." Ren answered with a firm nod. A small part of the raven-haired boy was pleased to take point, and Jaune stepped behind him. The blonde looked nervous, but was quietly hopping on his sore feet, rolling his shoulders.

"I'll go next." Jaune ran his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair, a wince crossing his face. "I'm gonna hedge my bets and say I'm not the best climber here, so Nora? If I go too slow, you have my express permission to motivate me to hurry up." Jaune looked into Nora's eyes, which grew wide as a… _promising_ smile crossed her face. Jaune had the distinct feeling he would soon regret his decision.

"I'll be last?" Pyrrha asked, and Jaune hesitantly tore his eyes away from Nora's blatant glee, and nodded to his partner's vaguely uneasy expression.

"Not to knock your skills, I bet you could knock us all out of the park, but that's why I need you bringing up the rear. Keep an eye on us and tell us what's what, okay?" Jaune asked. Her shoulders squared, her face shifting to pleased understanding.

Pyrrha smiled confidently, tapping her fist to her heart and nodding at him. "You have my word, Jaune."

Team JNPR moved to their new positions. Jaune stared at Ren's back, briefly blanking in concern. Everything he'd seen from Ren implied he was a perceptive, thoughtful guy with razor-sharp reflexes. Though, Pyrrha was great at snap decisions and probably had the best training and physical conditioning. If she was in front, she could pick their path out in a second and blaze a trail through it. But Ren had greater agility, he had their best running speed, he seemed so calm under most conditions that Jaune figured he would be better suited to acting as their scout on unknown terrain while Pyrrha put her more balanced skills to work keeping her less seasoned teammates on the right track… but what if he was wrong?

Jaune swallowed thickly.

Maybe he could still change things up—

" _Three!"_ The coach's voice thundered, and Jaune's mind turned into a frantically spinning set of tires digging into loose sand. " _Two!"_ He was second-guessing himself, he—" _One!"_

 _Crap crap crap crap crap crap shi—_

A piercing gym whistle interrupted his internal tirade. Ren shot forward, hands reaching for the wall, and a heartbeat later Jaune yelped, lurching into motion when he felt a hard, stinging slap to his ass. He fled forward, arms swinging to catch up to the other boy on his team.

From up close, the rock wall seemed so much taller, and Jaune's pace slowed as he stared up at it. A malicious giggle, followed by a painful spank, ended his hesitation. Ren didn't even seem to slow while transitioning from running to climbing; Jaune couldn't see his eyes, but the black-haired boy was picking his path up the rocks with no pause between his movements.

Jaune matched him as best he could, but Ren's nearly mechanical movements made him so much faster _._ Jaune's fingers wrapped around a plastic outcropping, and he used the strength in his forearm to haul himself up, his other hand grasping a rock just below Ren's foot, while his own foot pushed harshly into another stone. He felt gravity pulling at his back, and he put as much strength into his feet as he could to negate any chance of falling, but it locked up his joints and made him hurt.

Lessons with his uncle involved a lot of swordplay and exercise, but Jaune had to teach himself to climb. As he carried himself up the wall, he recalled a borrowed almanac on hunter training and the phrase: 'A poor climber is a dead climber!' The little stick figure man had looked so sad falling into a pile of cartoon Beowolves.

Somehow, the image of that little stick figure's demise kept Jaune sticking to Ren's trail as quickly as he could. He couldn't even think about failing at Beacon. He _had_ to pass, to carry on his family's name. He would keep Crocea Mors' legacy alive!

He reached after Ren's foot with purpose in his movement, but Ren's foot didn't move. Jaune jerked to a halt, throwing his weight back down suddenly to avoid colliding with his teammate, and Jaune winced as his left foot slipped. He hung on with his right hand and right foot, off-balance, but not enough to go tumbling down the wall. Nora shouted something from below, but he was too busy making sure his hand, then his foot, found purchase once more to register what she said.

"Ren?!" Jaune called up after regaining his grip, and Ren glanced around rapidly, his head twisting left and right. It took Jaune a second to realize they'd cornered themselves beneath a ridge. What had appeared to be a grabbable rock was actually just a slightly discolored slope, not rugged enough to support Ren's weight, nevermind Jaune's or Pyrrha's larger, heavier frames.

"Hm. Trust me." Ren ordered. Jaune wasn't sure there was a choice in the matter, as the moment he opened his mouth to ask for clarification, Ren flung himself sideways, away from Jaune, arms outstretched like a chimpanzee's. Jaune stared in quiet disbelief as Ren caught himself on a rock far out of their current grabbing range, dug his toes into the wall to keep from swinging, and looked to Jaune with sharp, pink eyes.

Jaune glanced at his grip, then to his feet, then to the expectant girls below him. _Crap crap crap crap crap craaaaaaaa-_

Jaune bent at the knees, and launched himself towards Ren. The raven-haired boy held out a hand and leaned in, his fingers closing around Jaune's. Worry filled the blonde boy's eyes as his momentary leap began to turn into a fall, and he tightly grasped his teammate's digits. Ren's arm stretched, going taut as Jaune's weight began to pull him, but Jaune's free hand quickly closed around another rock, relieving Ren of most of his weight as he hung between the two handholds.

His feet scrambled, and he found purchase on a pair of stones, then looked up to Ren with a relieved smile. Ren returned it, letting Jaune's hand go. Ren scrambled up the wall as Jaune took his place, and nervously looked to Nora. The redhead curled her legs, eyes focused on Jaune's extended hand.

He could do this, he _had_ to. He needed to keep up, even with what he discovered was incomplete training, he had to focus every ounce of effort into this. He nodded to Nora, his jaw tight in nervousness, and she used those powerful legs of hers to fling herself at Jaune, hand outstretched.

She flew, faster than he'd been prepared for, speeding towards him like a rocket. His eyes widened, his hand flew out, he grabbed ahold of her wrist, but she just about slammed into his legs. A yelp escaped them both as Jaune's feet flew out from under him, and panic shot through him as Nora scrambled to find purchase on the wall. Jaune's one hand, still clinging tightly to the wall, briefly glowed as his fingers dug hard enough into one of the small, fake rocks for the plastic to begin to crack, his muscles bulging as he loosely hung in place, and Nora barely grabbing ahold of the wall.

"Little to the left, far to the right!" Nora shouted up. Jaune's mind was still at a stall, failing to fire as he focused on the immense pressure on his arm, but a hand slapped his leg. With teeth grit, his left foot found purchase on a stone, his right having to lift higher to find another. He finally slid his hand out of Nora's and grabbed ahold of the wall above him, his right arm aching as he rested a moment.

 _Pain!_ Jaune jumped with a yelp, his backside stinging as, down below, Nora's cheeky smile grew cruel. Jaune made the mistake of shooting her a glare, earning him a rough slap across the other cheek and a blow kiss. With grit teeth and determination to not be further humiliated in public, Jaune hauled himself up the wall, pushing through the aching tiredness already settling around him to clamber onto the top of the wall after Ren.

Down below, Nora lowered the center of gravity on her body. Her feet were pressed against the plastic stones, her weight evenly distributed, her stance sure and steady. Pyrrha eyed Nora carefully, then threw herself through the air. A nervous tick went through Pyrrha's expression as Nora reached out to her. Pyrrha's leap had been sub-optimal: it was too high, and would put undue stress on Nora to catch her when Pyrrha inevitably fell.

They clasped hands before Pyrrha briefly plummeted. The extra height meant Nora's arm wouldn't be as prepared for the sudden weight put on it, and indeed, Nora's teeth grit at the strain and slight pain as Pyrrha swung underneath her, quickly grabbing ahold of the available stones. Once their hands released from one another, the redhead above her threw down a cocky smile and a thumbs up, making Pyrrha sigh in relief and nod. Nora wiped some sweat off her brow with the back of her now-free hand and scurried after Jaune with an intense little giggle, her eyes focused on the blonde's butt.

Pyrrha climbed after her with measured and practiced movements. It was just a little slip-up, but it niggled at her from the back of her mind. The angle was off, that was all, but a part of her wanted to restart the course and try it again. There was no time, however, and there'd _be_ no time in the field, either. She'd have to live with that one jump being off. Perhaps later she'd get the chance to try it again. She felt the echoes of scolding training demanding perfection from every move, but focused on the bodies climbing above.

Being on a team gave her a sense of companionship and ease. Jaune, Nora, Ren, each of them seemed to be fine people, whom she was sincerely interested in knowing more about, but her usual methods and standards were no longer viable. Learning to work with them was now just as, if not more, important than her own development. They would not understand why she felt the urge to perfect an improvised move… what mattered to them was that they had trusted one another's skills and strength to successfully pull it off with zero preparation. The exact sort of bond that saved lives in real situations. She found that it was a thrilling, liberating notion she hoped to get used to.

A sharp 'smack' up above made her smirk, and blush a teensy bit. Of all people, why Nora? Sure, Nora would take to it with great enthusiasm, but Pyrrha wanted a chance at that rump too…

Nora clambered over the wall, her feet disappearing, to be replaced by an energetic grin and an open hand. Pyrrha took Nora's offer palm, and used a quick kick to give Nora the momentum to lift her over the rock wall's edge. Not that she needed to, Nora might just be even stronger than Pyrrha herself was, but it just seemed polite to not strain the smaller woman after the slip up of her misaimed leap.

Down below, Coach Taiyang blew his whistle, ordering the next group to follow, and Pyrrha surveyed her team as their friends blitzed the wall below. Ren was flexing his fingers and legs, working out the ache of the climb, while Nora bent her knees, hands resting on her kneecaps, her smile as bold as ever. Jaune, meanwhile, was sweating, arms hanging limply by his sides. He had a worried frown, and what was visible of his legs was red and tense. He sucked in deep breaths, and wiped the moisture off his brow to keep it from getting into his eyes.

Pyrrha worked her strong arms, making sure they stayed supple and soft as she walked ahead of the pack. She looked over the balance beam, at the water below, and whipped her eyes up to stare at the tower as vertigo threatened to set in. She wasn't a fan of heights, but she pushed her worries out of her head and relaxed with a deep breath. "Same order, Jaune?" She asked, not wanting to waste time, but wanting to remain patient for her partner.

It was a delicate balance, but Jaune seemed ready to oblige. "Yeah." The blonde stepped out to the balance beam, and as Pyrrha did, glanced down… and took a step back, looking momentarily dizzy. "... Good time to find out I hate heights." He swallowed thickly and made a small, defeated noise from the back of his throat as he quickly made a decision. "Nora…?" He said in a tone full of regret.

" _... Yeeeeeeessssss?"_ Nora all but purred, her smile turning a shade of evil that made even Ren wince as Pyrrha's green eyes widened.

Jaune took a deep breath, and groaned. "I… may need your help crossing the bridge…" He trailed off, resigning himself to a fate of permanently red buttcheeks as Nora spit into her palms and rubbed them together eagerly.

"Well, you should get started then." A vaguely amused voice cut in, making Nora shriek and Ren twirl around in surprise as Pyrrha tensed and reached for a sword she was not currently carrying. Jaune simply nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, don't worry, we're- _Blake?!"_ Jaune reeled back. Team JNPR quietly stared at the dark-haired huntress, who stood at the top with them with a look of slight boredom and casual curiosity, her arms crossed under her bust and hips cocked in a shockingly casual manner for someone with a cliff two inches behind her heels. Jaune stared at her, then peeked over the side, seeing Yang, followed by Weiss, and then Ruby just barely a third up the wall. He noted that the trio were making good, swift progress so… "... How?!"

"None of your business." Blake smirked, her tone a blend of mysterious and smug that she knew made everyone around her want to choke her a little, and Jaune groaned as he realized just how far behind he was in his skills.

It was honestly daunting beyond measure. His partner was a world-class gladiator, Ren and Nora were both skilled and barely winded, he was half-convinced Blake could teleport...

There was another moment of fear and worry. Could he actually catch up? Could he even _keep up?_ The question had been cropping up a lot today, with every class he'd been to. His jaw shuddered, then firmed. He respected his father as a man… but the Arc legacy of knights wouldn't end with the eleventh. Jaune stood up, firmed his shoulders, and took a deep breath.

"Ren, get going, I'll be right after you." Jaune ordered, willing the numbness in his legs away. It took a lot of focus to stop feeling the ache in his body, but by remembering what he had to live up to, by focusing on the goals - reach the tower, reach the bell, climb down - he could separate himself from the difficulty of the scenario. The comforting flutter of his aura, ever present now but elusive to his commands, added to his resolve… he'd barely begun his time here but he was already so much closer to where he wanted to be, thanks to his team.

Ren did as he was asked, and Jaune stood behind him. Nora's fingers twitched, her palm itched, and she was at the ready. Pyrrha stood behind Nora, curiously eyeing Blake. Had she really scaled the wall so quickly…? Pyrrha turned her head forward, knowing Blake was watching the four of them, while Jaune barked: " _Go!"_

Ren was off like a shot, Jaune grit his teeth, his backside stinging from his 'motivator', and the four started across the balance beam. ' _Don't look down, don't look down.'_ Jaune had to remind himself as he tried to keep pace. The beam was a few inches thick, but Jaune was running on wobbly legs. He just focused on Ren's back.

This wasn't that bad, they could make it easy. Just make it to the end, just-

 _PWOOMF!_

Jaune barely had time to consider what the hell that noise was when something collided with Ren mid-run. The black-haired boy tipped to the left, and Jaune reached out to grab ahold of him, but was too slow. Nora shouted after her boyfriend as he tipped, hurtled toward the water, arm lashing out to grab ahold of the balance beam. He swung underneath it, and hung there with wide, surprised eyes.

Ren's senses were finely tuned, but in his effort to reach the tower, he had gained tunnel vision, blocking out the world around him instead of actively examining as he usually did. It was a rookie mistake, to not expect the unexpected, which, in this case he had snagged right after it collided with his side. He berated himself for the lapse of focus as he stared at the white tube in his hand, squeezing the cloth once, then pinching a corner to let it unroll. His teeth clicked as his left eye twitched.

A T-shirt.

He dangled by one arm, reconsidering his life choices. He'd been assaulted by a T-shirt labeled: ' _I got this shirt because I suck!'_ He slowly looked down to the ground, where Coach Tai was being stared at by the incredulous throng of students. Held in a minigun grip, Taiyang just smiled a happy smile back at him as he lifted his T-shirt cannon, the large, revolver-chamber making a loud 'ka-thunk' as it spun to load the next shot.

Well. That was new.

Coach Tai took aim, and his voice thundered up the tower. "If a Grimm has any sort of ranged advantage, you can bet your ass they'll abuse the _hell_ out of it at the suckiest moments possible! So keep your eyes open! Speaking of which…"

 _PWOOMF!_

Jaune dropped to his knees to avoid the flying t-shirt, and the world tipped left, then right, then left again before Nora grabbed the back of his shirt to keep him steady before he lost balance. Jaune made a low whine, but finally remembered what he was doing. He reached out for Ren's free hand, and after tossing the T-shirt away in embarrassed disgust, their fingers lashed together.

Jaune tensed his arm, feeling the muscles groan in protest, but something made him pause, unsure. He stared down at Ren, whose face flickered in confusion. "Jaune?" Ren asked. Jaune couldn't explain it, but something down below had made him pause…

… Where was the dog?

There was a sudden geyser as something launched out of the water. There was an angry yip that approached a snarl, and Ren's eyes widened. He hung from Jaune's hand in silent shock, and Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha's jaws fell in silent surprise as Zwei began to growl and thrash like a playful puppy, his teeth sunk into Ren's groin. Despite herself, Blake flattened her ears and peeled her lips back to flash her teeth as every hair on her neck and arms stood on end at the unwelcome turn of events.

A collective whimper escaped the male students below as they stared.

"... Jaune…" Ren whispered, as Jaune chewed his lip in sympathy.

"W-we'll get you up, Ren, d-don't-"

"Let me go." Ren ordered, his grip slackening, the blood draining from his already pale face, leaving him a chalk white.

"What?! No way! We're nearly to the-"

"Jaune. For the sake of my future children, please, drop me." Ren was no longer staring at Jaune. His eyes were unfocused, trembling as he watched the clouds.

"Ren, we-"

"And take care of Nora."

"Ren, you're not dying!"

"Tell her I love her."

" _Ren! I love you too!"_

"Nora, don't encourage him!"

"P-perhaps we're wasting too much time, Jaune-"

"I'm not going to-" But before he could finish his sentence, Ren slid out of his grip, and off the balance beam. Jaune stared in breathless disbelief as his teammate hit the water below, emerging to float on his back and stare at the sky with dead eyes. Zwei's little shark fin poked through the water, and the goggled dog grabbed ahold of Ren's sleeve, to drag the boy to the side of the pool.

Tai took a firm grip on the stunned student's shoulder and arm and pulled him out, waving him bonelessly to the surrounding students. "First catch of the day, boys and girls! See to it you don't end up the same way!"

A fearful murmur spread through the crowd, as, up above, Nora had to deliver an especially painful smack to Jaune's rear. Blake turned from the disheartened team JNPR and helped haul her three teammates up to the top of the wall, her face a little green. "Okay, it's official, your dad's a psychopath." She whispered to Ruby and Yang.

The two girls stood and straightened their shirts, their expressions full of confusion as they stretched briefly. "Whaddaya mean?" Ruby asked quizzically, sliding a thumb under the tough, rubber strap of her goggles to clear out irritants.

"Yeah, this is totally normal." Yang shrugged, reaching down to pull Weiss up off the wall with one hand, placing the heiress on her feet and eliciting a surprised squeak.

"..." Blake eyed the sisters in silent horror as they headed to the balance beam with unashamed looks of confidence, and her eyebrow twitched as she looked to Weiss.

"What?" Weiss asked, blinking cluelessly. "What did I miss?" The physically weakest among them was panting softly, sweat dotting her brow, but she was not in as terrible a state as Jaune. It certainly helped that they had seen the mistake JNPR made on their way up.

"... Oh my god. This explains so much." Blake muttered under her breath as her nimble mind began making connections between the two teenagers and their father.

"Same order as last time!" Ruby announced, pointing dramatically at the backs of Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha as they sprinted to the tower, trying to keep balance and dodge flying T-shirts at the same time. "Blake, you carve the trail! Then Yang, and then Weiss, and then me." Ruby gestured to herself with some confidence. After all, the order made sense in her head, and it was just a balance beam and a T-shirt cannon. They even had a pool to fall into this time! She glanced back to the ground to see Taiyang reload his weapon and watch the four of them with near-sadistic glee. She wiggled in place briefly.

She was glad her dad was having fun!

"Got it." Blake bobbed her head, one foot out on the beam. Her golden eyes focused on Taiyang down below, who was now eyeing her expectantly. She flared her nostrils. This should be easy enough.

She felt Yang's presence behind her, looming and somehow always too warm,and quietly noted that Yang wasn't humming like an appraising merchant… Either her partner had somehow learned subtlety in checking out her rear end just by climbing a wall, or Yang was focused on the objective and her proximity was just her way of being ready to help. Blake thought she had a pretty good handle on Yang by now, so she assumed the latter.

"Go!" Ruby shouted. Blake complied, launching herself across the balance beam as the cannon below tracked her. This was basic stuff, simple diversionary tactics. Make it to the objective, but be the first target. The chances of her getting hit were-

Blake skid to a halt, her eyes wide as wind rushed across her face, the aura at the tip of her nose flaring black as a flying T-shirt skid across the front of her face with deadly velocity. That was much faster than she'd expected…

She glanced to Coach Tai, and saw he had abandoned the cannon on the grass, and was reeling his arm back like a quarterback, his smile as bright and cruel as the Vacuo sun. Blake fell to all fours, her palms and the knees planting on the narrow beam with amazing accuracy as the T-shirt was thrown with the force of a cannonball, ' _whoosh'_ ing over her head hard enough to make her hair and gym shirt ripple.

' _This is totally normal.'_ Yang's words echoed through Blake's head again, and the black-haired girl's eyebrow twitched. As she sprang to her feet and sprinted forward, dipping her head beneath another T-shirt, she thought of her training out in the forests. The White Fang was demanding, and harsh. It trained its members savagely, pitting member against member for combat, the courses were little more than sprints through the wilderness, through tree tops, cliffs, and raging river rapids, with the constant possible threat of the Grimm to keep them on their toes.

It was dangerous, it was tough, it taught her to climb nimbly and swiftly, to keep her senses tuned, to have excellent balance and endurance… but something about Taiyang made her hunger for the simplicity of bloodthirsty Grimm and a yawning chasm, as opposed to being at the mercy of a beaming psychotic.

" _You suck, dad!"_ Yang roared mockingly behind Blake after proving to be quick and strong enough to swat one of the incoming projectiles away like an oversized fly. There was a happy cackle below, and Blake skidded to a halt as another clothing-turned-projectile shot past her ribs… then _another_ behind her back, making her clap her hands to her own bottom to make sure it was still there. He was throwing faster, his throwing arm more powerful, more accurate than the _cannon._ Blake launched herself off the balance beam and onto the side of the tower, fingers digging into the separated slats to escape the obstacle course from hell behind her.

At least she _hoped_ it was an escape.

" _MY FATHER WILL HEAR OF THIS!"_ Weiss roared somewhere behind Blake, her voice pained as Ruby hung onto her partner's wrist for dear life, yanking her back up before Zwei could snap at Weiss's foot.

"You know…" Yang's voice sprang up from below, making Blake wince, wondering if this could somehow get worse than it already was, "I'm glad he finally found something to do with these shirts. They were a hard sell on Patch." Blake glanced down. Yang had one of the shirts over her shoulder as she crawled underneath Blake, following her path up the tall tower.

"I can't imagine why." Blake groaned, looking up at Pyrrha above, focusing on the path that would take them up to the remainders of team JNPR.

"Me neither. There were _so_ many people on Patch that sucked." Yang replied evenly.

Blake twitched again. And she thought the anti-Faunus hunter groups were crazy…

Up above, it was Jaune leading his team to the top of the tower. The tower was not sloped, and there was no place to provide a reasonable rest. Even if Jaune relaxed and hung in place, his weight would still be pulling him towards a thirty foot drop right to the ground.

Jaune knew that if he looked down, he was _doomed._ The thought nagged at him from the back of his mind; there was no way he'd accomplish _this._ How could they expect him to do this _regularly?!_ His body was already crying out for rest, it wanted him to go down, to make an excuse, to put a _stop_ to all of this…

… It wanted to give up, call it quits, and go home a coward.

Jaune grit his teeth. Through thick gasps, he breathed the fresh air and hauled himself up, step by step. He was by no means fast—hell, he could only imagine Pyrrha was growing impatient—but he worked it out in his mind bit by bit. He couldn't focus on the burn in his fingers, he couldn't focus on the sweat dripping down the back of his neck, he had to see the path upwards.

The slats above him were closed, and he didn't want to chance a risky jump. To his left, an entire section of slats closed, and to his right, he could climb up, but encounter further closed panels. He'd lead them straight into a dead end, except for one of those branches sticking out. He'd hauled himself to the right, moving around the tower and pulling himself up. He reached up, and his fingers closed around the branch tightly, though it felt smooth and cool in his grip.

Was this _oil?_ He winced as he second-guessed himself. He wouldn't have nearly as good a grip, but… he worked his jaw in thought, and decided to stop pondering his success or failure. With one arm, he pulled himself up, throwing his second hand around the branch to free his first, then lunging for an open slat just barely in reach. His fingers took ahold of it, and he gasped terror as his fingers nearly slid too far.

The oil wasn't just slippery, it clung to his hands. In his current position, there was nothing to wipe himself clean with. He winced, and pulled his second hand up to his new position, and he knew that he couldn't go on. His fingers burned, the oil on them wouldn't give him the grip he needed to keep going. Hanging here was a trial in and of itself!

This was it. He couldn't go further. He chided himself for such defeatist thoughts, but he'd finally reached a point where he could only conclude he'd lost. He didn't know what more he could do, his fingers were ragged and raw. He didn't want to be a loser… but was this really a defeat? Retreating from an obviously lost battle? He didn't want to think about it as he felt his stomach sink. He'd failed himself, he'd failed his family, he'd failed his team… no. No, they hadn't failed yet, had they? Not truly. Nora and Pyrrha could continue without him...

"Nora!" Jaune called down to his teammate, as she crawled up to where he was just a few seconds ago. "I'm not gonna make it." He looked down at her, his gaze exhausted, but serious. Nora's face contorted in confusion, and she reached out for the branch. "Don't!" Jaune barked, making her stop.

"Jaune, you can do it!" Nora called up to him, her tone demanding, but Jaune shook his head, making her frown grow.

"Those branch-things are covered in oil. Look…" Jaune took a deep breath. "Okay, I can't make it. Everything hurts, my fingers are gonna be sliding everywhere, I need you two to reach the bell for me. For _Ren,_ okay?" His words touched a nerve, as Nora's expression turned into unhappy fury.

"Jaune, we're not going to leave you behind." Pyrrha called from below, her expression full of worry as her blonde partner shook his head.

"We're not about to drop into a pit of Beowolves or anything, alright?" Jaune's voice turned stern, then resigned as he let out a sigh. "I'm at my limit. It sucks to say, but if I climb higher, I'll just fall farther. I'll get better… but right now, you two-" Jaune held out his foot, close to where they could grab it, "- don't use the branch. I got a good grip right here-" he lied, "- so climb me, get to the bell, and ring it for the team."

"I-I don't think that's how it works?" Nora looked from Jaune to Pyrrha, only to get an uncertain look.

"He didn't say we all had to ring it, just that it had to be rung, so…" Pyrrha focused on Jaune… and swallowed thickly.

"So…" Jaune continued, looking up the full height of the tower with a little frown. It was so much. He had so much more to do, to _learn…_ how could he possibly keep up? Not by _giving_ up, but he couldn't break himself in the process. Laying in bed all day healing solved nothing. So… he would at least ensure he could help his team. That way, he wasn't a failure, at least… that's how he could justify it. "So get up there, alright. For team JNPR!" The two girls gave him an uncertain expression, and Jaune tried to smile. "C'mon Nora, Pyrrha, you got this. We're _so_ close. As team leader, I _order_ you two to ring that bell. Now get moving."

Nora hesitated. In the entirety of her life, she never lead people using her wits. Ren always took charge in strategy, she was perfectly comfortable being a follower, and only giving orders when it came to food, sleep, or fun. However, she had been given an order by her leader, and being ahead of Pyrrha meant she had to try.

Her hand latched around Jaune's ankle, and the blonde boy let out a grunt as she grabbed ahold of his legs, his shoulders, and finally the slats. Jaune didn't have the presence of mind to appreciate he was being clambered over by a girl—make that _two_ girls—as his body was ready to give out. Above him, Pyrrha looked down with a worried expression, but he offered a forced smile, urging her to go. After a second of hesitation, Pyrrha went after Nora.

With his two teammates on their way up, Jaune was confident they'd at least pass this test for the team. As for himself, Jaune began to look around for a way down. He saw team RWBY scaling a different part of the tower, Blake, already above Nora and Pyrrha's level, with her teammates moving behind. Yang's determination was etched in every action, her smile daring, her moves assured. Below her, Ruby was just as determined to get everyone to the top. It wasn't in her movements, it was in her mindfulness of Weiss.

Weiss was gorgeous as ever. Her limbs trembled, her face was red, her eyes wide, her teeth were grit, all while Ruby spoke to her from below. Jaune admired the white-haired beauty's resolve. Even when she was clearly suffering, she put forth her all to follow her teammate's to the top. She and Ruby clung to the tower together, Ruby speaking low enough that Jaune couldn't hear.

Jaune sighed. With a grunt, he felt something close around his ankle. In a panic, he glanced downward, to see a thick, powerful hand around his foot, and at the end of it, that big, brutish boy from before grinned at him.

"Nice of you to offer us a hand, blondie." Cardin said with a cocky tone.

"I didn't-" Jaune nearly squeaked as the heavy, powerfully built boy hauled himself up using Jaune as a ladder. Jaune's finger's all but _roared_ in protest _,_ and he grit his teeth as the much stronger boy scaled him like a ladder. Jaune panted, his body quaking in exhausted terror, and then he felt it _again._

"Hope your grip's good, dude!" Russel jeered as he climbed after his team leader, giving Jaune a mocking pat to the back on his way up. Jaune looked back in a panic as he felt the next hand around his ankle. Dove, slightly heavier-set than his comrades, climbed up Jaune silently, pushing off his shoulder with one foot and falling behind Russel.

Jaune could feel the numbness in his limbs, he wouldn't last. Climbing down seemed like an impossible bet right now… and then he felt the fourth. "Quit shaking!" Sky Lark ordered, his voice tight with nervousness as he grabbed ahold of the trembling blonde and scaled his way up. Sky's hand grabbed ahold of a slat, and he let out a girly shriek as Jaune gave way beneath him.

The rush of air, the gasps of terror from across the field, the burning in his arms, Jaune couldn't even breath as the sky fell away from him. He was aware of what was happening in theory, but the panic hadn't caught up to him just yet.

"Down low!" A voice shouted. Jaune's fall was suddenly broken by a pair of thick, hairy arms. A surging ache shot through Jaune's back from the sudden impact and he hung limply, one arm under his neck, one under his legs.

Jaune stared up at the tower, the students crawling all over it, and the realization he'd just fallen finally hit him. "... Holy shit." Jaune whispered hoarsely.

"I'd better not hear you curse like that around my daughter." Coach Tai said in a low, warning rumble. Jaune lifted his head to stare his teacher in the face… and yelped as he was dropped onto the ground.

"Ow." Jaune rubbed the top of his head. His fingers hurt like nobody's business, and he wanted nothing more than a hot ice bath. Or a cold steamy bath. He had no clue what he wanted more, he just wanted to get off this wild ride and gorge himself on his mom's beef stew.

The ripped, towering figure above him knelt down, looking Jaune in the eye with a slow roll of his whiskered jaw. "Alright dude, you gave a good effort today." Taiyang said in a calm tone, a small smirk crossing his face. "I gotta say, that was a pretty sneaky way to get the girls on top of you, something I would'a done in my Beacon years." Tai smirked, and Jaune, panting, sweating, twitching… let out a dry chuckle.

"Ugh, I couldn't enjoy it though." He admitted, eyes slowly closing. "Everything hurts too much." He sighed, just happy to have the earth under his back and nothing to hold onto.

"Well, you made it a good distance. Your chew-toy buddy is lying out in the field somewhere, roll on over to the cooler if you need some water." With that, Tai walked away. Jaune slowly and painfully pulled himself to a sitting position to see the coach cackling as he assailed a team with his gatling T-shirt launcher, and some distance away, Ren sitting up, watching the tower with an ice pack on the front of his shorts.

It took a few minutes for Jaune to convince himself to move and settle down next to Ren with a small water bottle and a sympathetic look. Ren, for his part, had his ethereal calmness once more. His eyes calmly scanned the tower, before looking down to meet Jaune's. The two boys looked to one another… and Ren sighed.

"... How's the kids?" Jaune asked, while Ren looked back up at his girlfriend with a grimace.

"Still a possibility." Ren answered. He blinked slowly, and let out a small breath through his nostrils, briefly looking to the ground. "I apologize, Jaune." Jaune slowed in sipping from his bottle, staring at Ren curiously. "In my haste to complete our objective, I lost sight of my surroundings."

"Well, I mean… was _anybody_ expecting _that?"_ Jaune asked. Where was the coach getting so many T-shirts, anyway...? Did he have some sort of T-shirt creating semblance?

"I highly doubt it, but I still fell." Ren's lips tightened silently. There was an ear-splitting shriek, and the two boys watched a girl fall into the drink, where Zwei immediately latched onto her ankle and tried to steal her shoe.

"Happens to the best of us, man. I don't blame you." Jaune hummed, then took in some water with deep, greedy swallows.

Ren hummed. Jaune was a surprisingly forgiving person. In its own way, it was admirable, but it did little to soothe Ren's aching ego. He knew coming to Beacon would put his practiced stoicism to the test, but in one day, he'd felt such powerful pangs of jealousy, and now the resentment of failure. Was there a greater pain than letting down the people who trusted him? Than falling in front his peers in such a humiliating way? Embarrassing himself in front of Nora like that?

His pink eyes burned as he allowed himself a moment to truly wallow in his shame, using it to sharpen his resolve. Ren wouldn't let this stand. He silently resolved to do _better._ To become worthy of his leader's trust, to earn Pyrrha's respect as a warrior, to make sure he was always there for the woman he loved... and so he'd never have to feel teeth grinding against the aura protecting his nuts again.

'Cuz wow. That had _sucked._

The first ' _ding!'_ rang across the training field, drawing both boys' attention. Nora and Pyrrha both stood at the top of the tower, waving down to Jaune and Ren below as Nora flicked the bell. Standing high above, the two girls were stunning figures, casting shadows on everyone below, even as others climbed after them. Jaune let out a relieved groan, sitting back to wave up to his teammates, trying to shoot a thumbs up that they could see. Ren simply stared, filled with both approval at their success and shame that he couldn't be there with them.

From up top, Pyrrha could just barely pick out her two fallen teammates on the ground. This had been a far… _stranger_ trial than she'd ever dreamt it could be. Coach Tai's laughter could be clearly heard even from forty feet up, and it wasn't looking to settle down anytime soon.

Pyrrha turned to her fellow redhead, who was flexing her fingers to remove lingering stiffness. "Nora, we should probably make our way down." Pyrrha advised, peering over the edge of the tower. It was rapidly filling with bodies. The maze-like nature of the opened and closed slats meant that there was no one sure path to the top, so it was encircled by people scrambling to get up before their arms gave out on them.

"Got it! Any ideas?" Nora asked. She wasn't too great at coming up with her own routes, and prefered to defer to somebody else on the matter, though climbing up had been a simple matter of following gut-instinct and ignoring the oiled branches.

"Not immediately. Blake, any clue?" Pyrrha turned around. Nora followed her eyes to the edge behind her, where there was… nobody. They were alone at the top of the tower, and Nora shot a very idle, questioning look to the nervous Pyrrha, until a black mess of hair popped up and Blake peered at them with golden eyes. Pyrrha sighed in relief.

"What, am I predictable now?" Blake asked, her tone more amused than anything as she hopped up to her feet.

"You pulled that trick on us once already, Blakey." Nora grinned, then suddenly tipped over as something collided with her. She caught herself from falling at the last minute as a T-shirt fell out of view, down onto the climbing students below. With a snarl, Nora leaned over the edge and _roared._ " _TRY THAT AGAIN COACH, AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!"_

" _GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE!"_

" _GIMME A MINUTE AND I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN TO SHOVE MY FIST RIGHT UP YOUR_ — _!"_

"Looks like we'll have to wing it, once the rest of my team gets up here." Blake's eyes scanned the tower, reaching out to idly flick the bell, sending a clear ring across the PE grounds. "This is completely chaotic."

"I suppose that would be normal in a fight against Grimm." Pyrrha acknowledged, _not_ looking forward to trying to pick her way down with other teams in the way. "We cannot possibly expect consistency in the field…"

"Even still, this seems… _extreme,_ and excessive and…" Blake sighed. It went a long way to explaining at least _one_ of her teammates. As Blake watched for her team, Pyrrha and Nora began to descend.

Yang stared up at the path she assumed Blake had taken. Her climbing hadn't slowed in the slightest, but trying to keep up with her partner proved to be difficult. "Rassa frassa climbing…" Yang grunted to herself. Weiss and Ruby were still further below her. Weiss, as Ruby and Yang had both predicted, was not a climber, so Ruby was down there providing encouragement for the Schnee heiress.

Yang was by no means a climber either, being more heavily built and unable to press flat to the surface, but she wasn't a liability. She moved slower than her partner, that was for sure. Blake seemed in her element just shooting up the wall. It reminded Yang of those tree lizards she always tried to catch as a kid: blink once and they were gone, already around the corner or up in the branches.

Yang could only chuckle a little before she jumped, grabbing the slats over a closed spot and hauling herself higher. Blake really was an amazing huntress. Watching her move, gently prying open that sarcastic personality of hers, Yang was enjoying herself. It certainly helped that Ruby and Weiss were both much more open. Yang hoped she could get more out of Blake, to separate what Yang idealized from reality, and see who the black-haired huntress truly was.

Yang lifted a foot, taking a slow, steadying breath to ease the ache in her body, but flinched when something closed around her ankle. "Oh ha-ha, Ruby." Yang grunted, glancing down. Her smile slid away into disbelief, then into red-eyed anger as a cocky smile and a douchey red haircut peered back up at her.

"Hey babycakes." Cardin snarled, showing all of his teeth as he glared up at her.

"Cardin." Yang spoke warningly, her foot gearing up to plunge straight into his stupid, smug grin. "Let go of me _right now_ or—"

"Or I'll get kicked in the face? Whatever, blondie." His fist tightened around her leg, and Yang thrust her foot out, just grazing his sweat-soaked hair. She tried to retract, but Cardin held fast, ensuring she couldn't move. "Y'know Yang, once upon a time, I tried to be a nice guy."

"And you nearly _broke my sister's jaw."_ Yang growled, her fingers tensing, digging into the wooden slats. A disquieting crumble alerted them both…

"Uh oh, better be careful, babe. Get any angrier and you're gonna do my work for me." Cardin pulled, and Yang grit her teeth as her leg extended, and her body tightened up, trying to stay coiled and still on the wall. "Y'know… you still owe me a round. We had a pretty good two weeks before Signal, and all those times you put me in the nurse's office? I think I should get my chance to show you how _good_ of a guy I can be."

"Piss. _Off."_ Yang's other foot suddenly slid off the slat, and hammered into Cardin's forehead. Had Yang kept control, and not been focusing on her grip, it may have actually done some damage, but Cardin simply hissed, his amber aura spreading across his forehead.

"I took you to dinner, took you to the movies, bought you some jewelry, and I've heard you gave it up for a _lot_ less than that. So drop the raging dyke act, maybe we can work this out..." Cardin crowed.

"Cardin…" Yang growled, barely able to keep the edge in her voice as he kept tugging, threatening her grip with each pull. "Y'know something?" Yang glanced down at him, her eyes red, her hair glowing gold. Cardin's smile grew, his brow furrowed in smug triumph. "I got _all_ up in Evera's business." Her glare became prideful, and Cardin's grin turned soft. "Your ' _darling little lady'_ had a lot to say about your bedroom technique." Yang chuckled darkly. "Must suck carrying _just_ a pencil in your pan—" Yang felt her fingers slip.

Cardin let go of the blonde's ankle, and she fell, trying to murder him with her eyes. The two of them locked gazes, and a shared message of _hate_ ran between them, as Yang plunged, screaming in rage. Up above, Cardin sneered, pulling himself towards the top with a look of enraged self-satisfaction.

"... Oh, _hell_ no…" Blake whispered, her fingertips digging into the edge of the tower from where she watched.

There was a splash from the pool, and Yang threw herself through the water's surface, gasping for air. Her mere presence caused the water to churn and bubble, and she let loose a skyward roar of fury, making a couple of the students above lock up in terror.

Yang flinched as Zwei threw himself onto her chest, and Yang instinctively hugged the panting corgi close. Despite all her anger—and venting heat—Zwei licked her chin and cheeks while Yang ranted. " _When he gets his ass down here I'm sticking my foot_ —aww, Zwei, no, it's okay I'm just— _going to kick a new hole in his groin and_ —no no, don't whine baby, I'm okay, just— _utterly goddamned furious and I will_ —"

"... Ruby." Weiss spoke up while listening to the tirade of profanity-laden threats from below. Her eyes were locked on the long, strong legs of Yang's attacker, and the three boys that were following him to the top.

"Yes Weiss?" Ruby's voice was tight with displeasure, partially from Yang's sudden loss, and partially because she realized they had been overtaken by _Cardin._ They were only six feet higher, but still higher than Ruby was able to retaliate from.

"Throw me." Weiss ordered.

"Huh?" Ruby looked back up, and Weiss stared down at her with a serious expression. "Th-throw you?" She squeaked.

"Trust me." Weiss ordered, her hand pressing against a small tube in her pocket as her mind worked out a plan of vengeance. Ruby's eyes went to the vial.

"B-but you can't, d-dad s-said-"

"I'll handle the repercussions in due time, Ruby." Weiss spoke logically, offering Ruby a small, if cruel smile. "For now, that ape needs to be taught that _nobody_ messes with a Schnee or their friends and gets away with it."

Ruby wasn't sure what to think about that. She watched in quiet worry as Weiss suddenly hopped off the tower, falling for a brief moment before Ruby grasped Weiss's hand. Weiss squeezed the vial in her pocket, and a large, black glyph appeared beneath her feet.

Ruby pulled and the Glyph spun, pouring its energy into Weiss. Ruby let go at the top of her reach, and Weiss was launched as if from a catapult as the glyph dissipated, having spent its energy.

The rush of wind through Weiss's hair felt… triumphant, like flying in for the kill against a now-disarmed opponent. Theoretically, it was the same situation—her target was off his guard, swamped in distracting thoughts, hands and feet occupied—so when Weiss flew up past Cardin, making the boy pause in surprise, and when Weiss fell, planting both feet against Cardin's face, legs bent, and jumped off his head like a platform, it was well within her predictions that the surprise and shock of being used like a springboard would loosen his grip, and send him tumbling down the tower with a surprised yelp.

Airborne again, Weiss looked to the tower, scrambling to find a safe place to grab, but a hand caught her attention. She took ahold of the pale arm, and grinned in cold triumph up at Blake. The dark-haired girl held onto Weiss's elbow, staring the heiress in the eye. "Wow, Weiss." Blake said, not making a move. "That was ice-cold." The words made Weiss wince, and hesitate, second-guessing herself… but Blake simply smirked, and pulled Weiss to the top of the tower, letting the heiress collapse to her knees now that she had stable footing.

"He deserved it." Weiss insisted, looking to the bell behind Blake. It was _right there,_ waiting to be rung, but… Weiss didn't deserve it. She sighed thickly. She got her vengeance, but it required her semblance. All-in-all, she had failed… but there was a certain righteousness to it, one that made her stomach get all worked up in conflicting pride and disappointment in herself.

"You aren't wrong." Blake leaned over the tower. The other three members of team CRDL were racing to the top, and just below them was Ruby. Blake took Weiss by the arm, yanking her to the other side of the tower as Russel, Dove, and Sky pulled themselves to the top, one-by-one, and focused their glares on Weiss.

"Cool move, ice queen." Russel sneered, lurching forward a step, ducking his head and narrowing his eyes to put on an intimidating face, his cruel smile making Weiss tighten her lips. By her side, Blake entered a simplistic fighting stance, her golden eyes going from boy to boy.

Russel was walking around the left, his own fists prepared. To the right, Sky was trying to sneak his way around, looking angry, but becoming unsure whenever Blake snapped her gaze to him. Weiss had her hands out, looking more ready for a slap-fight than a brawl on a ten-by-ten, forty-foot high platform.

And Dove… well, Dove rang the bell, bobbing his head in calm accomplishment.

"So, white and black… what, that's, like, Checkers, right?" Russel looked to Sky, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Chess." Dove and Weiss both corrected immediately.

"Checkers is white and black too! So we're gonna make you king us!" Russel's smile was filled with confidence and a promise of violence, and Blake simply grit her teeth.

"Checkers is red and black. Also, the order should be _black and white."_ Dove corrected, arms crossed as he watched through slits formed by his eyelids. Russel shot him a quick glare. "It sounds better. If you want red and black, their leader is pulling herself up now." Dove stepped aside, and Ruby hopped onto the platform, immediately entering a low, amateurish fighting stance.

" _Thank you for the entrance, good sir!_ Also, it's red, black, and white now." Ruby spoke quickly, facing the other two boys as Dove simply nodded. Then, without a word, the rounded boy lunged with a straight punch, aimed for Ruby's solar plexus. The smaller girl jumped, flipping over his head and landing by the bell. Her fist lashed out and punched the bell, signalling her team's victory… as well as the start of a fist-fight on top of the tower.

"..." Yang was wordless, surprised, and soaked through as she stared at the top of the tower. At her feet, Cardin laid face down on the ground, groaning in pain, a green bootprint on the back of his running shorts. Behind her, Jaune and Ren slowed in drying Yang's curtain of blonde hair to just watch with her. Ruby was throwing a couple of punches based on Yang's style, but without the control or precision Yang practiced. Dove's slower fighting style tanked her weak blows as he tried to catch her off guard, but Ruby's speed lent well to dodging him. Blake and Russel were performing an intricate martial dance: sweeping kicks, driving palms, aggressive headbutts, and grapples that sent the two perilously close to the edge of the platform. Weiss and Sky were yelping as they slapped and kicked at each other while wheeling around the tower's edge, trying to not fall. "This is the greatest thing _ever."_ Yang muttered.

"Your team sucks." Taiyang suddenly spoke up, watching with a mixture of amusement and annoyance as other teams tried to sneak in between the fighting to tag the bell, or worse, ended up joining it. "Other than the black-haired one. I _really_ should have taught Ruby how to throw a punch…" The coach sighed thickly. Zwei plodded over sat between the father and daughter, watching curiously. "Alright. I need to go break it up so everybody else can score. Zwei?" Taiyang knelt down, holding his open palm towards the dog. With a happy bark, Zwei leapt onto his hand, and was then lifted by the belly.

"... What's your dad doing?" Jaune whispered to Yang, watching with worry as their teacher took a step forward, bent at the knees, and brought Zwei back over his shoulder, just like a javelin thrower.

"Oh, just the usual." Yang shrugged. Up above, Dove had Ruby in a headlock, and was trying to not get kicked in the back of his knee. Russel tossed Blake onto her back, only to get kicked square in the chest, nearly bowling him off the tower. Weiss slapped Sky, and the gray-haired boy yelped and lunged, trying to shove Weiss over.

Then, Taiyang threw. Jaune and Ren both blinked in disbelief as the hunting corgi flew like a rocket, trailing golden flames as he broke the brawl up top by rapidly releasing Taiyang's aura. A bright, sun-yellow explosion of concussive heat and fire stopped all activity in the PE grounds, shaking the tower's foundation as students simply stared in open-mouthed disbelief.

Six smoking figures fell from the structure, and with an intricate series of gestures, Weiss threw out six black glyphs under each and every one of them, slowing their fall to the ground. Zwei, meanwhile, sat at the top, bell in his mouth, offering it to each student that approached for a quick ring.

The trial, which had started with a whistle, ended with a cacophony of tired, pained, and relieved whimpers. There were still hunters-in-training reaching the bell, but on the ground below, team RWBY and team JNPR sat in a semi-circle around Taiyang. Cardin had been dragged away by his team, leaving the eight alone.

"I'm gonna make this quick, since I gotta watch the other teams." Taiyang stood before them, hands on his hips, chest and chin pushed out to signify his authority. "Blake," he spoke her name, making golden eyes flick up to him curiously, "You raced ahead of your team, leaving them to blaze their own trail. You have talent, but frankly, this isn't about being a lone wolf. In future team activities, I expect you to work as a unit." Blake remained silent, and cast her eyes down. "... You did amazingly though, don't get me wrong, but keep in mind who's behind you."

Blake nodded as Taiyang turned his attention to Weiss. "Weiss," he said, getting the heiress's attention. He said both of their names to himself in his head, wanting to make them sound natural. They were his daughter's teammates, which meant he intended to be a friend to them. "I think it goes without saying you broke the rules." Weiss fidgeted, refusing to meet his eye. "I'm not grading this performance, so consider yourself lucky, but in the future, failure to follow instruction will result in not just _you_ failing, but your partner as well. Remember, you're graded as a pair." At that, Weiss shot Ruby a very sorry look, and curled her knees to her chin. "... but, it was a hell of a move, and while, as a teacher, I am not allowed to say it was as cool as it was deserved, I can imply it. Good work slowing everyone else's fall too, heroism is what separates the legends from the hunters." He gave the girl a wink, making her blink slowly and suppress a small smile.

Tai looked down at Ruby, who aimed her face in his direction curiously, a bit of anxiousness in her posture. "... You did fine, Ruby." Tai spoke gently, putting a hand on her head affectionately. "But as team leader, it is _your_ job to keep your team in line. Cohesive unit, follow the rules. Okay?"

"Yes dad." Ruby nodded slowly, and swallowed thickly, and squirmed in discomfort at her failure.

"There's my girl. And Yang?" Taiyang looked to his eldest. Yang sat silent and despondent, her eyes only briefly flicking up to him as he took a deep breath through his nose, and let it go. "I know that was not a good position to be in—"

"I know, dad."

"—but we trained for this sort of thing."

"I _know,_ dad." Yang did not raise her voice, but her tone grew aggravated.

"Next time that ass is trying to bring you down, I expect you to _do,_ not just _know._ I have faith in your sweetheart. Next time, blow me outta the water, got it?" Though his words were optimistic, his voice carried the edge of command. Not just as a teacher, but as a father. Yang nodded slowly, sighing.

Coach Tai turned to face team JNPR now, his eyes focusing immediately on Ren. Even if the boy had failed first, and frankly, the hardest, Tai wasn't about to lay into him since he hadn't known what to expect. "So, Lie Ren, next time…?"

"I'll keep my eyes open, and expect the unexpected." Ren nodded slowly. Tai liked that the kid met his eyes, even when he was discussing his failures.

"Good. And you, blondie?" Taiyang focused on Jaune. Jaune hesitated to meet the coach's gaze, but forced himself to look up, his breath caught in his throat. He still hurt, but he fully expected to be reprimanded for what he'd done. Or, rather, what he hadn't been able to do. Silently, Jaune wondered if the jig was up… "I usually don't like to encourage people to go ride the Nightmare, but your sacrifice let half your team reach the objective and win. Sometimes, that's all that can be done. Good job, kid." Taiyang nodded, and Jaune sat silently, stunned at the praise. "As for the girls…" Taiyang looked to Nora and Pyrrha with a lopsided grin. "Good job, both of you. It might not feel like a total victory, but you both did all I asked for, without hurting your team. Everyone here deserves a water break. So get to it, I'm going to go throw more T-shirts."

"Yes, coach." The eight students replied collectively. Taiyang cast his gaze from the left to the right. Each of them showed promise, and according to Ruby's letter, kindness. A heroism that made hunting the noble profession that it was, not just dying to a ceaseless horde. Satisfied, Taiyang walked off to assault more teenagers with clothing.

The eight of them made their way to the cooler for more water. It was a slow, tired affair, but along the way, a question bubbled in Jaune's mind. He silently nudged Pyrrha, getting her attention. "Hey, uh, he said something, like, right at the end there of my spiel. What did he mean by ' _ride the Nightmare?'"_

Pyrrha flicked open the cap to her water bottle and took a grateful sip. She lead the way back to their sitting spot as she answered. "It refers to an old hunter story, in which a brave hunter sacrificed himself to save a village from the Grimm by riding a Nightmare into a cave laden with explosives."

Jaune worked his water bottle in his hands quietly, and looked up to Pyrrha curiously. "Okay, so… like, he rode a bad dream, or…?"

Pyrrha smiled softly, and shook her head. "A Nightmare is a species of Grimm. They take the form of a skeletal horse, capable of flight, whose breath is said to carry the scent of hell. When the air grows rich with the smell of sulfur, it is a sign that a Nightmare is near. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them, they're exceedingly rare, but they're so dangerous they're legendary."

"Because they smell bad?"

"No!" Pyrrha snickered. "Because their ghastly cry is said to carry across miles. It is rarely heard, but those who hear it claim it to be a sound more bone-chilling than any dirge. Their malicious scream beckons Grimm, both near and far, to its location, acting as a war cry of imminent destruction. Grimm are compelled to follow its scream, no matter what they may be doing or what is in their way. They'll trample who or _what_ ever is in their path to reach the Nightmare's location."

"And why?" Jaune furrowed his brow, trying to picture the hell horse in action.

"Because Nightmares prey on cities, Jaune." Pyrrha spoke distantly, the water bottle held to her lips. "They're not concerned with just a handful of humans, Nightmares are said to be the Grimm's wrath against human civilization, borne of the Grimm's need to slaughter, but unable to amass in large enough groups to breach the walls of human cities. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, Atlas? All of them are too large to be brought under the weight of the horde, but a single Nightmare's cry can devastate enough parts of the city to remind us of _why_ we must live in them."

"So, why haven't I heard of them? Why don't we hear about more attacks on our major cities?!" Jaune asked, a shot of fear and paranoia running through him as he glanced up at Beacon, wondering how safe it truly was.

Pyrrha was remarkably optimistic as she answered. "Because, as I said, they're rare. There have been seven known Nightmare attacks in the past eight hundred years, and each time they brought uncountable devastation, only to disappear or die in the chaos. On top of that, human technology has accelerated beyond what it was even _fifty_ years ago. Our detection systems and weaponry have advanced to so far, I doubt even a Nightmare could cause much damage."

"... So, you think we'll be able to outlast a Nightmare attack." Jaune concluded. His fingers itched for Crocea Mors again. It felt _wrong_ to not have his family blade in hand. He knew he was safe, but even so…

"Mhmm." Pyrrha nodded slowly. She was confident that her rifle skills could pick out a flying horse, but only if she kept up with her training. Only if she reminded herself of what was _important._ "So, 'riding the Nightmare' alludes to this legend. A hunter supposedly 'tamed' a Nightmare, rode it into a cave, and had it scream, drawing Grimm from his city to be destroyed. He sacrificed himself for the greater good, and far too many hunters believe 'riding the Nightmare' is a glorious way to enter history."

"Or a dumb way to die?" Jaune concluded, making Pyrrha chuckle, and nod.

"People obsessed with pride, or honor, or fame. Many figure that if they can't earn it in life, they can earn it in death. Well, not _many,_ but… too many to be reasonable."

At that, Jaune nodded slowly. It made sense that Hunters had their own lingo, legends, and stories… maybe he'd get some personal use out of the library after this. He had no interest in dying to clear his name, he wanted to live as long as the heroes in the Arc family, and not live like the cowards did.

Water in hand, the eight students sat and brooded.

For the most part, they were silent. They sipped at water bottles and relaxed under the midday sun. In spite of the day's excitement, the eight of them weren't in high spirits; Taiyang's dressing down still weighed on them, if not their actions.

Weiss in particular was mulling over her decisions. She was a confident what she had done was, in some way or another, defendable. Looking to Yang, sitting to her left, she took in the blonde's form and expression. Yang was no less the near-peak of human beauty she had been since they first fought in the dining hall, but that relaxing warmth, daring smile, and comforting words were replaced by annoyance and melancholy. It seemed strange to Weiss, it made her teammate no less beautiful, but less… approachable.

In its own way, that was more enticing than Yang's overt socialization. There was something entrancing about a beautiful girl wallowing in silence. It made Yang seem thoughtful, as if she was pondering the greater mysteries of the universe, as opposed to teasing her sister, or her teammates.

Weiss had seen Yang angry before, and being the target of that anger hadn't been frightening until Weiss could see the way the blonde's lips curled in resentment, or the way those lavender eyes lost their luster amidst her furious thoughts. Having gotten to see Yang in a more positive light, it was clear Yang wore her negativity as brazenly as her cheer.

"... Thanks." Yang suddenly spoke up. Weiss shook herself out of her contemplation, and blinked at Yang curiously. Yang looked her way, her face still slack with displeasure. "Is that why you're staring at me? Thanks for booting Cardin."

"W-well, I—" Weiss calmed herself, reminding herself she was not Yang's source of anger. She wanted to retreat and ignore Yang's rage, but… she reminded herself that being antisocial helped no one. "I was more thinking about myself…" Weiss admitted, only half-truthful. "Whether or not I did the right thing."

"... Heh, yeah, you kinda did the _one_ thing you weren't supposed to." Yang admitted with a small smirk, and Weiss groaned. "But… but y'know, I can't be mad. You threw away a perfect grade to kick Cardin in the face. You did good by my count, Weiss." Yang wordlessly reached over and squeezed Weiss's upper arm. Weiss blinked as she was tugged close, and her cheeks bloomed with color as she was given a small peck on the temple.

" _W-well_ then!" Weiss grunted, stroking the spot Yang had kissed as the blonde returned to her sitting position, now wearing a tired smirk as she watched Weiss bluster. "It-it was a matter of team honor! I couldn't let it go without _reprisal!_ Who are you to lay your lips on me?! I am Weiss _Schnee!_ Y-you can't just-ah! Ruby?!"

Weiss turned bright red as Ruby scooted close, pulling the heiress into a tight, one-armed hug. Ruby stared down her older sister as Weiss was forcibly snuggled into Ruby's side. " _Off limits."_ Ruby spoke tersely. Blake and team JNPR silently sat up to watch.

"Aww, c'mon Ruby, I'm just thanking her for avenging me." Yang snickered, her spirit returning as she stared at the two girls.

"She's _my_ partner! I had her first, so _dibs."_ Ruby insisted, making Weiss let out a small, embarrassed whine as she was pulled closer.

"D-don't I get a say in this?!"

"Shut up Weiss." The two sisters spoke as one. Weiss just looked scandalized.

"We're all teammates here, you can share your _partner_." Yang's smile turned sly, prompting Weiss to give her an unspoken command to end this train of thought. "I mean, we all sleep in the same room…"

"In separate beds!" Ruby pointed out with a bottom-lipped pout.

"We can _change_ that." Yang purred.

"If anyone is sleeping with Weiss, it's me!" Ruby announced, making Weiss grow as stiff as ice as her face bloomed with heat.

"Ex _cuse me?!"_ The pitch of her shriek made Zwei give a small, panicked whine from across the grounds.

Blake was doing everything in her power to keep her water in her mouth. Nora was wearing a wolfish grin, snuggling closer to Ren to watch the show, while Ren silently wondered how somebody as pale as Weiss could even _get_ that red.

Yang's eyes were shimmering with mirth, and she spoke in a high, sing-song voice. "Aww, pwease Ruby? Can't you loan me Weiss for just _one_ night? I'll keep her nice and warm—"

" _No!"_ Ruby firmed her lips and her jaw, and held the currently flailing Weiss tighter. "She's _my_ first friend, _you_ don't get to put your icky fingers on her! She will remain pure and chaste and like _me_ more than _you!"_ Ruby's voice went somewhere north of ' _brat'_ and stopped just short of ' _possessive.'_

"Okay, okay, I concede!" Yang snickered, one hand over her mouth as she watched Weiss try not to combust in embarrassment. "You get to be the first person to share a bed with Weiss."

With a smile of victory, Ruby cuddled Weiss closer, causing the latter to flail in terror. "Hear that Weiss?! I'll be the first person to sleep with you!" Nora hid a laugh, Pyrrha began to tear up the grass as the tips of her ears heated up, almost overwhelmed with secondhand embarrassment. Ren simply sighed. Jaune watched in silent bewilderment.

" _Oh my god."_ Weiss whimpered.

"It'll be like an adult sleepover!"

" _Oh. My. God."_

Ruby gasped. "We can bring _Zwei!"_

" _OH-MY-GOD-RUBY-SHUT-UP-OR-I-WILL-SMOTHER-YOU-IN-YOUR-SLEEP-YOU-AIR-HEADED-MUNCHKIN!"_

Blake failed. Yang fell onto her back, howling with laughter. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren just stared in complete silence. Jaune raised a finger as if to say something, but lowered it, shaking his head. Ozpin himself couldn't untangle this mess without making it worse.

Nora turned to Ren, her predatory smile stretched across her face. "Hundred lien says they all fuck before the end of the semester."

Ren shifted his eyes to Nora. "Even the sisters?"

" _Especially_ the sisters!"

"... Hm. Ew."

Ren sipped from his water. He was not a betting man.

* * *

"... Hit me." Mercury ordered. His confident smile widened, his gray eyes narrowed, and the Faunus appraised him with an annoyed stare, reptilian pupils briefly disappearing under a second set of eyelids, his nictitating membrane masking an eyeroll.

"Are you ssure, ssir?" The tanned male asked, licking his lips with a forked tongue.

Mercury's smirk never wavered, he just stared at the Faunus with an unrepentantly smug look. "Sure as I've ever been." He answered, leaning forward to show he wasn't intimidated by the Faunus' unusual appearance.

The dealer, a hood-wearing snake-Faunus with a buzz cut and a limber build, tossed a card towards Mercury. It slid across the table and stopped just short of Mercury's other cards: a black queen of spades, and a red eight of hearts. Mercury took the card and flipped it over, revealing a red two of spades, a grand total of twenty. His smile grew wider, and he silently pumped his arm as the Faunus dealer rolled his eyes.

Next to Mercury, a smallish female with a long, hairless tail grunted in disinterest and leaned back, dismissively giving up on the stack of lien cards sitting in front of her pair of nines, while to the other side of her, a limber, fox-eared male chewed his thumb, looking from Mercury, to his nine and two. He drummed his fingers in idle thought, evaluating his chances, and with a sigh, looked up to the dealer. "Hit me."

The dealer tossed a card, and Mercury leaned back, closing his eyes with confidence. His smile grew thin as he heard the man give a cheer, and he glanced over to see the man showing the red jack of spades he'd drawn.

"I'm ordering _so_ much pizza!" The man exclaimed as the dealer tossed him the pile of lien cards sitting in front of the three players, and Mercury narrowed his eyes sharply at the celebrating man. The fox Faunus glanced towards Mercury, his grin almost as cocky as the assassin's, and he asked in a smug voice, "Something wrong, _human?"_

"Nah, nah, you won, fair and square." Mercury stated with an unusual evenness in his voice, lifting his leg to rest on top of the table. There was a metallic thump as his leg banged against the wood, and the three Faunus immediately drew back, their expressions changing to slight panic in an instant. "You know, I wouldn't mind a pizza or two thrown my way." Mercury smiled maliciously, and the fox-Faunus defensively pulled the cards closer, his smile turning to a sneer.

"You're in the wrong place to be making threats, human…" The rat-girl touched her thigh, a pair of nunchucks at her hip. Mercury snorted as the dealer wisely walked out of the sights of Mercury's foot, and the assassin slid up straight, affectionately stroking his leg.

"Oh, you animals are _so_ paranoid!" Mercury rolled his eyes, the two Faunus by his side bristling, but with hesitation in their expressions. "I thought the White Fang was supposed to be the top predators in Vale! What, are you afraid of some vintage leather boots?" Mercury shook his foot tauntingly, lying further back into his chair.

"You can't trick _us."_ The male insisted, standing slowly, a large pistol hanging at his hip. Mercury saw the fox's hand creep towards the handle, and the human suddenly glanced into the Faunus' eyes, his eyes wide, his pupils completely still as his gaze pierced the fox's, his smile almost _manic._

"And why not? Will those fluffy ears of your save you?" A surge of aura down Mercury's leg caused a slug to load into the chamber of his boot, and the Faunus' hand lurched towards his pistol as Mercury stood, whipping his foot towards the Fox-

And the door clicked open. The small room, formerly a Janitorial closet, lit only by a hanging bulb, flooded with light as Emerald strode in, took one look, and groaned. Behind her, the snake Faunus slipped out of the room quickly, and Mercury lowered his foot from the fox's face, setting it on the table. The fox and the rat shot out of their seats and ran past Emerald as the green-haired girl strode in.

"What, he take your lunch money?" Emerald snorted, holding up the fox's winnings in one hand, making Mercury grin and smooth his hair back.

"You know I'm a bit of a sore loser, Emmy…" He put on what could have been a thankful smile as he reached for the cards dangling between Emerald's fingers, only to grow a sharp frown when Emerald swiftly pocketed the lien. His voice fell to a low growl. "I'm getting sick of sitting around, playing games over petty cash here. Tell me you got _something_ for us to go off of." He ordered, arms crossed over his chest.

Emerald rolled her eyes and turned away, heading back into the huge, open hanger of the portside warehouse. Mercury followed with a frown, arms crossed over his chest as they watched the activity. It would be slow until nightfall, and then the Faunus would be loading several crates full of stolen dust into cargo containers, which would be loaded onto the backs of legally registered trucks to be transported to an outlying town on the other side of Mt. Glenn. Once checked out by the disguised White Fang members, those containers would be taken to the long-destroyed city, where their leader was planning something big.

"So, do you?" Mercury asked insistently, following Emerald along the wall, watching her head towards the office in the back where the red-haired idiot was no doubt talking about what an amazing criminal he was to whatever poor soul had the misfortune of sharing breathing space with him.

"Jeez, you're _extra_ annoying today." Emerald sighed, stopping just before the door to shoot Mercury a look. "Look, I spent all day tugging at people's heartstrings about how I needed to find the girl who 'saved my life', and somehow, _someway,_ everybody in this town knows of a different short-haired, pale-skinned brunette who exclusively wears goggles and hoodies but _not the one_ we _want."_ Emerald waved her arms in front of herself wildly. "It's like trying to pick a needle out of a pile of _needles!_ Could we get a more generic description?!"

"... Well the goggles are different." Mercury pointed out. Emerald's face fell, and she gave Mercury a look _begging_ him to succumb to some fatal disease then and there.

"Do you have any idea how many female _welders_ I shook hands with today?" Emerald hissed, wringing her hands unhappily. "I didn't even know there _was_ a Female Welders Union! They _all wear goggles!"_

Mercury frowned at Emerald, and puffed up his chest as he took a deep breath. "Emerald, that doesn't answer the most important question though…" Emerald snarled as he raised a finger. "Were any of them cute? 'Cuz I _dig_ burn scars."

"... I hate you." Was all Emerald managed before throwing the door open, almost _roaring._ "I couldn't find the stupid girl!" She shouted from the doorway, freezing in place almost immediately.

Roman didn't even look her way as he focused on the two girls before him. He stood to the side of the scavenged office desk to stare at Cinder's back, as the woman stood before a girl. Pale skinned, brunette, thick goggles. Emerald looked between Cinder and their smirking target, and let out a distressed noise of pure _hate._

"Whoa, you found her?" Mercury asked, cracking his knuckles as he stepped into the room. The short brunette stuck her tongue out at him, while Cinder shot him a glare that made him stop in his tracks.

"This _isn't_ her." Cinder spoke calmly, though there was an apprehension to her expression. She'd worn that apprehension since she'd found out about the little Grimm-girl, who apparently _wasn't_ standing in front of her, despite all logic saying otherwise. "You still haven't found her, Emerald? You told me it would be easy." Cinder said in a low, stern voice, which belied very real anger.

Emerald wilted, her hands balling in front of her chest as Mercury stepped back, out of their leader's sight. "Look, I don't have a lot to work with, Cinder. I've tried, I really have been, I was out all morning in the factory district. She wasn't in the shopping area, nobody saw her around the factories, nobody even knows who I'm _talking_ about. Other, than, like, a bunch of women with blowtorches…"

The sound of crunching glass filled the air as Cinder swept towards Emerald with a furious expression, stopping just short of raising her hand to backhand her. Emerald cringed away from the implied strike, but Cinder shook her head. In her hand, shards of black glass formed, and the pale, gorgeous woman gently kneaded it between her fingers, the crunching and crackling bringing her a calmness. "We're going to be acting more overt then." Cinder let out a sigh, then crushed the glass in her hand loudly enough to make even Roman flinch.

"Yeah, great, ' _more overt.'"_ Roman snarked, his brow tightening unhappily. "You're already pushing your luck here, Cindy." The name made Cinder go rigid, and she shot Roman a dark look that made him hesitate. "All I'm saying is you, your precious pets, and now my boys are working almost 'round the clock out there! The cops are getting the all the wrong ideas about my little charity organization here, they're starting to think we're a bunch of criminals or something!" He couldn't mask the sarcasm in his voice, and Cinder grunted.

She turned back to face the girl-that-wasn't-their-target, and slid her scroll out of a small handbag. Their faux-target stuck her tongue out and threw twin peace signs as her picture was taken, and Emerald and Mercury both checked their scrolls as they received the picture. "Use that picture to find her. Show as many people as you have to until we get answers. The sooner she's dealt with, the sooner she's no longer a problem. Do you understand? You _will_ succeed, as she is very likely to disrupt _everything_ if she is allowed to roam freely."

Emerald, Mercury, Roman, and their Not-Target stared sideways at each other as Cinder seethed, staring down a heavily marked map on the wall. Dozens of x's, soon to be joined by more as Cinder's fingertip burned with enough intensity to glow, were struck through the shops and buildings they had paid a visit to to find this goggled girl.

When this operation first started, when Emerald was given a home, Mercury a purpose, and Roman a promise of survival, Cinder had been calm and in control. She spoke almost soothingly, giving too-good-to-be-true promises and showing proof of her seriousness.

This was _not_ that Cinder. Every piece of the plan had fit together like a puzzle, snapping into place with no hitches. There was a plan, and a back-up plan, and, as Cinder stated, they only needed time and resources, of which they had plenty. With their trail covered up thanks to media focus on the White Fang, and their deep and almost intimate access to Vale's private governmental and emergency networks, they knew who was suspicious of what and where certain interested parties were investigating.

It seemed ingenious—Roman had relied on police radios and counter-predicting their stings—but Cinder's resources made Roman feel near-omniscient about the going-ons of the city. Of course, all of this was before _she_ showed up.

Just one little girl, whose shadow stretched and warped, who summoned the avatars of death to her command, turned all that on its head. He'd watched that sly, cold, and confident smile turn to panic and fury in just a few seconds. She'd ranted, raved, and just barely kept herself from burning the room to ashes in her anger. And now _this?_ Roman was a survivor, and he wasn't sure he wanted to get involved with a lunatic who threw hissy fits over a little girl.

Almost as if she'd read his mind, Cinder turned, glaring at the four others in the room. "All of you. Out. Back on the streets." Cinder barked. Emerald and Mercury awkwardly showed themselves out, the not-target lifting a little parasol from the corner of the room to follow. Roman stared at her, judging her quietly, before he stepped out of the room with a shrug of his shoulders.

Gears turned in his mind as he strode towards the middle of the warehouse, idly watching the proceedings around him. The girl was young, school age, but nobody in their right mind would let her be a student… would they? Summoning Grimm would spook people… but also intrigue people, especially if she controlled them as finely as he'd seen. Heck, he would have hired her on the spot if he could.

However, getting close to the schools wasn't good for business. Too much protection, too many worried parents, and _so_ much security… if he wanted to follow this hunch, he'd have to get a bit creative.

And some of his best places to push his 'products' were places popularly visited by students from Beacon and the intermediate schools. Put some extra eyes on the street and in the shops, make sure they knew to keep their ears open for anyone discussing a Grimm girl.

Maybe it was just a hunch, but Roman was running short on patience and options. He slapped a bell hanging near a meeting room door, and with some grumbling, several members of his gang, along with White Fang higher-ups, followed him in.

It was time to discuss a new strategy.


	12. The First Night

The door opened with the slightest creak, and Glynda strode in purposefully. "Here we are, miss Rose." She spoke calmly, presenting Ruby with a mostly-empty classroom.

Ruby walked into Oobleck's classroom, noting it seemed much larger when it was bereft of students. However, the familiar green-haired figure sat at his desk, slurping coffee and perusing an old, ragged tome that looked like it had been dragged through the dirt for a few weeks.

"Th-thanks Professor Goodwitch." Ruby gave her teacher a submissive nod. Wearing her school uniform, plus her goggles and hooded cloak again, was nice. Her gym clothes had gotten horribly sweaty, and stepping into the girl's locker room was like walking into a sauna, where the heat and steam were supplied by tired bodies and _sweat._ It was the most disgusting thing she'd ever smelled, and Weiss seemed to have agreed with her given the way she turned a nasty shade of green. "Uh, h-hey Profess- err, Dr. Oobleck!"

"Welcome back, Ruby." The lanky man offered her a brief nod, but focused on his book. "Feel free to take a seat anywhere." He offered with an inattentive wave of his hand.

Ruby looked up to Goodwitch, who guided her straight to a desk up at the front. Ruby slid into the seat as Goodwitch took out a flash drive and plugged it into a slot underneath the desk. A holographic screen winked open in front of Ruby. The pleasant blue lightscreen read, ' _Welcome to Remedial Hunter Coursework version 4.0! Please enter your name and password below, then click enter.'_

Professor Goodwitch leaned over Ruby to click away at the keyboard, inputting ' _Ruby Rose-Xiao Long'_ , then typed in a long password hidden behind asterisks. "Your password is B34conStudent11, but the 'e' is a '3' and the 'a' is a… I'll write it down. Begin your work, miss Rose." Goodwitch ordered.

Glumly, Ruby did as she was told. Hitting 'enter' changed the screen to a display detailing the courses she would be taking, and in what order. First order of business: History of Remnant. Something she already _knew,_ given her compulsive reading, but she didn't have a choice.

Weiss was off doing her own studying in the comfort of their dormroom. Blake and Yang went to go grab dinner from the cafeteria, but practically the instant Ruby had stepped out of PE, Professor Goodwitch had swept in, telling her to follow. Ruby did as she was asked once her team was assured she wasn't in trouble, and now…

 _Ugh…_

A slip of paper was put in front of Ruby with her username and password, and Goodwitch only left her to her work once Ruby had taken a picture, put a note on her scroll, _and_ pocketed the original, all amidst the tall blonde's grumbling about the dangers of irresponsibility.

The lady Professor shared a brief talk with Oobleck, then left the room as Ruby scrolled through the condensed, dumbed-down version of the beginnings of civilization. She appreciated a good story, but what fun was there in distorting reality to make it seem 'magical?' The history of Remnant was dark and filled with violence. Yang had shared a book with her little sister detailing the numerous cities that failed to rise to prominence thanks to the Grimm, and no amount of Dust, as incredible as it was, saved them.

Stories were fountains of fantasy and wonder. They took you to a place where anything was possible and everything could be magnificent, but Ruby had felt lied to when she discovered how tainted with violence and deceit the sentient races were. It was almost worse than the Grimm, but Ruby often reminded herself that compassion and love typically outweighed greed and hatred.

At least, when it came to the treatment of the Faunus, she _hoped_ it was that way…

To Ruby, history deserved to be presented, warts and all. Downplaying human flaws out of pride meant people wouldn't learn from the mistakes of old. What worked, what failed, it all deserved the same level of attention. As Uncle Qrow had told her: ' _Ya learn more from messing up than from winning, kid. Once you figure that out, you'll never let yourself make the same mistake twice.'_

Ruby liked to think that, compared to the blazing pillar of ego and attitude that was her older sister, she had a rather realistic and humble opinion of herself. That was unfair… Yang had a very healthy opinion of herself. Amazingly strong, immeasurably gorgeous, quick as a whip, and with a heart of gold. She was only seventeen and showing immense promise, yet she was well-grounded, even if she liked to puff herself up for the ladies.

The youngest Xiao Long, however, had a very good reason to keep herself restrained from thinking too highly of herself, and to pay attention to her mistakes. She thought back to that book, of the cause of over 95% fallen cities: Grimm. She could feel them beneath her feet, she could hear them hiss and click in the back of her mind, she knew every second they were waiting for her to lose control so they could break free…

The fight against the Grimm at large was going better each passing year. Humanity's weapons were stronger, their shields sturdier, traversing the roads no longer required armed escort, and towns were safely springing up within arm's reach of the major cities, but the Grimm still wouldn't give up. Hunters worked harder than ever now that there was more ground they could cover, more bullets they could shoot, and sharper swords they could swing. It wasn't a weapon that killed a Grimm, it was instinct and experience, honed in the wielder, and growing sloppy was all too easy.

The growing ease of victory had turned humanity softer, allowing more and more people to hone their skills in other places, in serving their fellow man and their own best interests. People were less afraid, dulling the Grimms' senses, meaning the cities were safer than ever.

However, it only took a single mistake to turn that all that on its head. A simple act of nature, or somebody failing to do their job. Ruby knew what her job was. Failure meant a sudden Grimm incursion wherever she stood, whether it was weeping in her dormroom bed, or throwing a tantrum in a shop. She'd be swallowed, killed, and unable to protect those around her.

But that was why she was here at Beacon. To grow stronger, to mature, and to be around people who could calm her and help her.

Ruby hated being alone...

The ' _tink'_ of a porcelain mug caught Ruby's attention, and she looked to her side. A steaming mug of coffee, the strong scent hitting her nose, mixed with sugar already melted inside, made her stomach growl. She hadn't had the chance to go get dinner after the workout, and suddenly, her stomach was all she could think about.

She looked up to Dr. Oobleck, who towered higher over her, higher than even her dad. He had a neutral expression, but his body language was tense. Ruby blinked slowly at the doctor from behind her tinted lenses as he pulled out the chair by her side and sat down.

"Miss Rose?" Oobleck asked, his tone calm and compromising as he looked from her face to her work. "If you have a minute, I'd like to take a picture of your eyes."

"H-huh?" Ruby stared at the older man. She straightened up, and wordlessly her teeth dug into her lower lip. It took her moment to notice that her professor was holding his scroll. His eyes, however, were intently focused on her goggles, and he gave her a slow nod. "M-my eyes? B-but… I d-don't know wh-what'll happen."

"It's okay, Ruby. I'm prepared for the eventuality that a photo of your eyes is just as harmful as the real thing. Digital reproductions usually don't carry the effect of a sight-based quirk, but we've been wrong before…" Oobleck pushed the mug over to Ruby with one finger, and put on a small smile. "You can drink first, of course."

Ruby nodded, and, without answering, took ahold of the mug. The brew was the same brand she'd had in the headmaster's office, and it had four sugars too! Ruby leaned back in her chair, her hidden eyes fluttering shut in relief. It was so delicious! The heat hit her belly, and the chill of the classroom was immediately alleviated, but her professor's request still hung on her mind.

She set the mug down, half the drink remaining, and imagined a puff of steam escaping her mouth as she sighed in relief. That had hit the spot, though she'd want to eat _actual_ food before bed tonight. She turned to face Dr. Oobleck, and her eyes flicked to the door.

"Don't you worry, Ruby. I took the liberty of locking the door before asking, a proper researcher is _always_ prepared." He held up his scroll, and the backside of the hologram was blank until Oobleck hit a button. Ruby could see herself in the back of the scroll, allowing her to see how a photo of herself would look, devoid of all additional features to mess with the photograph.

Ruby silently reassured herself that this was okay. He wouldn't attack her, her powers wouldn't be unleashed. It was a simple picture, that was all he wanted, and she would grant him that… after appeasing her own curiosity, of course. "Prof- Dr. Oobleck?" She asked, making him look up from the screen. "Why do you want to know so much about my eyes and semblance?"

"Let me answer that question with another: Ruby, why don't you?" He held his scroll up to her face, and bobbed her head. All she could see was her own expression, curious, pale, and somewhat worried, but she took the hint.

"I don't ever want to _use_ it." She answered him, grabbing her goggles. They were dropped to the counter an instant later, and Ruby looked up into her own reflection, the edges of her lips peeling back in silent distaste over what she saw. Oobleck seemed remarkably calm, until Ruby noticed that her face was at a bit of an odd angle, and maybe a little too close, and he was focused more on her mouth than her eyes… "Are your eyes closed?"

"Cautionary measures! Do help me please, Ruby?" Oobleck asked, and Ruby couldn't help but chuckle a bit. However, seeing herself laugh, seeing those bloody circles in those endless voids arch with mirth… it stole her smile quickly. She didn't look happy, not like Yang. She looked happy, like a disguised wolf who'd cornered a gullible lamb. She put on a neutral face, and carefully adjusted the camera to snap a better picture of herself. "Ruby, do you know what 'numb dust' is?"

"Well, it numbs you, right? For surgeries and pain relief? The picture's okay now." At that, the scroll clicked, and Ruby stared at her own frozen expression. She looked away from her eyes, and Dr. Oobleck turned to face the front of the class as he set the scroll on the desk. "How's it look?"

"..." Dr. Oobleck stared at the picture as Ruby lifted her goggles, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced his way, and saw he was staring at the front of the class, not at her picture. He gulped thickly, and blindly reached down to try and find a button on his scroll. "Well… good news, Ruby. Digitally, you're still potent."

"... _Why?"_ Ruby sighed, rubbing her eyes unhappily.

"We don't know. Just like we didn't know what to do with 'numb' dust after the Color Wars." Dr. Oobleck's voice reasserted itself calmly, masking any tension as he finally removed Ruby's gaze from the scroll's screen. "Do you remember how numb dust was used then?"

Ruby blinked slowly. Of course she did, stories and tales coming from that era, and soon after, couldn't shut up about numb dust. It was the primary weapon of every villain of that time period. "When eaten, or drunk it causes you to become zombie-like. It makes you dulled, and emotionless."

"It makes you all but invisible to searching Grimm." Oobleck nodded slowly. He looked out of the corner of his eyes at Ruby, at her eyes. His skin crawled just staring at her like this. He wanted her to look away, he wanted to turn around and no longer face her, but he refused. He was a man of science, she was an innocent little girl, eyes be damned. "That was the justification behind Mistral and Atlas' governments, wasn't it? Little by little, they'd strip society of identity to 'hide' the cities."

"They started with the colors red and pink." Ruby spoke up, turning to her catch-up program to stare at something that _wasn't_ Oobleck, so he wouldn't be driven away. "Colors that made you really emotional. They wanted to introduce it little by little, removing colors first, then stuff like sports, leading up to giving numb dust to the people to keep them safe."

"Strip mankind of individuality to maintain peace and order. Remove emotions from a person, and what do you have? Why, a computer. Intelligent, rational, yes, but unmotivated and unloving." Oobleck leaned back in his chair to watch the ceiling, running his fingers through his hair. "Ruby, I enjoy being a researcher. I love knowing things." He smirked a little bit. "I think I'd rather be shot than lose that feeling. What's a life without love?"

"A-ah!" Ruby gasped, clasping her fingers. "'A-A life without love is a life unlived by the living!'" She answered immediately, expecting a smile, or praise for knowing the quote, but Oobleck simply pursed his lips.

"Is… is that a reference to something?" He glanced at her from the sides of his eyes.

"'The Blinded Ape'?" Ruby answered, frowning now. "C'mon, it's a movie that came out like five years ago!"

"I'm not really familiar with obscure movies…"

"B-but it won like five awards! Best picture, best actor, best actress-"

" _Okay okay!"_ Oobleck threw his hands out, wringing the air. "I admit it! I'm a historian, not a cinephile! The last movie I watched was-... inappropriate for this conversation."

"Porn?" Ruby guessed flatly.

"No!... A friend loaned it to me. It was very artistic." Oobleck tried to explain in a defeated tone.

"You sound like Yang..."

Oobleck covered his face. "And I should _not_ be having this conversation with you! _The point is…"_ The doctor let out a sigh, calmed himself, and leaned back to take stock of his original intent. "Numb dust is used medically today, and is generally seen as a good thing. It keeps us comfortable and happy even while in great pain, but before, it was seen as something horrendous, a weapon against art, individuality, against humanity and the Faunus. What we once considered horrific turned out to be a great boon to us because we _researched_ it, rather than destroying it. Your semblance, your Grimm summoning, may have applications we aren't aware of." Oobleck smiled at her comfortingly, and pointed to his scroll. "We just have to experiment, and find out."

* * *

"... I don't believe you." Blake sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose.

"I swear I'm not lying, you can ask my family!" Yang insisted, hanging back with Blake to chat. Both of them carried a lunchroom tray, while ahead of them, Jaune walked with an open book in hand, Pyrrha by his side carrying two lunch trays, each with two plates. Yang walked barefoot through the hall, wearing a yellow tank top and black gym shorts, looking comfy as could be. It wasn't flashy, but Yang pulled off the 'casually magnificent' look with admirable ease.

"No! It's completely ludicrous!" Blake insisted, her brow knitting together as she tried to imagine the scenario. "Look, you can get away with a lot of stuff with aura, but _that's_ just absurd _."_ Blake wore a simple white T-shirt, barely large enough to fit her, with the faded, illegible print of a band logo on it, along with a pair of black shorts and her shoes. She realized she desperately needed a few more pairs of clothes in her wardrobe, and some actually comfortable shoes… a small part of her was excited thinking about getting new footwear.

"Actually…" Jaune spoke up, holding his book above his head, looking somewhat dazed from all the text. "According to this, anybody trained in aura can turn _anything_ into a weapon…" Jaune was in his usual attire: black hoodie, jeans, belt, and running shoes. All well-worn, faded, and crinkled, but fitting and his. His armor was safely stowed in his room.

Blake let out an annoyed hiss, and her eyes narrowed at Yang indignantly. "Anything you have grown _familiar_ _with_ and _attached_ to, _yes,_ but even then, unless she was a _particularly_ strong child—" she paused, considering Yang by her side, "—there is _no way_ it would take down an _Ursa Minor."_

"I don't see much reason to doubt it, you hear many such stories from the surrounding rural areas." Pyrrha pointed out, looking over to Jaune contently. She wore a very formal red button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her forearms to let her skin breathe, and a pair of black dress pants, shaped to her legs, as well as a pair of short formal black dress shoes. On top of that, a fine, gold necklace with the winged shield of Mistral dangling above her breast, while a leather-and-gold watch adorned her wrist. Considering the paycheck she had been earning for the last four years, her wardrobe nearly matched Weiss's. Nearly.

"Sure, by farmers. With _farm_ _equipment_." Blake countered, making Yang huff.

Team RWBY's dorm room door flew open and the four teens went inside. Nora and Ren were laying on the floor, on top of a spare linen from the closet against the far wall. Nora was drooling on Ren's shoulder, mid-nap, curled up under his arm with a plain, fading pink shirt and white gym shorts, while Ren silently reread his course notes from the day, dressed in a relaxed, though ill-fitting, blue yukata. Weiss sat in a desk chair, dressed in a very fine blue dress, emblazoned with the Schnee-family snowflake over her left leg, with a spotless white sash around her hips and a white dress jacket over her shoulders. Compared to everyone else, she looked ready to hit the town at any moment, barring the puffy white house-slippers on her feet. The Vale braid she'd rocked earlier had been untangled, letting Weiss's white hair hang long and shot the entering group a small glare.

"Must you four be so loud?! What are you even arguing about?" Weiss asked, a coursebook and her notes spread across the desk.

Blake spoke up first. "Yang claims she killed an Ursa Minor with a whittled popsicle stick." She snorted, shooting Yang a suspicious look, earning a pout in return.

"... Is that true?" Weiss blinked at Yang, who shrugged and put on an easy-going smile.

"It was a pretty crazy twelfth birthday, but yeah. Wore the wood down with my teeth and got it under the neck." Yang gently jabbed her throat with her thumb, making a ' _crrrrrk!'_ sound as she did.

Weiss looked at Yang, then Blake, then let out a sigh. "According to modern aura theories—"

" _Familiar_ weapons, _familiar!_ _Nobody_ gets familiar with a _popsicle stick_ before going into battle! It's why we all design our weapons as tweens!" Blake stomped her foot, her face pinched with frustration.

"It's entirely possible," Ren spoke up, not looking from his notes while also drawing Blake's ire, "that in the moment, you are capable of bonding with an object you see as your sole offense or defense to such a degree that your aura encompasses it as completely as a familiar weapon. Therefore, it's entirely plausible Yang killed an Ursa with a popsicle stick."

Blake all but steamed… until she felt the need to lay her ears flat. With a huff and a muttered excuse, she hopped up to her bed and plopped down to eat the rice balls she'd gotten from the cafeteria, her bow as stiff and tall as ever.

The debate settled, Pyrrha let Jaune take their dinner tray so she could set Nora and Ren's food on the boy's lap. Ren pulled apart his chopsticks with a hearty ' _snap!'_ and Nora lifted her head, eyes batting rapidly in surprise. "Hahn?!" She snorted, working her jaw in confusion. "I smell food." She muttered, and opened her mouth as Ren pressed something to her lips. Nora chomped down on the offered food, and her eyes drifted shut again. "Mmm, coooow…"

"It's Mistral cuisine day, apparently! I thought you might appreciate it, Ren." Pyrrha smiled brightly. Ren's eyes slid up and down Pyrrha's body, soaking in her dress and her body language and noted that, musculature aside, she seemed comfortable as a hostess.

He did not express as such, but he was amused that such a renowned fighter was so passively supportive of her team. Ren lifted a ball of sticky rice, topped with a strip of beef, and popped it into his mouth. It needed some egg and a better brand of soy sauce, but he enjoyed the flavors for what they were. "Thank you Pyrrha." He bowed his head to her.

Pyrrha beamed, bowing back to him before turning to look for extra seating. Yang, taking the other study desk, jerked her thumb to her bed near the door. "Don't make a mess of my bed and you can sit there. Don't rock the boat too much though."

"Thank you, Yang." Pyrrha sat down, glancing up at Blake's bed above her head thoughtfully when a slight tremor grabbed her attention. Jaune looked back at her, gave her a friendly smile, and went back to reading while chowing down on the burger Pyrrha had been carrying for him.

Pork donburi in her lap, Pyrrha's cheeks began to slowly filled with red as she stared straight ahead. The sounds of distracted eating and riffling papers filled the room, but Pyrrha couldn't enjoy the normalcy. She was sharing a bed with a _boy!_ It was not a perfect situation… they were still in normal clothes, as opposed to nightwear, the room was full of other people, and neither of them had a deep, personal secret to share, nor the pain of a break-up behind them, and it wasn't night time, and considering how exhausting the day's events had been, both of them would probably be unable to _not_ sleep as was the cliche, so the chances of Jaune sliding a hand into her lap and suggesting they lay down together was—

Pyrrha gave a tiny squeak as a hand suddenly gravitated towards her lap, and she shot a look at Jaune. He wasn't even looking her way as his fingers bumped the side of her dinner bowl, and his fingers took ahold of her chopsticks, and he finally glanced up and realized. "Oh! Sorry Pyrrha." He stole his hand away from her food as Pyrrha stared at him with wide-eyed embarrassment, hands over her mouth. "I'm so used to stealing food from my sisters on the couch, I forgot to ask: mind if I try some?" He pointed to her dinner. Pyrrha rapidly shook her head. "No?" Jaune quirked an eyebrow. Pyrrha bobbed her head. "Yes to no, or yes I can try some?" After a moment of thought, Pyrrha held up one finger. "The first one?" Pyrrha nodded rapidly. "Cool."

Jaune's fingers awkwardly laced between the wooden sticks, and with the grace of a dizzied Ursa, tried digging into her don. However, it was clear that though Jaune knew what chopsticks were used for, he was not aware just _how_ to use them. Pyrrha's red-faced muteness melted away slowly, watching him struggle. "Jaune?" She spoke up. Rather than looking embarrassed, Jaune looked relieved that Pyrrha was addressing him. "Here…" She lifted his hand, and she fought against her trembling knees and she carefully positioned the implements in his fingers. "Now, click them together?" He did so. "Good. Remember, don't pinch too hard."

Success. Jaune tried her pork and rice, nodding in approval. "I'll have to go back for some. But first…" He lifted his burger, and grinned. " _Burger."_ He took a hearty bite, and offered some to Pyrrha. The red-headed huntress waved it away with an embarrassed smile.

"Not a fan of red meat, but thank you, Jaune." If only it had been a chicken burger… then she could have nibbled the tip of his thumb, or licked her lips as she ate, something sensual, and seductive and _hoo_ it was getting warm in here. Pyrrha fanned herself rapidly, mulling over the number of shows she'd seen in which a camera close-up caught how a girl displayed her interest. Something about the mouth was just erotic in ways Pyrrha didn't understand, but people seemed to favor those full, Vacuo lips as opposed to Mistral's stereotypically thinner ones.

Yang chatted up Nora, while Ren ate silently, only glancing over if his name came up in conversation. Blake sat on her bed about Jaune and Pyrrha, tuned into all the conversations around her. At first, she focused on Yang, who was in an argument over what was cooler: punching or hammers. Blake simply rolled her eyes and looked over at Weiss; ever suspicious, and ever curious, of the heiress.

Weiss Schnee, the daughter of Blake's greatest foe, heiress to the company that made its fortune off the backs of Blake's people, and the face and voice of the Schnee Dust Empire, let out an annoyed growl and fervently erased something in her notes. Blake blinked, swallowing the last of her rice ball. It would have been easy to ignore Weiss and let her be frustrated, but Blake's brow furrowed.

It was growing difficult to keep the grudge that she had nursed all her life. She wanted to attribute it to acclimating to a new 'pack' so quickly, but there were members of the White Fang Blake just did not like outright, and continued to dislike. Weiss, on the other hand, despite a poor first impression, managed to be far less of a stereotype than Blake had assumed… although, Weiss had yet to see Blake's ears.

Blake shook her head. Weiss would never know of Blake's ears as long as Blake could get away with it. If Weiss ever saw them…

The thought was nixed. Blake was subtle. It was their first day, so interest and curiosity was bound to rise over time. Blake still fidgeted, optimistically imagining that she could get away with this. As absurd as it was… man, she _really_ should have thought this through better.

Without a word, Weiss tapped her papers against her desk, squaring them into a neat, conformed pile. She clipped them in her binder, sorted by subject, with, Blake noted, tabs and even bookmarks for where Weiss last left off. It was amusingly over-organized. Weiss put her binder on a shelf and, after suspiciously glancing at everyone in the room, took her hand off it.

Blake rolled her eyes, wondering why anyone would want to steal her notes, but realized they were probably immaculate. Cat-like curiosity crept into Blake: did Weiss somehow take better notes? Was Weiss the sort to use different colored highlighters and pens? What sort of paper did a rich girl use? Was it one of those binders with all the odds and ends and extra pockets for accessories? Blake wanted to touch it all of a sudden, if only because it would make Weiss wig out.

The thought amused Blake so much, she actually toyed with the idea longer than was likely justifiable.

"I'm going out." Weiss announced loudly enough for the entire room to hear. Blake lifted her head curiously, watching Weiss straighten up and tighten her sash.

"Cool, have fun! I'll probably be at the gym if you need me." Was Yang's only response before turning back to Nora and Ren.

"Where are you going?" Blake asked, crawling to the end of her bed as Weiss grabbed her purse, checking its contents briefly before snapping it shut. Blake wondered what activity Weiss could have outside the room… which was a foolish thought. She was a Schnee, a socialite, a media sensation, she could have any number of things going on besides schoolwork. There was probably some party or fancy dinner or—

"I'm going to get dinner for Ruby and make sure she's actually doing her work." Blake's thoughts halted. "I will not suffer a partner or a _leader_ who fails basic classwork."

Jaune shot up to his feet, watching Weiss with an intense, almost gleeful expression. "Nee' ah eh-hort?!" He asked, _before_ swallowing a mouthful of burger. "Err, I meant, need an escort?" He tried much more calmly, though Weiss gave him an unimpressed look as she opened the door. "Like, just in case? I mean, what if Cardin showed uuuuuu-p?" Jaune held his shoulders and shivered as the room's temperature suddenly plummeted in temperature. Yang stopped talking, and her fingers were assaulting the desk more than drumming it.

Blake noted the change in her partner's mood, and ducked low in case a random object went airborne.

Weiss stopped moving, her fingertips moving to her cheek to caress it gently. Then, she reasserted her posture, and she shook her head. "If that walking macho complex is _genuinely_ stupid enough to harass me further, I'll stop holding back." She then turned. She intended to show her confidence and strength through her expression, but her gaze seemed to pierce Jaune, making him falter as something unintentionally personal entered her eyes. "I am _not_ helpless."

"I—" Jaune stared at Weiss, his overconfidence deflating. He pushed his jaw out to unlock it, and nodded. "I know. Just-... just worried is all." He dared to meet Weiss's eye, and her expression, though steely and strong, lost that edge of compensation. She nodded.

"Don't be." Was all she said before she stepped out, closing the door behind her. She stopped, briefly wondering if anyone would follow, but grunted and pushed herself to keep walking.

She wasn't afraid of some muscled meathead with a grudge. There was no way some first year hunter-wannabe could overpower her glyphs. If she didn't hesitate and freak out like with the Beowolf, or with the Ursa that is…

Weiss gathered herself and chewed her lower lip. No, Cardin wouldn't be a problem. Weiss stood in the elevator, heading down to the ground floor as she contemplated the vials of Dust in her purse. One ego-bloated boy wasn't as bad as the man who had tried to rule Weiss's life. Even if she was physically weaker than her teammates, delicate even, Weiss was not harmless, not by a longshot.

She would prove that once Ruby was done with her studies.

* * *

Of the many things Weiss found nerve wracking, she had never suspected trying to feed someone would be one of them.

She stared down at the tray she had taken from the cafeteria, which was adorned with a single, very large plate, a carton of chocolate milk, and a can of soda. Ruby was a simple creature, or at least Weiss had assumed so. She had seen the girl eat chocolate chip cookies, a hamburger with fries, and waffles with fruit, but that was _all_ she had seen Ruby eat.

That lent well towards Weiss's theory that Ruby had simplistic tastes geared towards sugary sweetness, and yet, when she had reached the cafeteria counter and poured over the numerous choices, she realized that she was, perhaps, assuming too prematurely. People were multi-faceted creatures, nobody was exactly as they appeared, and everyone had something unique in their interests, it just required some digging.

Which was why Weiss was nervous as she raised a fist to knock on Dr. Oobleck's classroom door. Ruby was probably still working, so Weiss's hand lowered. Interrupting her could prove detrimental… but so could not eating after such an intense workout. She rechecked her scroll, confirming from her text conversation with Ruby that she was in here, then let out a groan.

Why was she sweating so much over _food?..._

Because it wasn't over the _food_ … The lingering question sat on the back of her tongue, her true reason for coming here. True, she brought an offering of a meal, but it wasn't out of charity. Weiss had a mission here. She swallowed thickly and raised her fist. As soon as the first, then second rap of her knuckles on the wood door rang out, she knew there was no turning back. She'd have to ask, it was why she was here.

She lifted her chin and waited. A click, and the door opened, and Dr. Oobleck stood over her, peering down at her through his seemingly one-way glasses with a curious quirk of his lips. "Good afternoon miss Schnee, can I help you?"

"I'm here to bring Ruby her dinner and make sure she's progressing in her studies." Weiss answered honestly. She had further intentions, but he didn't need to hear about them.

"Hm." Oobleck looked at the plate she was carrying. A plate overfilled with enough varieties of food that it might as well have been a Mistral cuisine sample platter. One eyebrow visibly rose, and he took a step back. "Very well, but be careful where you look. Miss Rose and I are in the middle of some tests involving her eyes."

"Tests?" Weiss repeated, tentatively walking in after him, her lips forming a small, unsure frown as she glanced around the room. The first thing she noticed was that the doctor's blackboard had been wiped clean of its scribblings and pictures from earlier in the day. Instead, what appeared to be Ruby's face—hastily sketched out in the rough-yet-legible manner only an experienced field researcher could manage—was on it. Including, Weiss noted with a drop in her stomach, her uncovered eyes.

She recognized the veins more than the eyes themselves, but simply thinking about it dredged up memories Weiss thought she'd suppressed. She squeezed her own eyes shut, and quietly opened them once her mind settled.

What happened in the forest was long gone, she was safe in Beacon, and her partner _wasn't_ a monster…

She turned her head, looking past the blue holographic screen to look at the girl working at it. Ruby was looking at her. Those _eyes_ were watching her.

Weiss felt a thin, ice-cold finger travel down her spine, making her shiver, making her knees knock and her toes clench. Were it not for the weight on the tray, her shaking hands would have tipped the plate and its contents onto the floor.

Ruby could have been making any face, gentle and warm, innocent and kind, or crushed by remorse, and Weiss wouldn't have been able to tell. They were the eyes of a monster more cruel than the Grimm and more calculating than her father. Twin, blood-red rings, suspended in pools of pitch black.

Weiss felt like a rat in a trap, with the cat stalking its way across the room, lips peeled back in a sharpened smile. As Ruby's hand slid across the desk, grabbing at her goggles, but all Weiss could hear was the cat's claws clicking across the floor. Helpless. She felt _beyond_ helpless. They glinted with a dark, evil promise, and the longer she stared, the more her body shook. She wanted to turn and flee, to throw herself down the hall and escape those horrible eyes, but her legs wouldn't move.

They wanted to, _oh_ did they want to, but they did not move, _could_ not move, for the exact same reason her eyes did. Weiss did not want to run, and she found herself staring at the floor, blinking and trying to shake herself free. Her jaw shuddered, then her teeth clenched. The eyes, no matter how dark and… _monstrous_ they were, belonged to her partner.

Somebody she would not fear.

She looked up, her expression furious and full of righteousness, and it instantly quelled as she stared into the black lenses of Ruby's goggles. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and Ruby's hands pressed to her cheeks. Weiss winced, then squirmed as she felt her partner's warm palms.

"Are you okay, Weiss?!" Ruby asked, her jaw and brow tight with worry. Weiss stared at the now familiar face of her partner, and a splash of red crossed from cheek to cheek.

"What—you two sitting around _researching_ your _eyes,_ and you should be _studying!_ And I have dinner for you! Stop touching me, you little brat! Lead with your _words,_ not my _cheeks!_ How _dare_ you!" Weiss shouted her embarrassed ramblings, causing Ruby to recoil in surprise. Weiss's shoulders sank, and Ruby stared at her in quiet loss, unsure of how to respond when the Schnee heiress pushed the tray into Ruby's hands. "You need to eat." She insisted, looking the other way, still blushing heavily.

In either case, Weiss had come face-to-face with the way Ruby so easily kept a grip around her emotions once again. In this case, it was involuntary on both their ends. Weiss had rationalized that Ruby had zero control over her eyes. However, Weiss's annoyance had yet to abide, partly because Ruby was now ignoring her catch-up work, but mostly because Ruby, back at her desk, Weiss sitting next to her, was now eating sushi with a _fork._

"Thish is kin'na of goo'." Ruby mumbled through a mouthful of rice. Weiss's eyebrow twitched.

"Don't eat with your mouth full." Weiss reminded her dutifully. Ruby swallowed, looking embarrassed. "Finish your work." Weiss ordered.

"But I'm hungry…" Ruby whimpered. Her fork prodded at the sauced noodles, meats, and vegetables common in Mistral eateries, before sinking into a nugget of orange chicken.

Weiss grumbled. At his desk, Dr. Oobleck was pouring over hand-written notes and pictures he'd taken while typing into his own computer. He shot a look up at the two girls every now and again, but busied himself with his findings. Beyond the effect translating into a photograph, he found it difficult to learn more. Namely, because any attempt to poke further meant having to look at her, and his mind would blank and leave him unable to think.

It was an interesting challenge to study, but altogether a pain in the neck, since he had limited time each day to investigate Ruby Rose.

It took around an hour and a half for Ruby to finish both eating and her work. Weiss had sat back to answer questions, and Dr. Oobleck every now and then hovered over Ruby's shoulder, examined her work, then requested something with her goggles off: a picture, a quick sketch, a wink, a blink, to look up, to look down… he was getting her eyeballs from every possible angle, though Ruby herself had to take the pictures since he couldn't look.

Each time, Weiss glanced at her partner out of the corner of her eye. Even knowing the danger involved, there was that dangerous, human curiosity that drove her to look again. Not the full on stare. The effect was less potent from the sides, but still present. Even a quick glance at Ruby photographing herself, turned ninety-degrees the other way left her with the familiar feeling that danger hadn't looked her way. Like being in the room with her father, a question on her lips, while he shouted himself hoarse into the phone over his subordinates' failures… she'd get the beast's attention eventually, but she was safe as long as she kept her mouth shut.

It was extremely surreal. Dr. Oobleck was clearly affected, yet he poked and prodded and tried all sorts of different things to get even one, clean look at her. Weiss's career was to identify and mitigate threats, which Ruby was doing with her goggles. Weiss didn't want to see more, it stressed her, and it even made her claustrophobic.

But… she made a silent promise to herself. She would _not_ fear Ruby, no matter what…

"I really don't want to do this _every_ day…" Ruby sighed, submitting the last of her catch-up work. The lessons weren't particularly long or hard, but there was just under fifteen different topics to cover, and it made her whimper just thinking about doing it all again.

"A well-rounded education is vital to a good hunter, miss Rose." Dr. Oobleck explained, confirming the grades she had accrued. As he examined them, the academic mask fell, to show the face of a man who was proud of his students. "Hmm, high-B's, mostly A's, excellent work, Ruby!" He gave a half-cocked smile at the girl, earning a shy smile back. "Keep those grades in your Beacon courses and you'll be graduating in no time."

Weiss sniffed, but stayed quiet. They were passing grades, but just passing. Weiss had extraordinary stakes, she couldn't settle for ' _good enough.'_ If she was to be graded _with_ Ruby, then Ruby would learn to meet Weiss's expectations. Any less, and Weiss would… … … well, there wouldn't _be_ any less.

"Thanks Professor!" Ruby shot to her feet, only for her aura to flare sharply around her forehead as an Oobleck-powered karate chop quickly stumped her glee.

"That's _Doctor_ to you _._ Now, you two should have a free afternoon to yourselves, so make good use of your time." He laced his fingers together behind his back as he slid back into persona of an educator. "Rest and relaxation are important to everybody, and working yourself to exhaustion is highly detrimental, but that is not an excuse to slack off. Your official lessons are done for the day, but you should never stop trying to improve yourself, even if it's only in small ways."

"Yes Doctor." Both girls spoke as one, Ruby with a big pout as she rubbed the sympathetic pains out of her forehead.

"Have a good day you two, tomorrow's lesson will start with a bang, so be prepared!" Oobleck clapped his hands, his smile broad and excited. With that, the two were given their leave.

The hallway was, for the most part, empty. Looking through the tall windows that allowed mid-afternoon light to stream in, Weiss could see that plenty of students had taken to camping out on the grounds below, enjoying the warm weather and the post-class freedom.

Part of Weiss envied their carefree nature. Many didn't have such a burdenous responsibility on their shoulders like she had… nor the immense secret that Ruby kept. As Weiss worked up the courage to speak, she tried to imagine just how capable Ruby was with her… _abilities._ She'd never bothered to ask, which was extraordinarily strange in hindsight. Passing their initiation was obviously important, but Weiss had the opportunity to ask afterwards, or before class…

Had she really been so swept up in simple socialization? Then again, it wasn't like Ruby went out of her way to advertise her power, but it Ruby's goggles weren't exactly for show either…

"Weiss?" Ruby's voice caught her attention. Weiss refocused, turning to look at Ruby, her typical neutral frown on her face. Ruby was, in all earnesty, still somewhat unnerved by it, but shy girl calmed the butterflies in her tummy. She put on a large smile, causing Weiss's frown to deepen slightly. "I-I wanted to thank you for bringing me dinner! And, uh, for helping me, too."

"Of course." Weiss's frown persisted, as did the gears turning in her head. They'd stopped walking, standing idly before a window in silence for a few moments. Ruby wondered if she'd committed a faux pas, while Weiss stared down at the floor, the question at the edge of her lips.

"... I'mma go get a buncha cookies for dessert." Ruby pointed down the hallway towards the elevators in a small, gentle stance. She turned, expecting Weiss to say something about nutrition, or study, but…

"Ruby… wait." Weiss reached a hand out, stopping short of grasping Ruby's shoulder. Ruby complied, nervously looking over her shoulder, but her anxiousness disappeared as she noticed Weiss's expression. Weiss was more nervous than she was, pulling her hands back to her chest. "I… need a favor. A really big one, and I one-hundred percent understand if you refuse, but it could really help me out."

Ruby forgot about her cookies, and immediately she nodded her head. She put on a smile, and took Weiss's hand. The sudden warmth and human contact made Weiss fidget, but not pull away. "Of course, Weiss! Anything you want. Just tell me, I promise I'll help!"

Weiss swallowed thickly, breathed deeply, and stared Ruby in the eye. "Ruby… I need you to summon some Grimm for me."

Ruby's smile stayed, but Weiss could see the way the edges of her lips grew tight. "... What?"

* * *

Each strike was like a miniature thunderclap.

What got to Blake the most wasn't how powerful Yang's strikes were, but how fast. In a singular moment, Yang went from hopping on her toes around a sandbag, to a barely perceivable blur, then back to a ready position as soon as Blake registered the sound of each punch.

She sat back on a bench a few feet away, silent and curious as Yang showed that serious side of hers. The side from the forest, the one that had only Ruby's safety in mind, the one that turned this workout from what Blake had assumed to be a friendly and mindless little outing into more training.

Their little corner of the gym was empty, besides the two of them. It was probably too soon after PE or the combat classes the older students had on a Monday. Tomorrow and Thursday they'd be going into combat class with Professor Goodwitch. They weren't expected to take on high-risk field missions until their second year, so combat class was of lesser priority. The first years were to focus on good exercise habits and on building proper muscle-mass. As they were entering the twilight years of teenhood, and thus, nearly totally physically maturity, they needed to bring their bodies to peak performance, and combat classes only built so much of their core and form. Either way, their final class of the day would be the most physically stressful, and many students probably had their fill of exercise.

It seemed a bit of waste. The gym was a very well-equipped room. Multiple boxing rings for weaponless sparring, rentable exercise mats, shelves full of weights (with dumbbells that went from fifty to two-hundred and fifty pounds), to barbells that could weigh up to a full ton if setup properly. There were showers, a closet full of spare outfits, punching bags, treadmills, and a second story with more machinery, and even yoga classes. Outside, there was even a Mistral competitive pool, a track, and weight-dragging areas. Other than a few people cooling down with yoga upstairs, Blake didn't see anyone else taking advantage of the indoor facilities. She imagined that, once the school year reached a certain point, it would be jam-packed with people now used to the rigorous physical demands. For the moment, the cheers and laughter from the pool told her where priorities lay.

Blake casually and rhythmically curled fifty pounds in one fist, then the other. She was dressed in the same Beacon gym outfit she'd had on during PE, not wanting to go through her clothes too quickly, but she was taking it easy. The earlier workout left her feeling strained and exhausted, but dinner had served to recharge her enough to perform some basic activity so she wouldn't be loitering. However, watching Yang made her feel strangely small.

The average-sized student-hunter—i.e. Blake—was expected to be able to lift at least two-hundred pounds with aura. Somebody like Weiss would struggle, though Blake suspected Ruby, trained by her father and Yang, and easily waving about that monster of a weapon, could out-bench both Weiss and herself. Somebody whose entire combat style was based on pure, physical strength, such as Yang, Nora, and Cardin, could easily push half a ton with aura.

Aura itself could be trained to enhance the body in certain ways. Blake prefered speed and subterfuge, while Weiss more easily manipulated Dust, and Ren had his impeccable aura control. Yang, though, was built to hit and get hit. Blake could see her partner putting her every effort into training her aura to give her fists that much more _oomph_.

Blake pondered on this as Yang held her fists in front of her face, playing peekaboo around them with the punching bag, almost as if trying to psych out the bag with her aggressive stare, but then her fists lashed out like pistons, throwing punches that even Blake's trained eye could scarcely follow.

It was almost scary.

Yang took a step back. She wasn't flexing, but her muscles were swollen. The blonde was panting. This was her third time today training her body, Blake could hardly believe she was eager for more physical activity after her father's obstacle course, but looking at Yang, Blake wondered what she got out of it.

She had the beautiful hair, the show-stopping smile, the statuesque height and figure, the cherubic cheeks, the beautiful eyes, as well as the big tits, the wide hips, the bubble butt, the legs that never seemed to end, all this exercise couldn't have been just to _look good._ Yang, like Weiss, was blessed with a good physique and frame. Unlike somebody like Nora, whose musculature made her compact body look somewhat mannish, Yang wore her bulging biceps and thick abs like a goddess.

It was distracting... Yang had the classical beauty of a storybook princess, the provocative curvaceousness of a model from some racy magazine, _and_ the sleek, sinewy build of an amazon. Watching Yang made Blake uncomfortable, as if she was simply too good to be true. Yang was _in-your-face_ even with her looks. Somebody petite and… _believable_ like Ruby was more appealing, since her very presence didn't _roar_ when she walked in the room.

Thinking about it, though Weiss looked lovely, Yang walked away the winner of the genetics lottery. Blake's eyebrow twitched, and an amused smirk crossed her face. And Yang was a _lesbian._ Some unfortunate man out there was going to wage a war for Yang's favor, only to find her tongue-deep in some princess.

Blake closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and wordlessly chided herself for thinking in such overblown, romantic terms. It was one thing to call Yang good-looking, it was another to try and immortalize her. Blake realized that she may have needed to put down the romance novels… Lovely as Yang was, she was not perfect. Not some fallen goddess given form, nor unspeakably beautiful. She was above average. _Well_ above average. Unfairly above average. She was _just right..._

Blake's eyebrow twitched. Yang was a _very_ pretty girl and it frustrated Blake to no end.

Blake slowed her motions, batting her eyelids as Yang's bottom filled her vision. "Hmmm?~" Yang cooed in a fascinated way, two-near perfect spheres wrapped in breezy black cloth wiggling in Blake's face.

"... What are you doing?" Blake both sighed and asked at the same time. She stared at Yang's backside, and carefully set a twitching hand on the blonde's rump. After a half-second of consideration, Blake shoved, straightening Yang out and getting that _way-too-soft_ butt out of her face.

"You were staring at me all weird, thought I'd give you a close-up." Yang snickered, peeking over her shoulder to watch Blake pick her weights up again. "... Well?"

"Hm?" Blake invited the cold metal of the weight in her hand, it didn't make her feel… complicated.

"You got a strings-free touch of the Xiao Long booty! It'd be rude to not leave a review." Yang wiggled her hips in a distracting way.

"It's black and smells like farts." Blake answered dully. Oh yes, she would have _much_ prefered talking to Ruby about books. Something harmless. Something that wouldn't make those all too intrusive hormones distract her.

"I don't smell!" Yang suddenly squeaked. She twisted her torso and head as much as she could, sniffing the air behind her, then smacking her backside before sniffing her palm. Blake bit her lips, hiding her amusement. "I _don't._ Little liar."

"Fine." Blake sighed. "It's nice. Happy?"

" _How_ nice?" Yang persisted.

Blake looked up at Yang with a bemused expression, but Yang's taunting grin didn't go away. With a sigh, the black-haired girl set her weights aside and stood. She held her hands out, breast level, and held them about two feet wide. " _This_ nice."

Yang stared at Blake's hands, then the space between them with blank comprehension. "Does… does that mean something?" Yang asked, and Blake put on a playful little grin.

"To me it does."

"Well _what_ then?"

"It's personal."

"Your opinion of my butt is personal?!"

"Mhmm."

"... I bet you like it."

"Not that you'll ever know for sure."

"I'd be honest about _your_ butt."

"I know you would be, and I'll make sure you never get an _accurate_ opinion." Blake wiggled her hips, her smile turning cheeky. Yang puffed up her cheeks in mock indignation. What was it with Blake and her love of Yang's irritation?!

"... C'mere." Yang ordered after a second, hands rising, fingers curled. Blake's smile faltered, her eyebrows rose, her pupils dilated.

"Yang, _no_." Blake took a step back. Yang took two steps forward. Blake's hands reflexively went back to cover her butt, and Yang grew an evil, _evil_ little smile. "Yang?!"

"I'm. Gunna. _Getcha."_ Yang hissed with each step forward. Blake twitched. Then, she was off like a shot, light on her toes as the comparatively deafening slap of Yang's bare feet on the gym floor chased after her.

" _Yaaaang!"_ Blake cried out in protest. The chill air of Beacon's AC blasted across her face as she ran towards the exercise mats area. She was swift, but like a raging bull, Yang grew faster with every step… and was about as graceful.

Yang lunged, arms outstretched, fingers bared for Blake's backside. " _Gotch-_ a?!" She shrieked, as at the last moment, Blake executed an artful backflip that sent Yang skidding across the floor.

Unable to suppress a smirk from forming on her face, Blake turned back, watching Yang shoot to her feet. With a huff and a shake of her head, the blonde whirled around to stare Blake down. Yang didn't look defeated; if anything, she looked happier than ever. "Slippery little fish, huh?"

"Ninja." Blake responded casually, watching Yang take a few testing steps forward. Blake bounced on her heels, hands raised, ready to support her weight no matter which way she threw it.

Yang charged, head low, hands held before her face like she would her fists in a fight. Yang's cocky smile and happy eyes were totally visible, and Blake easily vaulted to the left, cartwheeling away from the charging blonde who, with such high speed and poor control, appeared to have trouble turning. "Blake I will _touch that ass!"_

"Gotta work for it!" Blake called back, sprinting away as she heard happy cackling behind her. Yang was such a simple and foolish thing. She had to be entertained, she could never keep her eyes or hands to herself, she was a good-looking, punch-happy pervert.

The chase was nothing new. Blake had played bait for the White Fang trainees to chase after, teaching them paths through the forest, giving them a goal and expectations of the speed they'd one day need to match. It was always work. Easy work, sure—Blake _loved_ to run—but the goal was to train, not to keep her backside's sanctity.

Blake knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, this was an annoyance, an interruption, a disruption of her goals and needs. It was childish, it was absurd… and it was _really damn fun_. "Mmm, you're kissing the floor so much, maybe you should _marry it."_ Blake leaned over Yang, who pushed herself up to give Blake a little grin.

"What are you, eight?!" Yang demanded before launching herself at Blake. Blake easily side-stepped, landing a taunting smack to Yang's passing rear in the process, the sound rather amusing to the girl, while Yang crashed into a floormat.

Blake gave Yang a smile full of wicked mirth, while Yang rubbed at her abused ass with surprise. Yang swiftly turned, eyeing Blake curiously, and Blake stuck her tongue out. "Nana nana boo-boo." The huntress wiggled her hips tauntingly, and Yang grit her teeth.

"Oh, it is _on."_ Yang growled, signaling the start of a chase that would last a solid ten minutes, resulting in nothing but failure and a sore backside on Yang's end, and endless giggling from Blake's.

* * *

The question of the hour was simple: who did Nora want to molest first?

Ren was the obvious choice, they had a _thing._ A _thingy-thing_ at that. Her man, strong as an ox, silent as a whisper, all it would take was one little nibble to his earlobe to send him all a-fluster, and Nora l-l- _loved_ putting her man on the wrong foot. The problem was that he was old news. Her _favorite_ news, but she knew all his buttons, she knew what made him kick, squirm, whimper, and purr… but right now, she had new people to play with.

And _mmph,_ Jaune was _new._ He was a good boy, a total sweetheart, she sorta wanted to collar and leash the poor boy and teach him to _beg._ He had a bit more a man's build than Ren, and a booty that sang when Nora paddled it. That and he knew how to make a girl feel pretty. Not just with his mysterious makeup magic, but he always sorta stumbled his way into saying something too adorably honest to be mad at. Ren wouldn't like it much though, and making Ren mad was _low_ on Nora's priorities.

So that left one person… the Mistralian beauty, the unbroken queen of the colosseum, the luscious, succulent, built-like-an-Atlesian-statue master of the xiflelin herself, Pyrrha-freakin'-Nikos.

Nora slid an inch closer to Pyrrha, a lascivious smile on her face as Pyrrha focused strictly on the lounge television. The couch was wide enough for them to keep their personal space, but Nora's idea of a 'personal bubble' was like her appreciation of the subtle blend of persimmon leaf, ginger, and turmeric in the tea Ren was brewing: nonexistent.

"Hey Pyrrha~?" Nora's smile split her face as her hand subtly slid into Pyrrha's lap. Pyrrha didn't even flinch as Nora hovered ever closer, their cheeks almost touching.

"Mm?" Pyrrha's eyes were wide, her fists in her cheeks as her unwavering attention remained on the lounge room television.

"You wanna make out?!~" Nora shot her autumn-haired teammate a massive smile. To Pyrrha's other side, Jaune stopped chewing the trail mix he'd found, blinking rapidly at Nora and Pyrrha.

"Nora!..." Ren called in a warning voice from the stove, but Nora ignored him and wiggled in place.

"After the show." Pyrrha mumbled distractedly, leaning forward, her lips barely moving in her response. Jaune's brow furrowed, and he swallowed thickly, though to his detriment as the salt tickled his throat and made him hack and cough rather than contribute any real insight to the request.

" _Yes!"_ Nora pumped her arms, throwing an arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. Pyrrha didn't even notice, too busy watching the debut matches of Mistral Regional Tournament hopefuls. "I get Pyrrha kisses!" Nora giggled, heavily leaning against a second year boy on her other side. "Hear that, buster?! Imma kiss a celebrity!"

"Cool." The guy muttered. There were a dozen engrossed Beacon students on the couch, the floor, and sitting in stolen table chairs all focused on the big flatscreen hanging on the wall. "Ah!" The guy grabbed his forehead. "No, idiot! _Tchurae!_ Left! His weakness is his—"

The crowd vocalized a simultaneous cry of horror as one of the debut fighters took an axe blade to the temple, flooring her as her aura sputtered and convulsed.

"Ooooh man, that is a _wicked_ fade…" A girl wheezed in sympathy.

"Shoot, that might kill her vision for a few weeks…"

"A few _weeks?_ She might get an eyepatch after that, look at the replay…"

"What do you think, Pyrrha?" The crowd excitedly turned to the redhead. Pyrrha blinked at all the shining eyes, all MRT fans, their faces twinkling with curiosity and awe of who they were in the presence of.

Pyrrha's hand went down to her chin, massaging it thoughtfully before a little gush of air escaped her nostrils. "The hit was clean, so unless she can banish that fade in the next ten seconds, we're seeing an end to the match. However, remember that the axe blade is dulled for tournament use, if it was sharpened—or, heavens forbid, _serrated—_ then she'd definitely lose an eye."

"Oh yeah."

"Dulling the blade became standard, like, nine years ago, right? We aren't going to see any fade paralyzation like we used to."

Jaune sat silently. He didn't really know what to expect from the MRT. PE had shown him hunters were physically capable of the absurd, though he himself had kept up a good ways through the course. Watching two gladiators—fundamentally hunters, but trained to fight other hunters non-lethally—gave him some insight into the speed and strength of semi-pros.

Having skimmed the chapter Pyrrha had given him before gym, he knew aura was affected by belief and understanding. If you knew a blade was worn and rusted, your aura that strengthened it would be dull, but if it was freshly sharpened and clean, your aura would be sharp to reflect that. Before the match had started, the axe-fighter had his blade worn down publically, right in front of him, so that the axe-fighter and his opponent would both know it was dull. Even in the midst of a heated battle, your subconscious _knew_ the axe blade wasn't that sharp.

According to Pyrrha, it was customary. After all, a gladiator fight was meant to be a spectacle, a sport, bloodshed and maiming went against the competitive spirit; that, and the MRT wanted to encourage 'boomerang participants.' What made aura so fickle-yet-consistent was that it was nearly infallible. Tricking your aura meant tricking yourself, which only worked if you were free of doubt and one-hundred percent believed in what you were lying to yourself about.

It was possible to compensate for a lack of strength and care through sheer, zealous bravado, but it was considered risky, stupid, and above all else, pitiable for a hunter. After all, confidence was supposed to come through preparation and training, not self-hypnotism.

He stood, drawing a curious look from Pyrrha, but he offered her a reassuring smile, and walked around the couch. He nearly ran into Ren, who was carrying a tray full of tea cups, unashamed of the eye-poppingly pink apron he wore.

"Persimmon leaf tea? It relaxes blood flow." Ren offered a cup. Jaune took the cup with a small, though forced smile.

"Thanks Ren. I'm actually gonna go out and practice a bit." Jaune pressed the dainty cup to his lips and reeled away from the heat. _Small_ sips...

"By all means, nobody's going to stop you." Ren nodded, while Jaune swallowed with a wince. "Not much of a tea fan?"

"Grew up on coffee…"

"You'll come to like the taste eventually." Ren nudged Jaune with his shoulder as he passed by, stopping to look at his leader. He was so used to being stoic, he had to force his emotionless facade to drop so he could give Jaune an honest smile. "Don't push yourself Jaune. Tomorrow will be another busy day."

The statement made Jaune's heart freeze. That's right, more classes, more training… He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, and sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah. I won't overdo it."

"Mm." Ren nodded. He watched Jaune exit the room, heading for the lockers. Ren silently suspected that his team leader, good-hearted and tactically sound as he was, was not the most well-trained fighter. He shook the thoughts from his head as he passed tea out to the crowd around the television, saving the last two cups for himself and Nora.

He stood by his girlfriend, sipping the tea with relish, and looked down to meet her excited eyes. " _I_ get Pyrrha kisses." She stated proudly. The tea tray smacked the top of her head, making her yip, and Ren's amused stare narrowed.

"Vetoed."

On screen, the downed fighter finally made a move, but too late to recoup and resume the match. Nora and the fallen gladiator shared similar wails of despair and defeat as the watching crowd prattled on.

* * *

"We should have no witnesses here." Weiss stated in a tone of satisfaction. With some luck, they had managed to secure a private practice room. The solitary arenas were wide, circular rooms with a single, high booth for somebody to watch down from. In Ruby and Weiss's room, the cubicle above was empty, as was to be expected. The floor below was divided into multiple square tiles, each of which could be raised or lowered to simulate terrain.

Using a portable control panel, Weiss summoned both her own and Ruby's lockers, taking out Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster. Her palm relaxed as she held her rapier in her left hand. It was the most natural feeling in the world: smooth, elegant, the perfect weight for combat; it was practically a member of the family. It was the sword she'd hand-crafted for herself, trained relentlessly with, and would one day be her tool of freedom. She simply had to… correct some mistakes.

Crescent Rose, folding into its compact, rectangular, rifle form, was held against her side. She knew full well how large Ruby's scythe could fold out to be, but in its compacted rifle form, it still threw her off how heavy it was. She didn't like how angular it was, nor how _red._ It was an eyesore, and lacked the delicate elegance she favored, but it had proven brutally effective in Ruby's hands.

Weiss held Crescent Rose out to her partner, and Weiss's eyes flicked up to Ruby's goggles. She could see the hesitation and fear in her partner, but Weiss herself stayed confident. This was not the time to hesitate; she needed to amend her mistakes, and prove to herself and her partner she could grow.

Nervous hands took Crescent Rose. As Ruby cradled her weapon to her chest, she felt a sense of ease. Her true strength was back in her hands, where it deserved to be…

"Alright Ruby. We're set up. Tell me how you killed that Boarbatusk." Weiss ordered. As Port said, Ruby had proven to be the expert here. She needed to view this as a chance to learn, not as debasing herself.

Ruby stroked Crescent Rose's side quietly, her mind working slowly. "You…" Ruby mulled over her options. "You have to have the right timing. It's distance and timing, and the right angle, and the right force, and…" Ruby's jut her jaw out in frustration as Weiss watched her. With a masterful spin of the rifle in Ruby's hands, Rose unfolded into its full, monstrous size, that curved, inward facing blade hanging over Ruby's head. "Let me show you…"

Ruby stepped back, and Weiss stepped out of the way as Ruby stared down the opposite wall. The growling had died down as Ruby pulled her mind away from the beasts below and focused. "Boarbatusks aren't super smart, even when they get really old. When they use their rolling attack, the best they do is when they start angling left and right, or using it as a surprise. Most often, mid-fight, they use it to close distance and put you on the wrong foot."

Ruby looked Weiss's way, and the heiress slowly nodded her head, though there was a hint of 'I knew that' as she gave an audible, "Mhmm?"

"So…" Ruby raised her scythe, resting the shaft on her shoulder as she visualized the scenario. "The technique my uncle taught me is about suddenly changing their direction while stopping their roll. See…" Crescent Rose was brought low, the top of the weapon rocking back and forth against the floor. "That's my effective range, so I want to hit the Boarbatusk as it's rolling right there. Then, I send an aura blast to—"

"You mean pulse?"

"I mean—yes, I mean, well, I call it 'blast' but- y-you know what I'm getting at! I send an aura pulast- pulse!" Ruby squeaked, causing Weiss to let out a small sigh. "I- I send an aura pulse to the top of Crescent Rose right as I do. Th-the blast- _pulse!_ The pulse mixed with my swing makes it pop into the air. Then…" Ruby set Crescent Rose back into swinging position, and made the slicing motion. In the moment the strike grazed the floor, Weiss saw it.

It was quick, blindingly so. Weiss believed herself to be very observant, but Ruby's slice could have been measured by the single blink of her eyes… but the ripple of air she'd seen was unmistakable. An aura pulse, the most common of aura 'techniques.' A simple burst of willful strength at the right moment, packing that extra punch. Most blade-using hunters/gladiators didn't make as much use of it as they did aura sharpening, but being able to bust through shields, armor, and solid rock meant the pulse had plenty of application for even a knife enthusiast.

Concentrating it to such a precise area during such a quick motion was a momentous testament to Ruby's ability. It was effective for precisely _one_ enemy, and it carried extraordinarily high risk if she swung too early or too late… but a single stroke, and the battle had been hers. Weiss recalled how _lazy_ Ruby had looked in the process, hardly tense until the moment the cage opened.

The grip on Myrtenaster tightened, and Weiss silently wondered how far ahead Ruby was when it came to _actual_ Grimm hunting. She belayed her wounded ego, and instead, replayed the moment Ruby had struck in her mind.

"So…" Weiss held Myrtenaster out, and focused on the wall on the other side of the room. "Step one: know my distance." Myrtenaster's tip prodded the floor. "Step two: strike right as the Boarbatusk crosses the line." She pictured the spinning beast, wheeling towards her at lethal speeds. "Step three: release an aura pulse upwards and back."

"And follow through." Ruby tacked on.

Weiss prodded the floor, and readied herself. In her mind, the Boarbatusk was racing towards her, squealing its ugly squeal, wanting to bring her life to an end. How presumptuous, to think a simple Grimm like that could end _her_ life. She gave her best thrust. Fast as the crack of a whip, Myrtenaster, hit the floor, and the air rippled as the pulse travelled down the blade. A small rumble hit her ear, and she hid a satisfied smile. It was a good pulse, powerful enough to get the job done, but Ruby shook her head.

"Right _as_ your sword would hit the Boarbatusk, no later! It you hit it without the blast—err, pulse—"

"Just say 'blast'..."

"R-right… without the blast, it doesn't have enough _punch_ —" Ruby threw a sloppy left hook, "—so you have to get the timing down _perfectly_. Boarbatusks are a cinch once you do."

Weiss stepped into position. Right as she struck the Boarbatusk… which would be right before she hit the floor. For ten minutes, she thrust and pulsed as Ruby helped her. Weiss reasoned that, as a rapier fighter, she had greater reach, since her thrust could be accompanied by a skip forward for more power, but that meant a greater understanding of her feet, weapon, and pulse all at once.

The timing was so precise, yet Ruby could immediately tell her if she'd succeeded or failed. Weiss had _many_ things to say about Ruby's academic performance, but her combat intuition was excellent, at least, as far as Weiss _knew._ She intended to put this practical use as soon as she had it down.

Once wasn't enough. Once came every now and then as Weiss trained herself to know the timing. Twice in a row was better, but it could have easily been luck. Weiss didn't trust twice. Three in a row was better, promising, and Weiss felt her confidence growing, but she still slipped. Four in a row, however, was leaving her with a smile, especially when she made five in a row, then six in a row right after! Eight in a row, only missing the ninth by a fraction of a fraction of a second, and even then, she made it to ten on her next attempt.

Her timing was down. So down, in fact, that Weiss was dancing forward, pursuing an imaginary opponent, thrusting at their feet with flickering stabs that could dent metal and blow apart toes.

"I think you have it." Ruby said with a calm smile.

"Excellent." Weiss held her rapier straight up before her face, like a knight offering a prayer with their sword, then gave Ruby a smile. "Summon a Boarbatusk." She ordered with complete confidence, moving into position against the wall. She held Myrtenaster out at the ready, looking to Ruby.

Ruby did not share in her confidence. Weiss's smile fell, as Ruby watched her with a worried frown, then silently shook her head. "I can't… N-no, I _won't."_

Weiss stared as Ruby took a step back, squaring her shoulders in defiance. "Ruby, listen," Weiss held out a hand, offering an explanation, but Ruby held Crescent Rose to her chest defensively. "I understand this is bending the rules, but… this is an _excellent_ opportunity for us. We don't have to practice against each other, or training dummies, we can fight real Grimm!"

"Right… _real_ Grimm…" Ruby whispered, her fingers tight around Rose's pole. Weiss gave her team leader a deep frown.

Time for a different tactic. "Ruby, I've done this before." Weiss started, using easy body language and a calm tone. "The Schnee family's semblance is unique not just in its hereditary nature, but we can _summon."_ At that, Ruby took a step back, her mouth slightly open.

" _Grimm?!"_ Ruby hissed, and Weiss felt a shiver go up her arm as she watched the attempt begin to collapse in failure.

"No, no, not _exactly."_ Weiss's cheekbones rose as her sister's words came to mind. "I have an older sister, and she would train me by summoning something _like_ Grimm. They were white, and completely under her control. They fought like Grimm, sounded like Grimm, even _felt_ like Grimm, but would stop at her command. I assure you, I can handle myself."

"That's all well and great, but…" Ruby fell silent. Weiss did as well, wondering was reason Ruby could have to shoot it down, but with a small, _angry_ wince, Ruby spoke up again. "Your sister can control her summons. I summon actual Grimm, but I _can't_ control them."

"... Come again?" Weiss turned her ear to Ruby, her frown deepening. "What about in the forest, those… _claws_ you summoned on the Ursa, you were controlling those."

"Arms and wings and stuff I can control." Ruby sighed. She stood straight, and slung Crescent Rose over her shoulders. At her feet, Weiss watched carefully as a circle of darkness expanded under Ruby's feet. The odd, black disc spread wide, rejecting the light that tried to illuminate it, remaining stubbornly obscure and featureless. The soles of Ruby's boots sank into the murk, but she descended no further, remaining aloft in the odd pool.

Then, without warning, an arm pushed out of the pool. A black, liquid-like mass collapsing off it like it was bursting through water's surface, quivering, grasping, and clutching at the air like… like a cat blinding searching a mouse hole. Weiss felt unease settle in her gut. She recognized the claw of a beowolf, she knew how dangerous it could be… but she had assumed in a controlled environment, like the protected, private room of Beacon, somehow it would be less unsettling. As bone white claws smashed into the floor, dragging itself along, trying to get a grip, Weiss found herself sorely wrong.

"Though… ' _control'_ isn't exactly right. I just end up with a lot of claws and stuff sorta trying to cut whatever they can. I can get wings, most of the time, but after a while, those stop listening to me…" As Ruby spoke, her cloak spread and fluttered, and Weiss found herself staring in silent awe as Ruby grew the dark, feathered wings of a nevermore. With a twelve-foot wingspan and the scythe over her shoulders, Ruby cut a startlingly ominous figure, and Weiss could only imagine how horrifically it would compound if her eyes were exposed.

Ruby's face sank, and she flinched as the black beowolf claw finally caught onto something for it to rend. Ruby's right wing jerked in obvious pain as the paw pulled out a fistful of ebon black down, though Ruby only seemed surprised by what would obviously have been a painful loss of feathers. Almost immediately afterwards, the wing began to flap, as if furious, or even afraid of being attacked again, while the other wing quivered and, as if sensing the other wing's distress, began to beat in a panic, completely out of sync with the other wing.

Ruby yelped as she was dragged left and right, nearly toppling her over several times. Weiss could only watch in half amusement, half terror as Ruby struggled to regain control, and only by tossing Crescent Rose aside to grab both appendages did they quit their chaotic attempts to escape. Below, the claw sunk back into the pool, leaving the wings, and Ruby, alone.

Frowning in annoyance, Ruby let the wings go, and slid her hand down the feathers of one wing, and plucked a feather too swiftly for it to react with much more than a twitch. Ruby's wingspan disappeared, her pool shrank, and she stepped towards Weiss.

"I summon the real thing." Ruby whispered, holding the feather out to Weiss. Wordlessly, Weiss took her eyes off Ruby to take the down, holding it between two fingers. It was as sharp as a knife, and a simple bend in the middle snapped it in half. Coarse, brittle, _lethal_ … It was an actual Nevermore feather. "When somebody screws up their semblance, they fall over too fast, or get a headache, or make an icicle they shouldn't have. When _I_ screw up, I murder dogs, or hurt my family." Ruby's voice fell gently, and Weiss had the sudden urge to just… apologize. She didn't know what else to do, but a stone of regret had settled in her gullet, and she didn't know what to _do_ with it. "I came here to learn to fight without my 'ability.' I don't think using it for practice will help anyone."

Weiss considered the girl before her. It was true that Ruby's power was something alien, something horrific, something that went against the core of what hunting had set out to accomplish, but there was applications to consider: unlike Ruby's eyes, the ability to summon Grimm could have incredible uses in training hunters. With a small bite of her lower lip, she used a finger to lift Ruby's chin, getting the girl's attention.

"So you're telling me that neither of us could kill even one Grimm?" Weiss asked in a calm, yet direct voice. Ruby's cheeks twitched.

"N-no, we both could, I just… I don't want to summon any, not _here._ If somebody got hurt- if _you_ got hurt-"

"Then I'd failed, and I'd have you here to keep me safe." Weiss rested a hand on Rose's handle, and Ruby instinctively pulled her scythe closer to her body. "Ruby, I have my aura, my weapon, and more than either of those, _you._ I am not weak, neither are you, one Grimm won't hurt either of us very much."

"But it _could_ and-and I don't think I could handle hurting you and..." Ruby gave Weiss a worried look, her lip quivering as Weiss's hand moved to Ruby's shoulder.

"Professor Port trusted us enough to set us against three Grimm, one-on-one. He knows we're here for a job, and none of us have the luxury of avoiding it for the rest of our lives. We're here to kill Grimm, _you_ showed me that you know a quick, efficient way to counteract a Boarbatusk's charge." Weiss squeezed Ruby's shoulder. It was just an impulse, a feeling that it was right to do, but she wasn't sure how it helped.

Ruby simply stared at her partner, the younger of the two putting on a worried expression. However, she quietly squeezed and stroked Crescent Rose's long pole, trying to reset her grip, trying to reestablish her strength.

Silently, she stuck her jaw out, and Weiss gently pushed. "I want to know for sure, Ruby… please. We're both here. If it attacks you, I'll protect you. If it attacks me, I know _you'll_ protect me. Please, trust me?"

"... I don't like the way it feels." Ruby offered softly, no real strength in her argument, and Weiss… chuckled.

"Understandable, but there needs to be _some_ commitment to learning about yourself and what you can do. Maybe you don't like it, that's _okay,_ but think of this not just as an opportunity to teach me, but a way for you to learn more about yourself. How often have you used your Grimm power inoffensively, just to learn to fight?"

"... Never…" Ruby admitted, staring at her feet. No, not _at_ her feet, but _past_ them, into something Weiss could only guess at.

"How beneficial would it be for team RWBY if they had authentic Grimm to fight?"

"To _die_ against…"

"Hush." Weiss's squeezing hand made Ruby whimper in slight discomfort, but then it let up. "We won't die. We're not weak, we're not vulnerable. We know what our enemy is, where it's coming from, and how it's emerging. Maybe we get a bruise or two, but that's why there's two of us and one of them. Please, Ruby? I know you won't try to hurt me intentionally, so I'm asking you to give me the chance to learn. Our fights against future Grimm could be decided by this decision! The Boarbatusks of tomorrow or the day after, I could go in with _real_ experience… Just, please Ruby… please trust in _my_ power, and I'll trust in yours?"

Ruby stayed silent. Without a word, she brushed off Weiss's hand, and like a sulking child, trudged to the other side of the room. Weiss watched with hope and apprehension as Ruby silently tapped at the ground with her scythe's pole. The heiress's hand squeezed Myrtenaster's grip, fighting the need to go confront Ruby further. It was in Ruby's hands now, pressuring her wouldn't help the situation, she just had to hope-

A black puddle flooded the floor from beneath Ruby's feet, and a wriggling snout and tusks pushed through. A furious, piggish squeal filled the room, and Ruby's scythe blade hung low, while Ruby's firm expression commanded the emerging Boarbatusk to be silent. "Weiss…"

Weiss entered her ready stance, watching in a mixture of awe and energetic terror as the boar squirmed out of the puddle, like it was tearing itself out of some cloying muck. Fresh, white plates adorned its face, beady red eyes focused on her, and an angry scream tore through the air as it fought to pull itself into proper attacking position.

"Steps?" Ruby demanded firmly.

"Step one: know my distance." Weiss said loudly. "Step two: strike right as it crosses the line. Step three—" The Boarbatusk's hindlegs appeared, and it trudged out of the black pool as Ruby held her scythe back, the rifle barrel aimed at the pig's haunches, "release an aura pulse. Step four…" Weiss firmed her stance, the Boarbatusk staring her down. Its wild, furious squeal sent jubilant energy through her body, the adrenaline of a coming fight, of a coming victory or loss… "Follow through."

And just like that, it curled, spinning like a bladed wheel, building up its speed and killing power in a single moment, it suddenly shot towards Weiss like a cannonball. Weiss firmed her stance, her breath caught in her throat. This was the moment. She had been practicing for this, she had the motions down, she had the—

She leapt to the right, teeth digging into her bottom lip, eyes wide as the boar Grimm shot past her, the powerful draft trailing behind it making her skirt whip against her legs before it turned swiftly, skidding to a halt and uncurling onto all four of its hooves.

Why did her hand feel like lead all of a sudden? Why was moving such a monumental task? She wasn't afraid, not of this thing… she could kill it. She absolutely _could_ kill it! So why wasn't she _killing it?!_

"Weiss!" Ruby's call met her ear, and Weiss's body tensed. No, not _now._ "Move!" She could feel Crescent Rose's sights on her back, waiting for her to step out of the way, to let Ruby kill the Boarbatusk…

 _Why was she so tense?!_

Weiss lept out of the way again as the pig charged her, flat teeth snapping at her evading ankle. As soon as she was clear, a shot rang out, and an aura-charged bullet ripped open the Boarbatusk's front left leg, leaving it skittering across the floor on its side, squealing in pain, silenced by the deafening ' _clunk'_ of Ruby pulling Crescent Rose's bolt.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss cried out. No second shot came, and Weiss held her sword in front of her, pointed at the Boarbatusk as her mind raced. Techniques, strategies, everything Ruby had taught her flew through her head at a hundred miles per hour. She was thinking too quickly to grasp down on what to do next, and it made her body sluggish. With a soft intake of breath, she pushed the quivering tip of her blade against the bottom of the Boarbatusk's jaw. The Grimm snapped at her metal angrily, flat teeth clamping around the metal. "Don't…" Weiss whispered to herself, while the boar tried to scramble to a standing position and pull Myrtenaster out of her hand. "Don't _think."_ She finished in admonishment.

The Boarbatusk whipped its head back, but Weiss kept her wrist loose. Her hand swiveled, but her grip did not relent. With firm fingers and a relaxed stance, she would not be disarmed again.

She could have activated her semblance and roasted it alive, or frozen it to death, or even crushed it with a Dust-empowered aura pulse, but that was not why she was here.

She whipped Myrtenaster out of the Boarbatusk's mouth. It was not something to be frightened of, she would not hesitate again. She stepped back, and let out a self-empowering roar as she punted the Boarbatusk towards Ruby, a squeal of surprise flying after it as it landed at her surprised partner's feet. The pig, pained and confused, squirmed its way into the dark pool, sinking into the Grimm blackness.

Ruby stared at Weiss in surprise, then down at the pool roiling at her feet. They knew… whatever consciousnesses drifted in the dark mire below knew they were being called. Ruby could hear their clicking claws and snapping teeth, but she did not let it faze her. She looked back up to Weiss, who stood ready on the other side of the room.

"W-Weiss, I'm… I'm s-still not su-sure this is the b-best idea." Ruby called. Even so, she sought out another Boarbatusk. She couldn't feel one drifting in the pool at first, but then one grunted in violent anticipation, a second squealed, and a cacophony of pigs, waiting to escape their prison, reached her ears. The darkness writhed and squirmed with the unformed legion of Boarbatusks, their snouts and tusks pushing up from the shadows.

Ruby tightened that grip she had around the portal, keeping them restrained, but a single look to Weiss made the piggish wailing in her ears abate.

The heiress, her first friend… she looked so strong, so confident, so unbothered by the burden of her lesson. Her small frown was firm, her eyes sharp, her stance impeccable. "Ruby," Weiss's voice made the quivering puddle at Ruby's feet go still, "I can't think of any better way to train. _Don't be scared,_ we're both going to be fine… and I'm going to get this _right."_

They pawed at the barrier below her, begging for her now to release them. They wanted to swarm, to feast, to rend, to tear, to hurt the white-haired beauty across the room. Ruby settled the butterflies in her tummy. They were such simple, belligerent monsters… with no idea just _who_ they were fighting!

"S-steps!" Ruby called, loosening her grip on one Boarbatusk. She could feel it solidifying quickly, the formation faster and more violent than ever before. They wanted out, and they sensed an opportunity.

"One: know my distan—" The puddle erupted before Weiss could finish the word. A Boarbatusk wheeled through the air, launched as if it was _actually_ fired from a cannon. It wasn't on the ground, the flipping technique wouldn't work… so _improvise._ "Two!" Weiss focused her strength behind her off-hand. She had aura, she wouldn't be afraid. "Strike when it crosses the _line!"_ The boar filled her view. She freed her hand of the tense weight dragging it down. Her wrist was loose, her fingers strong, and the back of her off-hand blew the Boarbatusk out of her face and into the floor, rolling, screaming, and kicking as momentum carried it to the wall. "Step three: release a pulse!" She strode towards the confused, squirming pig, her right hand numb, wrist hurting, but she was alive, and her body undamaged. "Step _four._ " Myrtenaster plunged straight through the barrel of its chest, making it kick, squeal, slow, quiver, and die. "Follow through."

"W-Weiss?!" Ruby stared in surprise as Weiss walked back to her position across from Ruby, Myrtenaster pointed forward, her right hand flexing. "Th-that was so _cool!"_ Ruby gasped, her posture full of awe.

Weiss simply smiled, her heart hammering. That had been _terrifying,_ but she had _succeeded._ "Thank you Ruby. Now, another, please." The weight was threatening to settle on her body again, to slow her, to make her hesitate… but no. No more intruding thoughts, no more fear of failure…

No fearing Ruby. She was here to grow stronger, not to prove herself to anybody, least of all her partner… though… Ruby's words rang through her head. She was cool. Ruby thought she was _cool._ She gave Myrtenaster a flip in her hand, a self-pleased smile on her face. _Hell yeah,_ she was cool.

The third Boarbatusk to exit Ruby's pool was _much_ less choosy in its victims. As soon as it emerged, it snapped at Ruby's boots, forcing her back a step. Weiss took a step forward to help, suddenly worried, but a swing of Ruby's scythe sheared off its tusks. It emerged with a violent scream, its primary weapons gone, but three more swipes left it in pieces. Right… Ruby wasn't helpless either, but… it was distressing her Grimm were so quick to turn on her.

Weiss could see _why_ Ruby was afraid of her own semblance, if _that_ was what she grew up with. She made a mental note as the Boarbatusk died: rather than disappearing into black ash, to be scattered by the wind, it melted into the floor, the black tendrils slithering back to Ruby's puddle… in a way, her Grimm were loyal, but only to whatever lay beyond the pool.

A world of darkness and Grimm? The thought made Weiss's skin crawl… but intrigued her. A small, morbidly curious part wanted to see beyond, but the protection that would require… perhaps Oobleck would be interested...

… But not now. Her next opponent was ripping its way out of the portal, albeit with greater difficulty. Perhaps Ruby was keeping a better grip on it to ensure their safety, but the lack of surprise meant the charging boar didn't have much of an edge. Weiss swept to the side, distancing herself in a single leap as the boar circled around to glare at her.

She needed the rollout, so she baited its charges, leaving them fruitless, her sword's tip digging into its haunches to taunt it. It took three passes before she succeeded. With an enraged shriek, it began rolling.

It raced towards her, spinning with reckless abandon, weaving left and right, trying to catch her off guard. This one was either blessed with better brains or was too angry to steer itself straight, but it made for an interesting challenge.

Weiss knew her distance. The line was there in her mind, and Myrtenaster at the ready. It drew ever closer, and then the moment was right. She struck true, an aura pulse shooting down Myrtenaster, but a second too late. Her left leg gave out from under her as the Boarbatusk's momentum hitched, causing it to spin out and slide under her, throwing her to her hands and knees.

"Weiss?!" Ruby's cried out in worry, but Weiss held out a hand in reassurance.

It was okay. A little pain was _fine,_ her aura still worked, her weapon was in her hand. She whirled towards the beast, confident it would still be staggered, but she let out a gasp as it proved her wrong. Sympathetic pain exploded across her chest as its armored headbutt threw her off her feet.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted more urgently. Weiss hit the floor, Myrtenaster skidding somewhere just out of reach behind her head.

 _Damnit._ She'd been caught off guard, _too_ confident. It only took a moment for a Grimm's wild instincts and violent flailing to break your guard and leave you exposed… her aura was still intact, but it wouldn't be for long if she let the Boarbatusk keep attacking her.

She heard the clattering of hooves, and spryly threw her legs over her head. She rolled back onto her feet in a low crouch, and the Boarbatusk threw itself at her, barely missing as she quickly rolled out of its way.

"I-I'm gunna shoot it, don't worry-"

" _My sword!"_ Weiss interrupted loudly, watching the Boarbatusk's movements close. "Where's my sword, Ruby?!" Weiss called out. This was no time to be proud. This was a _real_ Grimm, she had _nothing_ to prove. _Nothing._ She clenched her teeth.

"Se-seven o'clock!" Ruby shouted. Weiss skipped backwards as the Boarbatusk rounded on her, its hoof scraping the tiled floor as Weiss reached back, her hand finding Myrtenaster's blade. She threw her sword into the air, caught it by the handle, and watched as the boar began began to charge a rollout once more.

Weiss grit her teeth. "Ruby! Don't shoot!" She shouted. Ruby's trepidation was palpable, but Weiss kept her focus forward, her weapon at the ready.

Step one: know your distance.

The Boarbatusk wheeled towards her at full speed, and Weiss… ran. Ruby let out an audible gasp as Weiss threw herself towards the Grimm in a full sprint, her eyes on the beast.

Step two: strike when it crossed the line.

The distance closed at what felt like lightspeed, but Weiss knew that, if given the chance to think, she'd hesitate. She had to throw aside her thoughts. She _knew_ what she was doing, but her thinking held her back.

Step three: release an aura pulse.

Myrtenaster struck the point where the Boarbatusk met the floor, the tip puncturing the tile as the aura swollen at its tip exploded. The Boarbatusk was flung into the air, its momentum completely stolen, its direction diverted, its belly open to her. She pulled her hand back.

Step four: follow through.

The blade ran the boar through like a shish kebab, its body suspended in the air by Weiss's strength alone. Not even a peep escaped the Grimm. Weiss panted heavily, her arm trembling, her body surging with energy and strength, but her emotions at peace, her mind still. She whipped Myrtenaster back, out of the Boarbatusk's gullet, and it hit the floor like a sack of wet potatoes. The only sound was Weiss's heels clicking against the floor as she stepped back into position, the Grimm's remains swiftly flowing back into Ruby's pool.

Ruby stood there, hands over her mouth, completely silent and still. Though Weiss couldn't see it, Ruby's eyes were wide and unblinking, and her heart was hammering. She could only watch as Weiss held Myrtenaster before her, her knight's prayer stance filling her with meditative peace, before stepping back into a ready position.

"Send another." Weiss ordered sternly.

The pool beneath Ruby's feet was silent and still, but the young girl's small squeak of compliance was all it needed to produce another Boarbatusk to train on.

Weiss would not be satisfied with only two successes. She _needed_ more. At the same time, watching Ruby's joy, hearing her cheer, knowing that, even when there was a misstep, her partner, her _leader_ was there to help her made the missteps feel small.

This power of Ruby's was horrifying, and Weiss's craving to know the whats and the whys was balanced by a healthy, fearful respect of it. But it had applications, applications no other student in Beacon could use… ones that they could use to help understand Ruby's powers better, while also improving their personal performances in the field of battle.

Technically, it wasn't cheating. Technically.

* * *

Yang massaged her face with a fresh towel, dabbing away the sweat and dirt with a big grin. She ached _so_ good right now, her whole body pulsated with a familiar, comforting pain. Her bare knuckles had a good, raw feeling to them she could never get with her aura activated.

But the best part was her feet. She'd had one _hell_ of a good time exercising her legs, mostly because it involved making her partner giggle and whine as she was chased around the gymnasium. Yang lay her sore feet on the ground and pushed herself up to a standing position, watching the showers patiently.

She threw a right straight, letting out a grunt of exertion in the process, and grinned to herself. _That_ felt good. She threw a left, then another right, and alternated between her fists until a dry voice hit her ear.

"You never let up, do you?"

Yang swiveled her head towards Blake, who leaned against the frame of the shower's entrance. She was dripping wet, her body wrapped in a white towel, hiding that pale majesty from Yang's eyes. The blonde was immediately eyeballing those long, lovely legs, and Blake simply smirked.

"You don't get this strong by slowing down, Blakey." Yang purred, watching Blake take casual strides to the locker she'd taken over. Her black-haired partner was still wonderfully frustrating, having once again entered the showers before Yang, shamelessly letting Yang eyeball her bare body before claiming a private stall.

Yang had showered nearby so they could chat, but never got a second glimpse at Blake's curves. Yang didn't let it bother her. A part of her was drooling over the chance to pounce her partner, but she knew that moving too quickly would drive the girl away. She was not _content_ waiting around, but she would be patient. Somehow, some way…

Blake's towel fell onto the nearby bench, and Yang's red-hot body somehow managed to warm up further. She suppressed an aroused whimper as Blake silently got dressed, making no exaggerated movements, but little peeks of her golden eyes confirming to her that Yang was watching.

Yang had seen her fair share of beautiful women, but Blake stood out by the sheer ease in how she moved and showed herself. None of it was deliberate, she was in no way _demanding_ Yang's attention, but Blake had it anyways. It was baffling… about as baffling as her ever-present ribbon, but Yang held her tongue. It was _adorable,_ just omnipresent.

Back in her T-shirt and shorts, Blake threw her still heavy, wet mass of hair over her shoulder and silently fixated on Yang. Their eyes met, and a stare-down commenced as Blake's fingers ran threw her black mane, grooming it out.

"So, uh, I'm done with exercise for the day. You wanna go chill on the roof again, or maybe find some games or something? Pyrrha said the library had a ton of movies and TV shows." Yang offered, finally approaching, the tension comfortably broken as Yang leaned back against the lockers by Blake's side.

"Mmm." Blake responded. She used a scrunchie she 'borrowed' from somebody to pull her hair back into a thick ponytail, glancing up at the ceiling. Silently, she pulled her hands from her hair and dried them on a towel, and shook her head. "Actually…" She looked to Yang, silently worried, but the blonde tilted her head. "I was going to get some alone time on the roof somewhere. Just lay back and enjoy the night. I know that's not your thing…"

"No, no, it's cool, it's cool." Yang gave Blake a little smile. "Hey, we can't be together all the time every day, that'd get a little weird."

"Li'l bit." Blake gave Yang an appreciative smile, thought she examined her partner's features closely, evaluating the truth in her expression. Though her shoulders sagged in disappointment, Yang didn't seem conflicted or angry. Her expression was gentle and reassuring. "I'll have my scroll on me though, in case you need me."

"Same." Yang lifted the small white rectangle that would expand into her scroll with a strong enough pull, to overcome the magnetic attraction. "I'll probably wander a little bit, maybe see if I can crash in on Ruby and Weiss."

"You certainly enjoy sticking your nose in everyone's business, hm?" Blake couldn't help but smirk, and Yang's sunny smile made Blake grin a little more.

"What can I say? Weiss is cute as a button, and I wanna keep an eye on my li'l sis. Besides, they could probably use a referee or something, I swear, sometimes they get along, and sometimes they're at each other like _cats."_ Yang missed the way the word made Blake flinch, but Blake shrugged it off. It was _just_ an expression.

"Could be way, _way_ worse. Anyways, I'm gonna go find some place to lay out and enjoy the weather. Curfew's at ten, right?"

"Or eleven for people in the library or with teachers." Yang recalled, getting an understanding nod. Blake headed to the door, saying goodbye and getting one in return.

Officially alone, Blake let her shoulders sink and her steps quicken. Sunset would be soon, the skies outside were just starting to turn orange. She hustled up to the fourth floor of the wing she was in, racing past students, weaving between them with ease.

She ran out onto a balcony, lept onto the bannister, and swiftly climbed up to the school's roof. She skipped from rooftop to rooftop, easily jumping between the spires, and found herself standing on a ledge jutting out from Beacon's central tower. Her first thought was that Beacon's complex roof structure made for one heck of a challenge, one that left her panting. She was already sore from the day's workout, but she had steady footing and still felt the strength to climb down.

No way she'd let herself get too sore to climb down… again…

" _Mommy used to do the same thing when she was a kitten!"_

Blake clenched her eyes shut, her teeth grinding together as the sweet voice surfaced in her head. She wasn't a kitten anymore, her days of getting stuck in trees were over… and so were those innocent times of familyhood.

" _You know, it's cute when it happens at camp, but if you get stuck out on a mission…"_

The soft, male voice made her lip tremble.

Blake slowly lowered herself, sitting on the ledge to stare out at the sun, the sky, and the clouds as the world began its dramatic shift from bright and beautiful, to dark and mysterious. She leaned back against the tower, hands in her lap. A feeling of exhaustion crossed her…

" _Someday, we're going to go to bed and wake up, and find the world's changed. We'll wake up and find that we're no longer slaves or victims, just like that. Just, one night, after some big battle, we're going to be on top, no longer afraid…"_

They were gentle words back then. Calm and full of hope, carried on a voice full of strength, ambition, and resolve.

" _Just watch, Blake. When the sun sets and the moon's up, that's_ our _time. But one day, the sun will rise and it'll_ still _be our time. Believe me, we're going to make things better for all of us. Humans won't scare us anymore! No amount of technology can stop an idea, and we're going to show the world that not even the Grimm can scare us. Look at us, Blake! The two of us, together? We could be king and queen of a new era!"_

He sounded so innocent back then. Full of righteousness, full of a need to prove himself…

" _He deserved it, Blake. Look at him, he was human. He betrayed his own species for some petty cash, you think we could trust him to keep helping us? I bet he had his buddies on speed dial, don't cry over a traitor, even if it helped us."_

But things began to change as they grew older, and grew tired of seeing things move so slowly…

" _It's us or them. We need the food to fuel our cause, they're just a bunch of humans, a bunch of peasants at that. Let them call the hunters, let them starve, how can we win if we worry about what the enemy needs?"_

Some days, the setting sun became _frightening_ rather than inspiring…

" _I'm sorry Blake… I didn't mean to hurt you, I just_ — _give me a chance, okay? You know what I've been through, you understand right? Don't give me that look! I was trying to help us, you came in here shouting at me! It's not_ my _fault!"_

Blake still tried to catch every sunset.

The years of sleeping in tents on the cold, hard ground were gone. The years of worrying about where her next meal would come from were over. The years of walking on eggshells as a man she once loved and respected—

" _Think about it, our kids will grow up without having rocks thrown at them! They'll be able to walk the streets with their heads held high, and_ we'll _be the reason why!"_

—became something short-tempered and scary—

" _You can't run from this mission! These people would have us_ killed _, don't you realize that?! How long would they have been peaceful if they knew we were close by?! They deserved it! Every single one of them_ deserved it!"

—had ended.

For now.

Adam still lived, he still existed, and he wouldn't take her escape gently. But… he wouldn't be stupid enough to go near Beacon Academy either, if he even knew she was there. The thought made Blake shiver…

It was easy to fall into despair, Blake had found, knowing that every day, she was drifting further and further away from her purpose, that her people still suffered, and she ran from the organization trying to help them…

Help them through further extremes, true, but Blake felt utterly lost. Her stay here at Beacon was temporary, a place to sharpen her skills and regain her footing, but even that felt weak. She'd ran, simple as that. A coward, fleeing from her cause, and for what? What did she have now? A bed, hot water, free food, lessons from _humans_ on how to hunt Grimm?!

… A gorgeous little girl whose gentle nature was offset by an immense drive to protect and serve? The knowledge that her oldest enemy was actually just another girl trying to make a mark on the world without trampling those around her? An utterly sunny young woman who made her feel remarkably sexy, who stole her attention away from her grieving by giving her companionship and fun…?

"... Dammit, Yang." Blake muttered. She knew her for two days, and two days alone, and already she felt… _better._ Just thinking about that carefree, energetic smile made Blake feel calmer. She was a pervert, irresponsible, and an attention hog, but none of it out of malice.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang… each of them looked out for her without question or suspicion.

Then again, none of them knew she was a faunus…

But… would it matter? It didn't matter to Ruby, and part of Blake suspected Yang would be fine with that. The only unknown factors were Weiss and… and Blake's past coming to light.

With a small sigh, Blake stared at the horizon as the clouds turned purple, the land basked in a cooling, calm low light, which was rapidly slipping away.

If they knew, they'd hate her… there'd be no more fun, no more games, no more hanging out, talking about books, or teasing each other, or flirting… no more being the teen girl she'd missed out on being.

In a way, that hurt Blake the most. She'd had friends in the Fang, but not like this. This was carefree and comfort, something Blake had missed, and still ached for…

She wanted to run from this stress and grief. She wanted to run into the arms of her team, and let them pet her and soothe her… where they'd ask why she was so sad, and want to know what she did, or what was done to her.

Blake curled up on the ledge and found herself to be all alone. Even in this school full of people who wanted to help her… she was alone.

Just how a traitor like her should be.

* * *

Beacon was a big, _big_ place, and it had a lot of people to keep entertained when the daily school activities were over and done with. The beautiful, wide-open plazas and courtyards were natural places for congregation on these warm, spring days.

The army of groundskeepers Beacon employed kept the grass low and picturesque at all hours of the day, while the hedges were perfectly uniform along the walkways. The trees had their lower branches trimmed, and each walkway was cleared of stray leaves and branches. The school had a _very_ serious anti-littering policy, so wood-wrapped trash cans were numerous, giving even the lazier law-breakers poor excuses.

Beacon Academy entertained numerous guests daily, from investors looking to see how their donated equipment and money was used, to alumni taking a nostalgic trip through around the campus, and tour groups composed of excited children and nosy parents wanting to see the center of Vale's anti-Grimm education in person.

It was a highly eulogized center of humanism, encouraging the best out of technology, business practices, and both its inhabitants and visitors. Old hunters recalled it with fondness and it was a place of wonderment for its new visitors.

Being a culturally-crossed center of young adults getting ready to break into the world of self-reliance and keeping an eye on the affairs of of their home cities, it was also a major political center.

"So, are these going to be regular brownies or _special_ brownies?" Yang asked in a low voice, pointing to the plastic-wrapped plates sitting on top of folded brochures. She took one of the plates anyway and tucked the brochure under her arm as she unpacked the treat.

" _Regular,_ miss." The older girl behind the table told her with a firm expression. She was probably in her third or fourth year at Beacon, and the patches of shining blue scales around her neck gills did nothing to detract from her lovely bronzed skin, and piercing blue stare. She had a lean, limber build, with a subtle curve for her bust, strong, skinny hips, and some good height on her. Her hair was like green strands of seaweed, and she rocked a black blouse and tan slacks. She was on the exotic side, a bit rough and tumble, but she was incredibly easy on the eyes otherwise.

"Food's food." Yang shrugged after her _thorough_ inspection of the girl behind the table, then took a bite of the chocolate treat as she cracked open the brochure to read.

' _Have you struggled to find respect and kinship among your human peers? Have you faced insults or even violence because of the way you look? Do you want to know what your generation can do for the advancement of Faunus-kind? The Youth of the White Fang at Beacon has answers!_

 _We provide a safe haven for young Faunus to discuss the issues they have faced as a result of their birthright, as well as share ideas for the future of Faunus-kind. Lead by Professor Bigby Wolf, a former White Fang member and the Professor of Faunus Studies, we promise a reasonable and comforting board for Faunus seeking acceptance and Humans wanting to contribute to the cause.'_

"I would like to add," the girl behind the desk spoke up as she studied Yang closely, "we are not associated with the Vale chapter of the White Fang in any way but name; we do not condone their actions in recent years."

Yang sucked the crumbs off her fingertips, quietly nodding her head as she continued to read. Only once she was done did she shoot the Youth member a little grin. "Y'know, it's cool that Beacon's okay with this." She waved a hand over the table, then folded the brochure back under her arm. "I know a couple of people from my old school who would throw a fit over y'all having a booth here."

"Well, it's not exactly all sunshine and acceptance. Every day, somebody has a few… _choice words_ for our organization." The fish girl sighed, carefully tipping an open water bottle into a towelette. She dabbed her scales with the wet cloth as she spoke with a tired acceptance. "Had a guy come up earlier telling us that he didn't care if we weren't associated with the Vale chapter; he'd apparently lost family to a raid." Her guilty frown told a lot about her thoughts on the matter.

Yang silently nodded. She knew full well the sort of activities the White Fang had been up to in Vale. When she was a little girl, Summer would take her to watch the parades for awareness. At the time, Yang saw no difference between a Faunus and a human wearing an animal-ear headband, but age forced some insight into her. Biological differences, socioeconomic differences, ancestry, day-to-day privileges, and, of course, the various abuse both sides heaped on each other.

When she'd first seen the marches, she thought they were to celebrate a victory, like every other parade she'd been to. She was too young to understand how important they were to spreading a message that, to this day, she'd embraced whole-heartedly. As she got older, she didn't understand why the White Fang had started turning to violence. They had won, hadn't they? It took her father sitting her down and giving her a big, healthy dose of reality for her to understand that the White Fang had made only a little progress in gaining respect, and that their more recent actions were out of desperation to stay relevant and gain something they had been denied.

"How many people come up telling you that you should be working the mines instead of hunting?" Yang asked, watching the girl. The fish-girl frowned, then snorted, sipping some water as she thought.

"Enough to say it's a problem, but not enough to start breaking teeth."

"I don't get people." Yang shook her head, leaning against the table as she worked her jaw slowly, opening the brochure once more. The symbol of the wolf's head was front and center, though this one lacked the prominent three cuts that marked the current White Fang's logo. It still looked really cool, but was a dangerous thing to see on the streets. These days, it was a warning to a girl like her. "It's so easy to _not_ be a terrible person… I'm not taking up your time, am I?"

"You see a line behind you?" The fish girl chuckled, and Yang cracked a grin. "Professor Wolf told me that, sometimes, the only pride some people have is what they were born with, or _weren't_ born with. 'Doesn't matter if I was the richest man in Remnant, there'd be some hick saying 'at least I ain't a damn animal!'"

"Okay, so, full disclosure here? I was born incredible."

"Uh huh."

"And I didn't deal with too many Faunus in my life. Patch had, like, I think ten Faunus families? And they were all fine. I knew most of the kids, they were typically pro-White Fang and sent donations to 'em, and we still got along."

"Patch Island also harbored a pretty influential anti-Faunus coalition though, if I remember right."

" _Ugh,_ don't remind me. One of the Faunus kids invited me to a birthday party, and their dad thought I was going to spy on them or something. I never got into that argument myself, but the kid got _grounded_ because they got into a fight with their dad. All I wanted was to give them a bicycle and eat some cake."

"So… my turn to give full disclosure." The fish girl spoke up, leaning forward with a serious look. "I didn't like humans when I came to Beacon." Her fingers drummed against the table, but Yang didn't give any indication of offense, just a shrug for the girl to continue. "I grew up in the Blacktail Reaches in the south, not a human for miles down there. I grew up convinced humans were coming to steal my land, sell me to slavery, and try to descale me. I came to Beacon, got partnered with a human, and spent a year undoing all that damage."

"Wow." Yang cocked her head, and the girl let out a little laugh.

"If you ever have to go down to Blacktail Reaches, you gotta be careful. The White Fang sentiment is still strong down there, but… I dunno, Beacon really helped me figure things out. Now I'm working with three humans for everyone's sake, I'm helping with a club to educate people about our needs, and… I dunno, I don't get it anymore. Every side has bad apples, but ever since coming here… I dunno, I used to be scared to shake the headmaster's hand, but now I do it whenever I see him. He's on our side, keeping everyone safe, not just humans or Faunus…"

"I hope I'm not, like, eighty years old when the White Fang and all those anti-Faunus groups are just post notes in a textbook. We've got bigger problems going on than which each other, I just want everyone to have fun." Yang reached a fist out, and the gilled-girl met her halfway with a friendly fistbump.

"So, what brought you over to this booth?" The girl asked, an eyebrow cocked at the younger blonde. "You were wandering around like you were lost."

"Eh, my partner went off for some 'alone time,' so I was trying to see more of the campus." Yang shrugged, then reached down to smack a cardboard sign hanging off the table. "I saw a sign for free brownies and said, ' _oh hey, free food.'_ Then saw you and said, ' _oh hey, cute girl.'"_

"Ah, came for a treat and a show." The fish Faunus nodded sagely. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm already kinda committed. You'd be a helluva catch if I wasn't." She winked, her gills flaring in silent delight. She had a lovely, laid back smile.

"Aww, rats." Yang stomped in mock disappointment. "Well, either way, thanks for the food. It was good talking to you."

"It's…" The girl began, but slowed down as she grew embarrassed. "Look, I don't wanna sound like a sap, but it's true. People like you are why I still do this kinda work. It's good knowing that the Faunus aren't all alone. For every ass that comes up with a stupid ' _fish fry_ ' line, I get, like, five people like you. That's told me more about the world than my chieftain ever did. Thanks, miss."

"Yang." Yang corrected, smiling at the girl. "And hey, helping people out is why we're all in this business."

"Mhmm. Marina, by the way." At that, Yang let out a snort through her nose, and immediately bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing further. Marina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a real zinger of a name."

"If it makes you feel better, Yang means 'sun.'"

"Apt."

"Yep!"

The two waved their goodbyes as Yang continued her venture across the campus.

It wasn't something Yang thought about a lot, since it didn't pertain to her, but she could sympathize with the desire for rights, and equality. She got along well with her father, and valued him as a parent and a friend, but she wasn't truly free until she was an adult. It wasn't directly comparable—the Faunus were _oppressed,_ not underaged—but that yearning for freedom, to go where she pleased without being questioned, it was the start of an understanding.

Yang stopped and turned to look down a hill by the sidewalk, towards an open field. A pickup game of soccer had broken out, involving a dozen hunters total chasing after the ball, while crowds of students encircled an undefined field, whooping and cheering. Yang smirked. It was tempting to run down and hop onto the fray and have some fun, but her body was aching… all that exercise was catching up to her, making her slow down, but there was still that craving to exert herself and do _something._

Jaune and Ren were both boys, Nora was committed, and Pyrrha was straight… Weiss was off limits, Blake was having 'me time', and the last person on Yang's team was Ruby, whom Yang would choose a full month of barehanded medical waste collection over sleeping with…

"Damn." Yang mumbled to herself, hands on her head as she watched the game from above. It was fast-paced, which had lots of the players _trying_ to be fancy, but the students were nothing compared to the pro soccer players. Yang turned away, walking away from the tempting chance to show off and get moving again.

Maybe she could find a movie, or a good book to curl up with, and just relax. Or she could review her notes, which would be the _smart_ thing to do…

… But also the _boring_ thing to do. This was the beginning of the end of her education as a huntress! She was in a new place, full of new people to meet and new things to do! She'd spent the whole winter break dreaming of Beacon, of having a taste of _freedom._ Adults always encouraged her to enjoy being a kid while she had the chance, and she had every intention to!

Just… not when she was nearing the limit. She would sleep well tonight, _that_ she knew for sure.

Silently, she made her way towards the outer edges of Beacon's facilities. Being on the very border between civilization and the wilderness, Beacon was a safe haven that surrounded itself in an entirely-natural beauty, free of the politics of Vale and its growing crime issues. Yang liked staring out at the forests beyond, and listening to the gurgling rivers that encircled the academy.

It reminded her of her house, somewhat. Roomy, isolated, sort of 'one-with-nature', it was zen in its own way. Obviously Beacon was bigger, and filled with more people, but the chattering students and the roaring activity was more like a dull ambience while walking the school perimeter.

It could be overrated. That isolation meant Yang was more than a bike ride away from the nightlife she loved, and it was easy to get lonely, even with an energetic little sister around. Beacon would be different… it had a ton of people, and it was closer to Vale, and the forest was right here if she ever needed some isolation for whatever reason.

Once she had her hunting license, the rest of the world would be open to her. Money would come easy, work would be entertaining, she'd have plenty of people who adored the work she did for them, and she'd get to travel where she wished!

With any luck, she'd get to do it with a team of people she adored, too…

She paused as something occurred to her, stopping her in her tracks. Her jaw jut out, and she quietly looked back at the academy, thinking of her sister, when a noise stole her attention.

"Hi- _yah!"_ Yang looked back towards the forest as a second cry took her mind off of things. " _Hah!"_ In the fading sunlight, she spotted a familiar blonde boy, out by himself, standing amidst the trees.

Crocea Mors in hand, Jaune swung, his sword cutting through the air hard enough to make the grass around him wiggle. He stepped back, slicing at the imaginary pincer of a Deafstreaker, then quickly raced in with his shield raised, sword primed in a stabbing position.

The imaginary scorpion suffered a debilitating cut to the eye, and Jaune braced himself as the invisible stinger skidded across his aura-strengthened shield. It was going to pull back, and in that moment, there'd be a brief second where it couldn't sting again, so…

He skipped left, avoiding a lashing claw, then right, as the next pincer tried for his head. The stinger would be back in position, but now he was in the Doomstriker's face! It wasn't at the right range to sting again, so he'd raise his sword and...

And… hack through its armor? Jaune relaxed his stance, and stared down at the grass in thought. It took Nora multiple solid blows with her monster of a weapon to break through its carapace; what could his sword do?

Damn, where were the soft parts of the Darthstinger's body? The underbelly?... So if he just did what he was doing, but instead of rushing its face, he slid underneath… well, if it threw its weight onto him, he could stab it _as_ it crushed him. Or if it died, it would just fall on him. Still, it was a start… sorta.

"Crap." Jaune muttered to himself. He entered his ready stance again. Arms loose, shield at a low angle to reduce strain, yet ready to rise in a second; sword arm higher, ready to lash out and deflect. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath. Visualize the opponent…

Two pincers, one stinger, and a _buttload_ of armor. Dreamstabbers were tough, so he needed to find the soft spots. Unlike Nora, he couldn't _create_ softspots. Unlike Pyrrha, he lacked the raw strength and intuition to handle the scorpion by himself. Unlike Ren, he didn't have the senses or agility to avoid it outright. So…

The first blow would come from the stinger, so he raised his shield. Then, knock it aside, to create and opening, rush in, stab—

A vibrant ' _twang'_ made him lower his shield. Standing in front of him with a big grin, Yang held Crocea Mors' tip between two fingers, looking completely casual as she tossed his attempted stab to the side, leaving Jaune to slowly drain of facial color. "Hey dude, lookin' pretty intense."

"Ah…" Jaune wheezed, looking down at his sword, then at Yang. " _Oh my god!"_ Jaune squeaked in surprise.

"What?" Yang just blinked in confusion.

" _I could have killed you!"_

"... You… _really_ think so?" Yang tilted her head, putting on an unconvinced smirk.

" _I'm so sorry!"_ Crocea Mors fell to the ground, and Yang rolled her eyes as Jaune hastily inspected her fingers, all while whimpering like a kicked puppy. "I-I didn't see you coming, so—"

Jaune winced as Yang flicked his nose, sending him back a step from the sheer power behind her waved her hand in idle concern. "Dude, I'm not stupid enough to step onto a practice range with my aura down. Chill. Nice thrust though." Yang wiggled the two fingers, giving a cheeky grin.

"Ugh…" Jaune silently glanced down at Crocea Mors. "Still coulda _warned_ me." He muttered. This was not a sword meant to bite into human flesh; Crocea Mors was his legacy in a family of knights and hunters. But to what end? To slay the Grimm, to protect the innocent? That was the stuff Ruby babbled about…

"And ruin the surprise? Pfft- _naaaaah_." Yang chortled dismissively, but her eyes fell on Jaune. The boy did not respond, merely taking a couple of steps away and stretching his limbs out, to prep for his practice. In a show of goodwill, Yang moved out of range.

"Well, I'm gonna keep going. Don't… don't surprise me again, okay?" Jaune looked to Yang pleadingly, and Yang just gave him a cocksure grin.

Jaune took practiced steps forward, Crocea Mors slicing through the air after each move. His shout with each strike was loud and effective; Yang could _feel_ the power radiating from his chest. Yet it was... lacking. Each attack was widely telegraphed, the swings were too stiff, and the thrusts used too much elbow.

Yang wasn't a sword-fighter, and the sword-and-board sorts were lacking at Signal as advances in weapon technology encouraged a more offense-is-the-best-defense style of combat using twin weapons or large, two-handed weapons. Shields weren't as fashionable, unless you were Pyrrha Nikos. Even still, Yang had enough insight in basic weapons training to see where Jaune was lacking.

He was here at Beacon fighting like _that?_ It caused Yang's jaw to roll in a slow, thoughtful manner. He was in need of some instruction. It technically wasn't Yang's job to do it, but Ruby liked the guy, and Yang trusted Ruby's gut.

"Hold up one sec!" Yang called out. Jaune nearly stumbled over his own feet as he instinctively complied, and he stood still as Yang strode out, circling around to his right side. He swallowed dryly as the absolute bombshell of a woman examined him, and he couldn't help but look back, but his concentration was broken when her hands closed around his forearm.

"Is, uh, everything okay?" He asked. Yang's strong fingers dug into his arm, clamping around the muscles like a vice, making Jaune instinctively call up his aura to keep her from accidentally hurting him.

"S'fine. Drop it." She ordered. She heard his sword hit the forest floor, and an amused smirk crossed her face. "I meant your aura."

"Oh, uh-" Jaune waved his now free right hand, trying to dismiss his aura while Yang bent over in front of him. He froze, his eyes travelled all over the gorgeous blonde's figure as she took Crocea Mors by the handle. She stood, and Jaune felt his heart hammering as their eyes locked onto each other's.

Weiss may have been at the forefront of his interests, and Yang may have had different priorities in partners, but Jaune couldn't help that surge of warmth that entered his groin. He silently feared that even _feeling_ this way was overstepping his boundaries, but no reprisal came his way as Yang inspected Crocea Mors' make. "Simple little thing, isn't she?"

"H-huh?" Jaune's dazed look broke as Yang rested Mors' blade across one hand. "Who? Her? My sword?" He blinked rapidly, and Yang bit back a laugh.

"Eyes on the prize, big guy. Yeah, your sword. She's nice, just _simple."_ Yang lifted Crocea Mors in her right hand, and laid the blade across her shoulder. She held such a calm, casual stance that she didn't look like a hunter; she looked like she was posing for a photoshoot. "Though simple ain't bad. Some people try _way_ too hard with their weapons."

"Yeah, sure, I can imagine." Jaune hesitantly took a step forward, reaching for his sword. Yang didn't move to hand it back, and a spell of awkwardness made him slow as his fingertips brushed her knuckles. It was the last thing he remembered before he found himself laying flat on his back, the aura in front of his stomach, shining as sympathetic pain wracked his body.

He fluttered his eyes, sucking in a deep breath as he clutched his aching side, sitting up with a groan. Yang hadn't… she _wouldn't_ have, would she? He looked up at her. The gorgeous blonde's fist was still balled where she'd hit him, and only retracted when Jaune stared at her. She _had._ "Yang, what the _hell?!"_ He demanded, standing up quickly, ignoring the ache in his side. "Give me my sword!" He ordered in his big brother voice, but being a fellow older sibling, Yang was immune to anything but little sister guilt.

"You want it? You gotta earn it." Yang stated, Mors idly bouncing on her shoulder's aura. She watched his movements with hawk-like precision as his confusion turned to frustration, his frustration into anger, and his anger into movement. His right arm reared back, his fingers primed for grabbing, his left arm bringing his shield to bare, and his knees bent.

Predictable.

He threw himself towards her, his hand only just starting to extend when Yang moved. She crossed underneath his arm, moving to his left side, and his head turned in surprise to watch her. Her left fist lashed out, zero warning, too quick for him to react, and he nearly fell on his face as the sound of her aura-guarded fist slammed loudly into his shield.

He caught himself on one foot, stumbling to keep his balance, and he whirled to face Yang, his lips peeled back in anger. "Yang, that is _my_ weapon! I need it to practice!" He was starting to shout. He walked stiffly over to her. His right hand twitched, his left arm raised, he was expecting a fight.

Good.

His right hand thrust out to grab the blonde and keep her still, but she was gone before his hand was even raised. He whirled around, chasing her as she skipped an actual circle around him. His hand reached out, again and again, trying to grab her, _any_ part of her, but she ducked, spun, and dodged with extraordinary ease.

Each and every time he tried, her fist planted against his shield, making him quiver at the loud ' _clang'_ of knuckle on steel. He had no time to react either; her fist was like lightning, he never saw the start-up, and he only knew it was coming because she attacked whenever she dodged, targeting his shield and his shield alone.

She was taunting him, and he could feel himself growing angrier. She was dodging him before he could even _try_ and grab her, and even when he incorporated his shield, trying to stun her, she stayed perfectly untouched. And each and every single time, she slugged his shield, never raising her right hand, his sword just out of reach.

" _Damnit_ , Yang!" Jaune tried to rush her, attempting to keep his footwork loose to dive left and right after her, but she slid a foot forward, stepped in, and he stopped the instant before he ate a knuckle sandwich.

He stood in shock, rearing back, Yang's fist caressing the tip of his chin. He'd seen the step in, but he wasn't able to register it and react in time before she struck. She could have easily sent him flying, but she'd stopped.

After a few seconds, Jaune finally got the feeling in his legs back. He stumbled back unsteadily, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and stared at Yang. His fellow blonde retreated into her casual stance. Jaune eyed her, wondering what she was trying to accomplish, when she threw herself at him.

Jaune gasped as her fist retracted, wound up for a punch that he blocked with his shield. His shield rang, air whipping past his ears, and the force of the blow sent him sliding back. He stiffly extended a foot backwards so he wouldn't tip over and lowered his shield as Yang sauntered up to him.

He was angry, he was surprised, he was all around put-out, but even still he couldn't stop himself from watching the way her hips rocked as she approached him. Much more calmly, Yang lifted her left hand and set a finger on his nose. "You're slow." She told him factually.

"What?!" Jaune said in surprise, finally jerked out of the surrealness of what had just occurred. "You _assaulted_ me!" He pointed out to her, slapping her hand out of his face with an angry frown. "What are you doing, Yang?! I should _tell Ruby!"_

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Yang held her hand up defensively, putting on a serious expression. "Let's not get drastic here. I was trying to teach you a lesson. In that whole little thing I put you through, did you manage to touch me? Like at all?"

"Well–"

"No, the answer's no."

"I think I might've accidentally elbowed your boob…"

"Cherish it." Yang ordered flatly, but then relaxed. She held her left hand up, curled into a fist. "You have a lot of problems with your form. You might have the power—" Her fist whipped past his ear and back to normal so fast, he only recognized the sound of it, "—but you're lacking in speed. Any opponent you come at with those moves is going to be able to read you like a book."

"If I had my sword, I could get faster." Jaune pointed out in an annoyed tone, but Yang's eyes flashed a bloody red, so he zipped his lips.

"Let me show you something." As she spoke, she planted Crocea Mors blade-first into the ground between Jaune's feet, making him flinch. Yang moved to Jaune's right, raising her fists and focusing on the air in front of her.

"Think of your arm like a gun: your fist is the bullet, your forearm's the hammer. Your fist'll hit whatever you're looking at if you trust your forearm. So here's what you do: relax your wrist, your fingers, and your elbow; don't tense up or you'll be off-angle." Yang's hand moved loosely at the end of her arm. "Only firm up _as_ you strike. This is important, _even_ with a sword. Otherwise, hitting the dude'll knock your sword out of your hand, and nothing's more embarrassing than disarming yourself."

"Speaking from experience?" Jaune asked. Despite himself, he listened. He pulled Mors from the ground and did as she did. His family sword wove through the air like a wand, making indistinct, invisible patterns with the tip.

"Ha! You wish! But now…" Yang rolled her shoulder, grinning to herself. "Put all that strength into your forearm. Trust your eye, trust your arm. While you're at it, throw your body into it too. Step into the hit, swing as if you're gonna cut _through_ your opponent, and never hesitate." And just like that, she threw a simple, clean jab, one that may have very well have _been_ a bullet for all Jaune saw.

"You make it sound so easy." Jaune mumbled. He tried to reconcile Yang's words with his uncle's training. His uncle had been a good teacher, or so he'd assumed, but this was much more clinical. His uncle was a big 'feel, don't think' type, it seemed like Yang put more thought into _how_ she punched… "Y'know, I never pegged you for the sort to think so much on how to fight."

Yang stood back as Jaune stepped forward with a simple, powerful, horizontal slice. It came at a bad angle, and lost control near the end, so Jaune needed an extra couple of precious seconds to get back into position, but he tried again. Closer… "Blame my dad. He went and studied hand-to-hand combat in Mistral before me and Ruby were born. We fight like we're off the streets, but there's some real technique behind it."

"Well, this isn't exactly hand-to-hand…" The next slice cut through the air, enough to make a visible ripple from the speed. Jaune froze at the end of his swing, blinking. He readied up again, the feeling of that moment, of that slice, playing through his mind. It had felt _good_. Powerful, fast, but his next one wasn't anywhere _near_ as clean. His arm was too tense; he had to loosen up. He just… had to learn how to do that. He looked over to Yang. She probably knew, but he couldn't keep running to others for help. He was a hunter, from a long line of hunters, from a bloodline of _knights;_ he could figure it out. It was in his blood, after all.

Watching Jaune train himself was genuinely interesting. He moved like a rookie but swung with conviction. There was a _need_ in his attacks, he wasn't settling for the half-hearted, loose-swings brought on by his tiredness and frustration, it's only when he made a cut that wouldn't look out of place in Beacon did he seem satisfied, and even then, he carried on with it. It reminded Yang of Ruby, back when she'd first created Crescent Rose, spending the long hours of the afternoon getting each swing just right.

Yang lounged back against a tree, arms behind her head, watching in curiosity as Jaune rest his hands on his knees and panted. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, and forced himself upright, sword and shield primed and ready. Yang cracked a small smile as he focused on the empty space in front of him, then frowned as he faltered, dropping to one knee.

Jaune wordlessly punched the ground. He wasn't done yet, even if his body was trying to tell him otherwise. He'd be happy once he knew he could take that Darthstreamer one on one, he just needed a moment…

He glanced up when a weight settled on his shoulder, and he followed the hand up to Yang's face. The blonde beauty fixed him with a smile, and Jaune felt his heart flutter, and then found himself on his back, thrown to the ground with a simple pull of her hand. Jaune's eyes fluttered as he watched the darkening sky above, and he glanced at Yang in quiet shock as she plopped down next to him, legs crossed.

"... Are you this rough on Ruby?" Jaune muttered, his limbs stretching out. They burned, but relief flooded him as he finally relaxed. He let go of Crocea Mors, and both sword and shield rest in the grass as Yang shrugged.

"Only when she screws up. Part of why she's such a little ass-kicker now." Yang leaned back, resting on her arms as Jaune remained silent. His cheek twitched as he subtly eyed the swell of her chest from this angle, and pushed down the bubbling annoyance towards Yang's sexuality.

In the moment of his training, concentrating was easy, but no matter how many times he looked, Yang's good looks seemed to taunt him. He swallowed thickly, and sighed. "Makes sense." Life was unfair sometimes, but he wasn't about to betray his feelings or, _even worse,_ chase after somebody who couldn't feel the same. "Hey, Yang?"

"'Sup?"

"You're successful with girls, right?"

"Gay ones, yeah." Yang answered with a cheeky smirk.

Jaune smiled, and suppressed a chuckle. "How do you do it?"

"Easy, see, you wanna start with the ears or the neck, get all kissy, make 'em pant and sweat, _then_ you get your hand up in-"

" _Not that!"_ Jaune slapped Yang's forearm, drawing a loud, happy cackle from her. Jaune rubbed his blushing cheeks, and continued. "Damnit Yang… okay, _look._ How do you get them to… y'know… like you?"

Yang was still grinning, but she contemplated her answer a little more than none. She relaxed, and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have any one answer. Usually, I just show them I'm interested. Go up and talk to them, find what they're interested in, compliment the way they look. Gotta do it with some confidence… and girls like cheesy. Throw out a wink or two, just watch 'em melt."

"Uh-huh…" Just like his family had said, again and again. Confidence confidence _confidence…_ maybe he needed to try harder? ' _Fake it 'til you make it'_ was a thing, apparently. He just needed the right moment and the right words next time he approached Weiss… make her see that his feelings were genuine. That they had been since that concert…

Something else nagged at him though. The same tired question he still didn't have an answer for, tugging at the back of his mind. As he'd come to realize that the friends he'd made were so amazing, he was learning what it meant to be a hunter. Seeing it all first hand was something else. It was intense, absurd, and _completely_ out of this world from everything he thought he already knew. He _had_ to know, _why_ would anyone else put themselves through this?

"Hey, Yang?" Jaune asked as his fingers found a leaf. He rubbed it between his fingertips nervously as the heart-stopper by his side glanced at him. "Why do you… hrm…"

"Hrmm?"

"Um, err, like… why are you a hunter? What does being a hunter mean to you?" He looked up at her, but she had turned away. She was staring straight ahead, a small, curious smile on her lips.

"To me? It means never having to worry about a thing." Yang sighed. She didn't sound boastful. If anything, there was a hope in her voice that made Jaune scrunch his brow in confusion. "Sounds stupid, right? But it's the truth. I like to fight. Best way to fight is by being a hunter. Hunters make money, so I can buy whatever I want. People like hunters and want them around, so I can go wherever I want. The hunter's code has easy rules to follow, and I'm not a dick so it's not like any city's going to have a problem with me." It meant being strong enough that her family would be safe. She'd be strong enough that nobody could walk out of the door suddenly and disappear forever. She'd be strong enough that the two most important people she had could sleep soundly, knowing she'd return to help them…

"You sound like you were born for this sorta thing." Jaune smiled.

Yang smiled back. "Sorta, yeah." It wasn't the _whole_ truth. She also wanted freedom from the responsibility of trying to mend a broken family, now that it was healed; to escape a place that held some of her worst nightmares. She wanted that carefree happiness she'd only gotten a taste of in the past few years. The thought of it was making her stomach flip, and a guilt gnawed at her. It was time to stop thinking about it. "Okay…"

Jaune looked as Yang stood up and stretched, arms behind her head as she thrust her chest out and took a deep breath. She crossed her arms and spoke like a drill sergeant. "Getcher ass up and grab your toothpick, Jaune. You ain't done until you're crawling back to the dorm one-handed."

"... Eh?" He fluttered his lashes, and let out a decidedly unmanly shriek as he was unceremoniously yanked to his feet.

* * *

"I would call that a successful night of training." Weiss was ever the picture of grace, even with beads of sweat leaving her neck and collarbone shining from exertion. She stayed upright, a hand over her chest as she breathed rapidly to soothe her aching lungs. She turned to look at Ruby as her partner approached her. "I'll admit, I was worried about how this might proceed at first, but this routine shows promise. As long as we can keep this a secret, we have the utterly unique advantage of fighting whatever Grimm we want at any… time…"

Weiss trailed off as Ruby took her wrist. The urge to pull away from this sudden, unasked-for touch made Weiss stiffen, but she silently granted Ruby permission, provided it stayed appropriate. She followed Ruby's gaze down to her own fingers, which she noticed were trembling. "Weiss…"

"I'm okay." Weiss said with a small sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Combat still makes me shaky, I'll admit, but it's nothing to be concerned about. It's just nerves and excitement, so don't—" Weiss's voice caught in her throat as Ruby gently curled Weiss's fingers into a fist, then wrapped her hands around the girl's shaking digits. "Ruby, this is unnecessary, it'll go away on its own." Weiss insisted.

Ruby had cool hands, helping ease the rush of blood to her fingertips, soothing the immense heat that had built up as a result of Weiss's training. Weiss swallowed thickly, her uncomfortable expression tinged red as Ruby silently let her go. "There," Ruby nodded. "All better."

"That was unnecessary." Weiss muttered, staring at her hand, noting that her fingers had stopped shaking. She let her arm hang by her side to take her mind off it, and shook her head. What a ridiculous thing to get worked up about, the both of them. Weiss was fine; she didn't need her hand held, and such simple, physical contact shouldn't have put her off her footing so much… "Ahem, anyway, this was an excellent way for us to train. We should seriously consider other applications of your power in future training."

"M-maybe…" Ruby's voice trailed off, looking away from Weiss as the heiress made a move for the door.

"Let's head back, shall we? I could use a small snack before bed." Ruby did not see it, but Weiss had a naughty smile on her face. _Snacks_ before bed? It would ruin her figure! It was irresponsible and gluttonous! Such travesty! Such rebellion! Weiss had to hide a small giggle as she opened the door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ruby still standing in the middle of the room. "Ruby?"

"Oh, uh, yeah…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head, her other hand tightly squeezing Crescent Rose's pole. "Um, y-you can go ahead w-without me, Weiss." She tried to offer a calming smile, but it only came off as nervous. "I'm going to do some p-pr-practicing of my own."

"Oh!" Weiss sighed softly, turning to better face Ruby. "I'm sorry, I took up the entire time fighting Boarbatusks." She hefted Myrtenaster up, but Ruby raised her hand and shook her head.

"I-it's alright. Y-you can go get s-snacks, I won't be super l-long. I d-don't want to be rusty for to-tomorrow's combat c-class." Ruby's nervous smile continued, and Weiss evaluated her for a second longer. A small frown crossed Weiss's face.

"Ruby, I _am_ your partner, I _am_ supposed to help you." A tightness crossed Weiss's lips, and her stare hardened on Ruby. "You _do_ trust me, don't you?"

" _I-I do!_ I do!" Ruby's face went pale at the implication, and her shoulders drooped, a sigh escaping her. "B-but… I-I need a," she gulped, "like, just a minute or s-something b-by myself. Y'know? P-practicing w-was sorta m-me time. I-I'm sorry, that s-sounds selfish, I-"

"Save it." Weiss ordered, Myrtenaster's point lowering as Weiss sighed. "I understand. Take the time you need, but you either contact me or come straight to the dorm room when curfew—no!" Weiss interrupted herself with a huff, "An hour _before_ curfew. I don't want to have to rush around campus trying to find you if you get lost, so don't you dare make me impatient, understood?" Weiss planted her hands on her hips. Ruby gave her a rapid, stiff nod, alongside her nervous smile. "Good. Take your time, Ruby."

With that, Weiss slipped out the door, leaving Ruby to herself.

Herself, and her pool of monsters.

" _Keep your arms low and your core firm."_

Ruby swallowed thickly as she remembered her uncle's words. Crescent's Rose's cold, sharp tip dug into the floor, scraping against the hardened tile with a gentle, yet threatening, noise.

" _Hear that sound, pipsqueak? Does it scare you? It should."_

Slowly, Crescent Rose cut a thin, barely perceptible line through the floor as Ruby dragged the tip in a circle, the noise growing in volume until it reach her other side. Once her arms had reached the limit of her flexibility, and the noise had ceased, Crescent Rose began to spin.

" _Hundreds of_ — _well, actually, maybe even thousands-a' years ago, the scythe was a symbol of death; used to lop off heads and take souls. That sound, and the one I'm about to show you, is scratched into the soul of every living being on Remnant. When they hear it, they can't help but be scared."_

Ruby spun Crescent Rose, much like a baton twirler, but rather than being accompanied by streamers and music, the red blur of her weapon created the noise of hissing steel. It scraped the floor, it disturbed the air, the violently whirling weapon, mixed with Ruby's slow but ceaseless spin in place, made for a haunting defense.

" _I know it ain't in you to hurt people, pipsqueak, but Grimm aren't the only dangerous thing out there. Hell, they ain't even the worst. Sometimes, your best bet to beating up a buncha upjumped punks is to scare the hell out of them before you rip 'em apart. After all, aura's greatest weakness is fear…"_

The sound reverberated through the room. It was a comforting noise, one that left Ruby with a nostalgic feeling of the day she had first gotten the movements right, how that noise had suddenly flooded from her and changed her world. It had been her first step of actual progression in her scythe training, one she still relied on to this day…

" _Grimm don't feel fear like people, but they're also dumber. Don't think of this as 'I'm just going to hurt people doing this.' You wanna be a hero, right? Well, sometimes, the coolest things heroes do are the scariest too."_

The spinning wheel of death suddenly lashed out, a low-angled strike, from hip to shoulder, too quick to be seen by the untrained eye, too strong to be blocked by an unprepared arm, and almost instantly retracted into a another death spin.

" _You're relying too much on that, y'know. It can only do so much. If you get predictable, you get killable."_

Ruby swallowed thickly. She knew that, but it had protected her. She knew how to do it by second-nature now; the sound soothed her. It staved off the growling in the back of her mind…

" _They know when you're at your weakest, they know when you're scared. Even when life itself seems to want you dead, you have to grit your teeth and find it in yourself to stand against them."_

Ruby stopped mid-spin, Crescent Rose's blade slamming into the tile as she did. She took a few, deep, unsteady breaths and clenched her fist as she stared ahead. They knew they had been summoned just minutes before, they knew she had loosened her grip and had allowed them to escape, if only to be slaughtered.

They _craved_ escape, more than anything, so that could wet their teeth and claws in her blood and rampage through the school, bringing misery and slaughter to the place of their oldest enemies. Clicking claws tried to pull at the back of her mind, but Ruby did not obey.

… Not… completely, anyways.

" _What you got ain't a gift, it's a curse. Only you can stop yourself from falling into it, so no matter what you do, if you want to live, you have to overcome."_

For a brief time, they had been useful. Ruby hated to admit it—they were monsters, the greatest enemies of mankind—but Weiss had made use of them.

A trail of ink spread from the soles of her feet, forming a jagged tendril across the ground, which spread across the floor, stopping at around ten feet. The circle began to open, the gate unlocking, the veil lifting, and the pool expanded.

Ruby stood firmly as a misshapen figure began to rise. She had complete control. It was just a Grimm. A completely normal Beowolf…

Dripping the excess of darkness, a quivering claw emerged from the blobby form, white claws slashing the air as the Beowolf pulled itself from its prison. Its claws slammed into the floor, and slowly the rest began to emerge as it released a perilous snarl.

A totally normal Beowolf… not like the one in the forest, not like the Nevermore, not like the thing that had nearly killed her and eaten her—

Ruby took a step back, gasping in shock as the muddied shape of the Beowolf threw out a pair of enormous wings, feathers twitching unnaturally as the shadow slid down its face, revealing not the bone-white mask of a savage wolf, but a beak and the piercing, intelligent eyes of a raven.

"N-no…" Ruby whispered. Her knees were beginning to tremble. That was not what she wanted! She'd called for a Beowolf! She was losing control, she could feel sweat forming, she could feel weakness spreading across her limbs, she had to keep control—

A second claw lashed out, joining the first, and the mutant Grimm hauled itself from the pool. The pitch-black wings gave a thunderous flap, shedding sharpened pinions all over the floor; the beak spread to let loose a rumbling, choked 'caw'; the Beowolf's torso and claws pulled it further out of the puddle, revealing the back legs to be the clicking talons of a Nevermore.

It stood on all fours, hunched over like a gorilla, those intelligent, hungry eyes focused on Ruby. Pale and frightened, the girl stared back at the eight-foot monster that dragged itself towards her. It was bigger than the Grimm she had summoned before. It wanted to kill her…

Flashbacks of being tossed about and just barely pulling herself to safety went through Ruby's head. She would be a toy again, something to sit in the monster's belly and die alone and in pain…

Crescent Rose's tip trembled against the floor as the hybrid lurched towards her, crying out for blood, barely able to keep its footing with its disfigured body. Its claws reached out for her, those boney points aiming for her face, its trundling movements bringing it ever closer and closer.

She had to fight back. She had to move. It would kill her if she didn't! Crescent Rose raised behind her, and she felt the tip of those claws scraped against her aura as it encircled her head. No no _no no no…_

She couldn't die, she couldn't _lose._

 _She had to call Weiss before_ _curfew!_

The hybrid let out a surprised squawk as the portal expanded below it, and a massive talon lurched out, grabbing ahold of its midsection. From the new pool, the Nevermore's leg rose high, carrying the murderous Grimm into the air, away from Ruby, while the mutant shrieked and clawed, trying to regain its freedom. Without so much as a warning, the hybrid was slammed into the floor, the summoned leg pinning it to the ground while furiously squeezing, crushing it so tightly that the hybrid's wings cracked painfully.

Ruby felt a resurgence of energy. She had to act now; she couldn't be caught off guard again. That was how they got you! She dashed forward, Crescent Rose spinning around her as the hybrid twisted and squirmed, trying to force its captor to loosen its grip, but then those furious eyes locked onto Ruby. It let out one final cry of rage, trying to lunge its beak for one final, contemptuous stab, but the hiss of steel ended its attempted rampage.

Ruby panted, watching the odd mutant melt into the floor to rejoin the massive claw she had summoned. The enormous limb drew back into the puddle. As quickly as it had started, the moment had ended. The Grimm were gone, the portal closed, and the snapping in the back of Ruby's mind louder than ever.

They had come close. _So close..._

Ruby held a hand over her face, her lips thin and tight, her eyes squeezing shut as emotion threatened to overwhelm her. She was here to be a hunter; summoning these monsters only hurt her. She was already walking on thin ice. Any given moment was a chance for them to escape and rampage; to slaughter her peers and prove her greatest fears right.

Was she truly going to help people?... That was all she wanted; to make up for… _this…_

* * *

The door clicked open, and Blake hastily slid her journal into her pillowcase as she heard footsteps coming in. She had to silence the inner alarm bells going off at the possibility of an intruder, but she was still on edge as she sat up and looked down on Weiss from the top of her bunk.

"Hello Blake." Weiss nodded up at her team- and roommate as she walked over to her own bunk, carrying a small styrofoam clamshell container in one hand. In the other was Myrtenaster, though carried in a walking cane grip to indicate ease.

"Hey." Blake responded, her skin still crawling. The possibility of being caught with her secret journal, especially by _Weiss_ , made her inwardly hiss, but she had nothing to fear right now _._ Weiss seemed unconcerned with what Blake had been up to, and Blake was fed-up with her own paranoia about the girl.

Weiss plopped onto her mattress, setting Myrtenaster next to her as she opened the clamshell with a big grin. Blake watched, mystified as Weiss hungrily ate carrot sticks with a sneaky glee, but rather than be annoyed with the confusion, Blake found it endearing. It reminded her of when she'd sneak some of the Fang rookies a little extra food from the pot when they were having a bad day, how they'd suddenly act like they had the world in their palms.

Sometimes, food was all it took to bring somebody out of a bad mood. Blake appreciated the sentiment. It was one that both species could share.

The container was set aside, and before Weiss took hold of Myrtenaster, she used a handkerchief hidden in her sash to wipe her hands clean. With one thumb on the release switch, the other spun the dust revolver that made her weapon so personally iconic.

A turn of a small, hidden switch, and a gentle tug separated the blade from the hilt, allowing her to twist out the revolver chamber. Blake watched as Weiss scrambled to grab a towel from the bathroom to rest the disassembled pieces of her weapon on, and, using a toolkit clearly designed with Myrtenaster in mind, began to care for her weapon.

The blade would hardly be damaged if Weiss's aura did its job, and judging by how quickly the Schnee evaluated the pointy end, Blake was correct. However, tending to the dust chambers seemed to be on the forefront of Weiss's priorities. Manually checking dust levels, inspecting the loading springs, careful cleaning, and assessing the cause of any leakages, Weiss was enormously thorough, with incredibly steady hands. She would have made for a fine lockpicker or camp technician.

Blake banished the thought as it passed through her head. A Schnee in the White Fang? Utterly absurd! Adam would have had her—

Blake winced, slinking away from the edge of her bed to rest in the middle. She knew exactly what would have happened, and the thought perturbed her. There was a time, long ago, when she would have considered whether or not Weiss deserved it. Even now, she considered what the White Fang were set to gain with a Schnee captive, especially one as well-known and influential as Weiss, but there'd be no honor, no restraint, and no care.

She liked to think of the short term gains and the long term advantages the group would benefit from. Having probably the most visible and popular of the Schnees as a hostage—a _pampered_ hostage—would give the White Fang clout and force the SDC into a compromising position. After all, how could they abandon one of their most publically-acclaimed spokespeople?

Pampered was the keyword there: if the world saw Weiss as beaten and disheveled, they would not be interested in compromise, but revenge. The White Fang had to present itself as daring, dangerous, and calculating, but _not_ as violent and savage. Certain precautions had to be taken if they wanted humanity to see them as noble freedom fighters with the ability to compromise.

But if the public saw them as unreasonably dangerous, then they were due to be exterminated. If they saw people who treated their captives well and called for change, not ransom, then sympathies would abound.

But, these days, Adam was not interested in creating sympathy, talking points, or equality through politics. He had grown comfortable _killing_ humans. Blake knew the necessity of violence for self-defense and infiltration, but _killing_ people? Even before she got to meet Weiss in person, the thought of killing the girl or her father left made her stomach clench and her heart feeling heavy.

She'd heard several reports about Schnees from the branch families being killed by the White Fang in self-defense, and though a number of her comrades had celebrated it, it always left Blake feeling off for the rest of the day. They were fighting for liberation, but no one Schnee was wholly responsible for the Faunus plight, no one Schnee was the embodiment of oppression and evil…

… At least one could humble herself, strive to teach, and make efforts to learn.

"Weiss?" Blake's voice surprised even herself. She hadn't expected to be the first to make conversation, even if she expected conversation to happen.

"Hmm?" Weiss responded as she carefully scraped and wiped away Dust imprints around the release valve of each cylinder.

"Do you think we have a purpose?" Blake asked, watching the ceiling.

Her only response for what felt like a long time was the tinkling of metal and the brush of cloth. Blake turned her head to look over at Weiss, who was examining the dust revolver carefully, adding more dust to the chambers that needed it. "I believe…" Weiss finally spoke, slowly, her appraising eye fixated unblinkingly on her equipment, pausing only long enough to finish, "… It's to grow."

To grow… "Explain?" Blake more ordered than asked, watching Weiss carefully reassemble Myrtenaster.

"Nobody is ever truly happy with who they are and what they have." Weiss did as she was told, putting Myrtenaster through its mechanical paces, and adjusting whatever flaws she saw. "We all want more. Money, power, land, and so on, so we figure out what we want and work towards it, every day that we're alive."

"So…" Blake focused her full attention on Weiss now, her bow subtly shifting to hear the girl in full, "You aren't _truly_ satisfied being Weiss Schnee? Possibly the richest girl in the _world?"_

"Oh I'm _rich,_ but that doesn't mean I don't want more." Weiss lifted her blade, and sighed contently as she, for the moment, found it utterly flawless.

"More _riches?"_

"More everything." Weiss corrected. "I have money, but I want to be strong, as a hunter _and_ a chief executive officer. I want to be smarter, too. I'm also hoping to grow _at least_ two more inches before my next birthday…" Weiss glanced down at her feet, where she wore a pair of simple flats. Her typical combat heels added those two inches, and Blake only just noticed the difference. It _thrilled_ her.

"If you say so, short-stuff." Blake put on a small grin, to which Weiss shot her an extraordinary pout.

"I am a very _reasonable_ height, but it's proven that taller people have a natural charismatic bonus in leadership positions!"

"By that logic, you should be scrambling when I say 'Get me some fish and come feed me.'"

Weiss let out a loud, exhausted groan, and raised a finger of warning towards Blake. " _I_ am going to go put my weapon in storage before you say something that puts it in your _gut!"_ With that, Weiss left, leaving Blake with a small, satisfied smile… Yes, that adorable, pouting little brat was certainly the face of terror among the Faunus.

Blake had long learned how to tell an empty warning from a legitimate threat, and Weiss exhuded all the danger of a well-groomed rabbit. There was nothing to fear from her, no reason to hurt her… though, a dangerous, _youthful_ part of Blake told her that teasing wasn't _hurting..._

Weiss returned just a few minutes later from the dorm's locker-exchange, striding in with her chin held high, her shoulders squared, and her spine straightened, trying to look as large and imposing as possible. However, in the same way a house cat's fear response simply drew amused smiles from their owners, Weiss's posturing only made Blake grin, and crunch _loudly._

The heiress didn't catch on immediately, going straight to her bed and scanning it carefully. Only a second crunch drew Weiss's eye, and Blake waved down at her as she swallowed thickly. "You _didn't."_ Weiss snarled, puffing up with all the indignation of a startled tabby.

"You can't leave food unguarded in the wild, Weiss. Wild animals will be _all_ over it." Blake reached into Weiss's box of carrot sticks and held one up, bringing it close to her mouth.

Weiss seethed, raising her fists in a promise of violence as her eyes grew wide with ice-blue rage. "Y-You thief! You lowest of the _low!_ Return my snacks to me _at once,_ and mayhaps I won't visit revenge and _r-r-r_ uin upon you!"

Blake could only stare. Did she seriously _roll_ her r's? Oh, the princess was getting upset, and it was _adorable._ The way she stomped her feet, held her hand out, and tightened her lips like she was the most dangerous thing in the room. "Hm…" Blake stared at the carrot stick in her hand. "I dunno, it's the last one."

"Blake…"

"It's pretty thick. Juicy lookin' too."

"Don't you taunt me, Blake, or I will—" Weiss cut herself short with an enraged gasp, watching her teammate chew slowly and contently through the dripping veggie stick. The black haired beauty's eyes closed slowly as she popped the rest in her mouth, and let out a moan of hedonistic contentment that left Weiss red in the face. "You—you _hussy!"_

"C'mon princess, let it all out." Blake cooed through a tactical opening between her lips, then swallowed the carrot mash on her tongue.

"That is _it!"_ Weiss threw her pointer finger out, aiming straight at the floor. "For this transgression, you are hereby _banned_ from my notes for the _rest of the week!"_ Weiss's overly dramatic tantrum could have only been made more perfect by a crack of lightning, but Blake was not blessed with such fortune.

"Oh." Blake monotoned, a hand over her heart. "Whatever shall I do? None of Weiss Schnee's fancy notes? I guess I'll have to make do with my own." Blake grinned, stretching out on her bed, idly flicking the open lid to the carrot sticks' container.

"It's important to get your knowledge from multiple perspectives! After all, I am likely the second most, if not _the_ most, knowledgeable about Dust in the school! I know everything and _then_ some about the Schnee-Xing manafication process! I left a nice tidbit all about the Menagerie Geometric theory, and you'll _never_ get to read it." Weiss said with a smugness only a Schnee could muster.

Blake, meanwhile, snorted. "So? Sounds boring."

"It's _not_ boring!" Weiss whined, tilted forward as her voice raised. "It's an exemplary theory about the probability of Dust refining and purifying over centuries of untouched pressure and heat that would—" Snap, crunch… "—completely… you told me you ate the last one!"

Blake slowly chewed the carrot stick she pulled from the box, and smirked. "I lied." She stated bluntly, reaching for the box again.

Weiss hastily snatched it from Blake's bunk, denying the mischievous young lady her continued theft, examining the contents carefully as Blake hid a snicker. "You—!" Weiss pointed to Blake, her face red, her eyes wide, her lips pale, and her posture rigid. "I thought _Ruby_ was bad, but no, I thought _Yang_ was bad, but _no!_ You! _You!_ _You,_ Blake! You are the most irritating, frustrating, aggravating, meddlesome, maniacal, manipulative, machiavellian _jerk!_ How _DARE YOU_ —"

Weiss suddenly found herself face to face with Blake as the taller girl hopped off her bed, wearing an expression like she'd just cornered a mouse. Weiss's voice caught in her throat, and the red in her face turned to white as Blake leaned in, hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. Weiss had the urge—and felt every justification—to throw Blake off and slug her, but something about the way Blake's eyes sparkled, her breath-taking little smile, those full, pinkish lips…

"You're cute as hell when you're mad, Weiss." Blake whispered.

A noise escaped Weiss, not unlike a dying balloon animal asking a question, and any tension in her frame collapsed as she stared at Blake with the most awkwardly confused look on her face.

Blake snickered, and stood up straight, pulling her hands to her hips. Weiss had the very reaction she expected, if not more over-the-top. It was mostly normal, entirely _human._ Weiss was the daughter and public face of the company that profited the most off Faunus labor, but Weiss herself was not the enemy. She was just a girl, like Blake. Their circumstances, their races, and their motivations were different… but as far as Blake could see, Weiss Schnee was a good girl.

Blake flicked her hair towards the exit, an easy smile on her face. "Let's go hit up the cafeteria one more time and grab a pizza. My treat." Blake sauntered out the door, leaving Weiss just standing place, watching after her with an enormous amount of energy and a clot in her ability to think.

"But… the food's covered by tuition…?" Weiss finally offered, long after Blake had already disappeared from view. Without another word, Weiss lurched forward, her brain managing to think at a thousand miles an hour while simultaneously going nowhere.

* * *

A half-eaten slice of cooling cheese pizza sat on a napkin by Ruby's side, her goggles hanging from a 'student procured' hook on the wall behind her, and the curtain around her bed drawn tightly. Beacon, for all of its residents, both young and old, for its dozens of facilities, purported activities, and preparation for future events, quickly fell to near silence past curfew.

 _Near_ silence, comparatively. Ruby's well-tuned ears picked up on the shuffling of feet from multiple dorms above, the distant thrum of some beat down below—followed by it shutting off as somebody ordered them into bed—and the dulcet violin coming from Weiss's radio in the bathroom.

It was nowhere near as quiet as Ruby's house on Patch Island. Even with all the modern conveniences they had in their little home, they were still smack-dab in the middle of a heavily wooded area, a good twenty-five minutes away from Patch's central township and port. It was apparently the way her father liked it, but Ruby rather enjoyed having so many people so close at once. It certainly beat the shockingly absolute silence of going camping, something that even Yang had difficulties getting used to.

It was a phenomenon that Ruby had read about with new hunters from the inner cities having to acclimate to camping in the wilds. Without the constant busy streets, the hum of electricity, and the distant movement of people, the silence was often overwhelming, causing disturbances in the person's mental state that resulted in anxiety, heightened stress, and an inability to sleep.

Many attributed it to the 'it's _too_ silent' mentality, and it took fresh campers some time to adjust to the difference in noise pollution. Ruby had read that, starting in their third year, students spent a significantly longer time away from Beacon, taking numerous week-long—or even longer—trips out into the wilds of Vale to get used to foraging, tracking, and caring for oneself and one's team far away from the benefits of civilization.

Thankfully, her team had no such obligations. Yet...

Yang had settled into bed early, and from Ruby could see through her curtain, was curled into a ball around her pillow, sleepily muttering nonsense. Ruby knew that she was exhausted. When there wasn't enough to keep her occupied, she trained. When Yang was bored, she worked out, hit things, and went to bed without a fuss. She also had a tendency to mouth off in her sleep, which could sometimes be cute and sweet, but other times get her woken up by an offended punch to the shoulder.

Blake had been nodding off by the time Ruby returned to their room, full of pizza and exhausted from a busy day. Ruby was right there with her, but she had still needed to review her notes. Blake lay utterly still and drifted to sleep almost the moment she'd closed her eyes, having greeted Ruby.

So Ruby sat in the dark with a flashlight, a bedtime snack, and her notes from the day.

Weiss's violin music switched off, and the restroom door opened. Ruby listened to Weiss's footsteps as she came around to their bunk bed, and looked at Weiss's silhouette when she didn't slip into bed right away.

"Are your goggles off?" Weiss whispered.

"Y-yeah, one second." After a couple moments of improvisation, Ruby opened the curtain, revealing a blind made out of her pillowcase. She smiled hugely, satisfied with her improvisation, but Weiss's sigh put an end to it. "I-is this not good?"

"No, it's fine, just absurd, but I suppose that's to be expected of you." Weiss answered, in such a way that Ruby had no clue if that was a good or bad thing. "Don't stay up too late with your notes if you plan to get up early again."

"I-I won't."

"And finish your pizza or throw it away. I don't know why we decided pizza before bed was a good idea, it'll be near impossible to get to sleep…"

"... It was Blake's idea…"

"I know, and it's my fault for going along with it. Anyways…" Weiss ran her fingers through her hair as Ruby blindly looked her direction. The lack of direct eye contact had been an annoyance since the first day, but the alternative was even more harsh. At least Ruby made efforts to protect Weiss's sanity… "Ruby?" Weiss asked after some thought.

"Yeah, Weiss?" Ruby answered, squirming in place.

"... Thank you."

"Oh! Uh… you're welcome! I think!" Ruby sat straighter, trying to stay focused on where she last heard Weiss's voice. However, the ruffle of her curtains, then Weiss's bedsheets suggested she was no longer there, which a quick peek confirmed.

Down below, Weiss curled up under her blankets, head on her pillow, her mind strained, her body sore, and stuck in a state of perpetual confusion and wonder. This was her life from here on out. For the next four years, these three were her roommates and classmates.

They were exhausting, messy, crude, over-the-top, and downright infuriating, yet Weiss was at peace. If this day proved anything, it was that she'd made the right choice. Despite all the hardships and pain, she was no longer alone, and no longer afraid.

The smell of pizza lingered, and the sound of Ruby eating as she turned pages tickled her ear, but Weiss drifted off to sleep without a problem.

With their first day behind them, the team slept fitfully, alleviated of their fears.


	13. Test of Faith

At the window behind his desk, Ozpin stared down at the sprawling valley Beacon sat in, watching the grass and trees sway, a steaming mug in one hand. Behind him, Glynda Goodwitch sat in his chair, pouring over several holoscreens with her fingers bridged in front of her mouth.

Ozpin breathed deep, smiling without mercy. His academy was on the cutting edge of technology, and was rivaled only by Haven Academy in aesthetics and beauty. No towering cliffs and waterfalls for Beacon, no ancient architectural appeal… Ozpin found Beacon beautiful for an extremely simple reason:

Tension.

The students' stress was palpable in this early light. As they crawled out of bed and scampered to gather their things, their combined worries formed a cloud that reached the top of his tower, giving Ozpin a smile.

He did not cackle in delight at their pain, no. To Ozpin, a student's fears were something to cultivate and carefully manage. After all, growth came from discomfort, skill was sharpened by worry, and routine was born through fear.

Today would be a day he would teach his students to be afraid. It was Friday, after all, a day of revelry, affection, and fun, to most people. Ozpin would see that changed in his students' eyes.

* * *

"Name the three founders of the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition."

"Uh… ah! Michael Crane, Tetsua Lakshmi, and Lien Judon."

"And their political affiliations at the time?"

"Crane was the chairman for the Schnee Dust Company of Vacuo, Lakshmi was… was the Chieftain... Chieftess?" Yang looked up to Weiss, unsure, and Weiss shook her head.

"Chieftain is gender-neutral in this case, such as ' _Chieftain Sienna.'"_

"Right! Crane was the SDCV, Lakshmi was the Chieftain of the Vacuo Vipers—put your finger down Weiss, I'm getting there—which would later meld into the Vacuo chapter of the White Fang, and Judon represented the Vacuo Homeland Alliance."

"Excellent." Weiss turned a page in her notes and turned to face Ruby, who sat up sharply, her own notes at the ready. "Ruby, what was the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition's purp—"

"' _To establish a more secure border, to recreate the oasis of peace and equality, and to bring about an era of camaraderie between foreigners, faunus, and humanity!'"_ Ruby recited with a broad smile, earning a somewhat annoyed look from Weiss, but the heiress merely grunted.

"Correct, though I'd prefer you let me finish next time. Blake?" Weiss looked up. Peering over them, lazing on top of her bed, holding a book over her face to read, Blake responded with a grunt. "This would be _far_ easier if you came down here…"

"Yeah, probably. Anyways, what's up?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, and spoke more loudly for Blake to hear. "What would lead to the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition's eventual downfall?"

Blake snapped her book shut, setting it aside as she rolled onto her side to stare down at her teammates, who had set up three chairs in a triangle between their bunks. Blake closed her eyes, and breathed deep. "Chairman Crane's death during a Grimm attack caused the SDCV to pull back to safety while a new head was established. This lead to the Vacuo Homeland Alliance getting caught in a Grimm ambush. The dissension between the two factions was briefly tempered by Lakshmi's daughter, Aya, until the SDCV discovered her using the opportunity to smuggle Dust to the Vipers." She neglected to inform her teammates that the SDCV had been withholding Dust from a supposedly allied faction out of paranoia and racism… "This would lead to the dissolution of the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition, and pave the way for Aya Lakshmi to create the United Vacuan Hunter's Guild alongside General Mateus Anh."

"Correct on all fronts." Weiss informed her calmly, and then turned to Yang with the next question.

Fridays were feared and dreaded across the Beacon campus, and with good reasons. It was unknown when the standard had been set, but even adults well past their Beacon years reported waking up in cold sweats on Friday morning, scrambling through their research and gear while trying to remember the week before.

Fridays were test days after all, and the professors were advised by their benevolent headmaster to pull no punches.

Passing tests meant good grades, and good grades meant the students could keep various privileges, such as leisure time in Vale on weekday afternoons, and their portion of the weekly allowance. In a school full of college-age kids, their self-indulgent hours after class were highly important, so any chance they could avoid being held back from leaving the school or forced into study halls was taken seriously, so from the first years to the fourth years, every student was scrambling to make sure they didn't blow their first week of tests.

The morning was unusually quiet, at least compared to the past four. Occasionally broken by somebody running about in the hallways, or small argument that was muffled by the thick walls, the students were otherwise under a stifling malaise as they gathered together in hopes that their combined efforts would be enough.

While many students felt sluggish, hesitant, and even tired from a night of cramming, Ruby felt surprisingly energetic. She couldn't say why—she felt just as nervous as everyone else, which had made sleep difficult—but she'd woken up tossing the covers off herself, even outperforming Yang during their morning workout. It was like she'd downed two coffees and had the most nutritious breakfast in the world!

Each of her teammates was relaxed, for the most part. Weiss was in full study mode from the moment she'd stepped out of the shower, while Yang had, to Ruby's surprise, been in agreement with Weiss. Yang wasn't terrible at studying by any means—she'd passed all her classes at Signal with hardly an issues—but she was strangely calm as she poured over their notes, even cribbing some of the excess details Ruby added to hers.

Blake was as hard to read as ever. She was content with one of Ruby's novels, only marginally part of their study session. However, as they continued to go over questions and answers, Ruby noticed that Blake never once flipped the pages in the book. She was concentrating on something else, and considering she kept glancing down…

" _OKAY!"_ Weiss suddenly shouted, nearly making Ruby jump in a panic. "That's all our history notes! Everyone grab your notes from Professor Peach, we're going over them extensively. And Ruby?" Weiss's eyes narrowed, and Ruby put on a nervous smile. " _Nerves._ No blowing up today."

"I won't!"

"If I end up wringing ice crystals out of my hair _again_ —"

"You won't!"

"Hey!" Yang suddenly interrupted, opening her Dust notebook with a small frown. "Focus." It was all she said on the matter, and Ruby wasn't sure what unnerved her more: angry Yang or chill-angry Yang.

"Ahem…" Weiss cleared her throat nervously at Yang's order, briefly looking over the normally brash blonde in curiosity and worry. "... Right." Weiss leafed through her notebook, and began quizzing her teammates on Dust.

Dust, of course, was followed by Grimm Studies, and immediately after, a discussion on tactics for PE, followed by determining how best to handle combat class. Blake lay on her side lazily, watching, answering, and chiming in where she thought was necessary, but for the most part, kept to herself.

It felt less formal. She disliked the stiffness of a group circle; there was this sinister feeling of… _scheming_ she associated with it. She knew that wasn't accurate, but she was more relaxed high up. She enjoyed the looseness of the study group, even if Weiss's demanded rigidity earned her a dirty look or two from Blake.

Ruby's scroll beeped, causing the girl to scramble to shut off the alarm Weiss had her set the night before. "Ah! It's _time!"_ Ruby squeaked, trying to gather her notes and her things together in her bag. Weiss and Yang were by the door by the time Ruby managed to get everything together, and Blake dropped down by their side with a small smile.

"Now, nobody panic and we'll breeze through these tests no problem." Weiss stated with her chin high and her icy stare going from girl to girl, though her lips quirked up in a small smile. "Shall we?"

"W-wait!" Ruby suddenly gasped, before quickly gathering herself up into something resembling a functioning captain. Weiss shot her a sideways look, Blake glanced over her curiously, and Yang put on a little smile as Ruby squeezed the straps to her bag. "... I-I know these are just some-some dumb tests and all that, but…" Ruby swallowed thickly. "I-I mean, I can't s-say they _aren't_ important, a-and…" Ruby paused, her brow furrowed, her hidden eyes squinting in frustration as the other three silently stared. "... Thank you for being here." Ruby finally spoke up after a moment of silence. "This is my first week of real s-school, and my first t-tests, and I'm ne-nervous, b-but, I feel better knowing we're all going through it. I feel… I feel confident. For all of us. We'll pass." Ruby squared her shoulders, and smiled. "I know how smart each of you is, so don't let me down! Let's aim for the top!" Ruby held a hand out, palm down, and spoke confidently. "R!" She announced.

Weiss, Blake, and Yang stared down at her hand silently, then glanced up to Ruby. A bead of sweat formed on Ruby's forehead. "Err, does that mean something?..." Yang asked with a smirk. A confused smirk, but a smirk nonetheless.

"I-I'm tryin'a do a th-thing! C'mon!" Ruby squeaked, hunkering down, her hand still extended. A low chuckle escaped both Blake and Yang, and Yang's hand extended, only to be swatted out of the way by Weiss.

" _I_ go next!" Weiss insisted sternly, earning a raised eyebrow from Yang as the heiress put her hand on top of Ruby's. "Ahem… W?" She looked to Ruby, earning an encouraging grin.

Blake put her hand on the pile, her other hand on her hip, unable to suppress a grin. "B." Ruby was practically trembling now.

Yang's hand came all but crashing down on Blake's, earning a flinch from the black-haired girl, as the tallest of the four proudly bellowed, "Y!" And with that, the four of them threw their hands into the air, Ruby leaping up with an excited squeal.

" _Go team RWBY!"_ The four voices came together as one, and the four bodies immediately raced out their dormroom.

* * *

" _We're not late!"_ Nora announced as she nearly busted the door down.

"Yes, yes, have a seat, team JNPR." Doctor Oobleck ordered them. The class of hunters hardly glanced up from their notes as Nora walked in, Pyrrha meekly following behind her. Jaune and Ren crept in after them.

Jaune plopped down in his usual seat, right by Ruby, with Pyrrha on his other side. Slowly, he dug through his things, hardly looking up at as he set his notes and writing utensils in front of them. Then, with a heavy sigh, he dropped his forehead to the desk. His every motion, expression, and even his posture screamed that of a defeated man, and Ruby silently stared, while Pyrrha squeaked and tried to nudge him up.

"Is he okay?" Ruby whispered over his back, and Pyrrha put on a large, frustrated pout.

"He's…" Pyrrha stroked Jaune's shoulders, earning nothing more than a moan of defeat. "Unconfident in his test-taking abilities."

"Despite his lack of confidence, we did spend nearly all of yesterday afternoon covering class material." Ren spoke up from Pyrrha's other side. He looked as hawk-eyed and calm-faced as ever, but Ruby detected the beginnings of tired bags under those pretty pink eyes.

"Eh, who cares. It's just _writing."_ Nora snorted, already looking bored as she flipped a pencil between her fingers. Compared to her boyfriend, she looked totally relaxed. "This'll be a cakewalk… mmm, cake…"

"We have this, Jaune." Pyrrha tried to say reassuringly.

"Uuuggggh, I don't remember _anything…"_ Jaune whimpered. His team doted over him, his expression a mask of pure defeat. Ruby pursed her lips in thought.

She understood how he felt. Everything felt jumbled up and lost: names, numbers, and more swam through her head without direction, completely meaningless without context, and fighting for prominence in her head. However, Ruby glanced to her collection of pens and pencils in their little Beowolf case, and a small idea formed.

Jaune looked up as a red pencil rolled in front of him. It was sharpened, its eraser hardly worn, and he looked over to Ruby. The younger girl squirmed quietly, putting on a small, innocent smile. "Here." She poked the pencil closer to him.

"... A pencil?" Jaune asked, picking it up incredulously between his fingers. "Isn't this all going to be done on a holoscreen?" He asked, tapping the emitter on his desk. Ruby chuckled awkwardly, and nodded.

"Yeah but… it's my lucky pencil!" She explained, poking it with one finger. "It's the one I carried when I got into Beacon, and the one I carried when I won a write-in book contest! See, it's special." She held up a yellow, standard pencil. "It was miscolored, and still showed up in the pencil box! And it's my favorite color! So it's lucky!"

Jaune's eyes went from Ruby's goggles to her pencil. He twiddled it between his fingers as Pyrrha watched on. "I-I… really? Shouldn't you have it then? It's _your_ pencil."

"Who, _me?_ Nah, I'll totally ace this test." She spoke with false confidence, her smile wide and sweet. "It's all yours today, you can use it as a stylus! Just be good to it, okay?"

Jaune looked from Ruby to the pencil, and his head tilted in puppy-esque curiosity. Being a rural farm boy, Jaune had been around the superstitious all his life. Creaks in the house were from ghosts, missing items were because of goblins, and any unfortunate accident was an omen that the Grimm were near.

He didn't believe it for a second, but Jaune looked to his fellow leader, her smile nervous and adorable beyond belief, and he hid a chuckle. Squeezing the wood between his fingers, he took a deep breath. "... Thanks Ruby. Though, I probably should be smart, not lucky."

"Ah!" Ruby clasped her hands together, "But luck is something a hunter needs sometimes! When your enemy hesitates, or steps on a leaf, or you find an extra bullet you packed. Being lucky's a good thing! S-so, use it!" She put on her best, determined look, and Jaune gave a little smile.

"Alright, Ruby." He squeezed the pencil again. His whole tenure up to this point had felt like luck, so a little more wouldn't hurt. He wished he had Ruby's confidence, but… he'd settle for her pencil. "Thanks."

Ruby nodded at him, then took a deep breath and clasped her hands. Jaune was better, her team was full of vim and vigor, and her heartbeat was going to kill her as it played like a drum in her chest. "Deep breaths…" She reminded herself.

"And calm your hands." Weiss whispered by her side, making Ruby flinch, then nod. Weiss looked as serious as usual, which meant she was relaxed. She had total assuredness, while, by her side, Yang was going over her notes one more time, and Blake held a silent prayer.

"Students!" Dr. Oobleck suddenly spoke up, making the class go silent and stiff with anticipation. The green-haired coffee-addict strutted in front of his students, hands behind his back, long legs leading him in a slow army march before them. "I'm sure you've heard some rumors about today: Fridays are indeed our test days, and there _is indeed_ a punishment for failure. Each and every single one of you is young and deserves your free time… _should_ you succeed!"

A flick of his wrist extended a telescoping rod to its maximum length and he pointed to the board, which was full of test-taking information. "You will follow these instructions to access your test, then follow the instructions on-screen. These are your protocols to follow in case of an emergency, as _silently_ and _unobtrusively_ as possible! If you cause too much of a ruckus, or do not follow protocol, you will receive an automatic _zero._ You have five tests today from each of your professors and need to average out a sixty to avoid weekend study halls and access to Vale! This may _seem_ lenient, but I assure you, you will need to have studied every scrap of information we have given you over the week! If you fail today, take it as a warning of a necessary change in habits! Any questions?!" A hand shot up. "Yes, Mr. Winchester?"

"Is it true that we are ranked by test scores?" Cardin asked from the back of the class, causing a low murmur of curiosity and surprise to spring up from the rest of the students.

"Ah! Yes, rankings." Oobleck adjusted his tie, and flared his nostrils. "It is proven that a healthy sense of competition encourages a more concentrated effort in your work! We will be evaluating your overall scores: individual test-taking scores, in-class partner scores, and homework! The better you do, the higher your rank, the better your privileges!"

This must have been news to Weiss, Ruby noted. Weiss's eyes widened, and all but _sparkled_ at the information.

"The top ten performers will be granted _unlimited access_ to the school's entertainment facilities, double the allotted check-out time for materials from the library, and the ability to reserve front-row seating during school plays and movie nights." The implications left a number of students silently looking to each other with big, awestruck eyes. "The top _three_ performers will have unlimited passes to Vale for both themselves and their teams during the weekend, rather than the normal six-hour allotments. A reminder that your weekend access to Vale is _your_ time, you do not need to update us on your location and expenditures during these times as you would on weekdays. So!" Oobleck threw a slow, encouraging right hook in front of his chest, and smiled. "Give your best! Even if you don't get the highest score, you will be able to enjoy the campus as normal! I expect nothing but good grades! Now, with that in mind, clear your desks except for scrap paper and writing utensils, and let's begin."

Oobleck typed at a keyboard on his desk, and each student had a holoscreen pop up in front of them. The room filled with the beeps of their holo-keyboards, and the test began.

Perhaps nobody was more intense in their typing than Weiss. Leaning forward, eyes on the screen, fingers flying across the buttons as she quickly broke down questions and answers, a _need_ filled her. She would be amongst the elite! To be anything less than number one would be unacceptable! Ultimate victory was in her grasp!

To her side, Yang was quiet and contemplative. Each question was read thoroughly, and she double-checked her answers repeatedly. Her nostrils flared each time she typed in her answer, which were sometimes hastily deleted as she reevaluated.

Blake was quietly chewing a pen cap. She wrote without hesitation, reading quickly and answering faster. Her eyes began to wander as she wrote. There was something hanging from the ceiling… string? Tape? Some sort of fiber? Should she mention something?...

Pyrrha smiled to herself as she typed. She had skipped to her favorite part of the test: the essay. There were so many ways to answer essay questions, and she was well-practiced in essay creation, since she relieved some of her pre-fight boredom by doing her homework. The multiple choice wouldn't have been difficult, so she needed to use her energy on what counted!

Ren had his eyes closed, fingers connected in front of him as he meditated on each question. He had to clear his mind of all distractions, understand _what_ was being asked of him, the _intent_ of the question, and find the answer himself. Only once he knew, did he open his eyes, mark the right answer, and continue.

Nora stared at the screen, her eyes slowly drifting apart as words blurred, the sounds around her becoming a continuous stream of nothing and everything. She finally shook herself out of it to stare at a question, and answer what sounded right. Then, the next question came, and the world began to blur…

Jaune knew this. He knew this. He also knew _this_. This one, he didn't know. He _thought_ he knew this one. Crap, why did King Ronald disappear? Assassins? His ex-wife? Both?! Why were both on there?! Didn't his ex-wife _hire_ the assassins?! Jaune stared at Ruby's pencil. Well, obviously if she hired the assassins, they would have made him disappear…

Ruby stared at the question on the screen, and breathed slowly through her nostrils. It taunted her, made her _squirm,_ the listed names seemed to meld together, Darius? Anglius? Fijas? Wait, those sounded familiar... ' _Lord London had bought land for his eight children. Eight acres for Darius, who brought the Grimm low, seven acres for Nautilus whose gardens did grow, six acres for Fijas who married a man widely adored, five acres for Arguul who wrote up the Vacuan accord, four acres for Limsa whose bare feet wandered the earth, three acres for Yarman whose wife had given birth, two acres for Anglius who was still but a boy, and no acres for Hamon who'd slain the viceroy..."_ Ruby immediately picked Hamon, and breathed deep in relief.

History of Remnant ended with a call to stop and submit, then an order of dismissal. Ruby rubbed her hands together nervously as the crowd of students thundered out, racing to their next class. Keeping up with Weiss was a challenge, as the normally composed girl was racing full tilt, leaving behind Blake and Yang, who took the journey in stride.

* * *

"... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm proud of you." Professor Peach chuckled good-naturedly as she reached her hands out.

Ruby smiled stiffly, her arms shaking as she carefully set the flask of turbocharged emergency lightning dust into her professor's hands. Peach took the glass and pulled, pausing to look up at Ruby.

"You'll have to let go, Ruby, if you want me to grade this." She said calmly. Ruby's hands opened like robotic claws, and went down to her sides in a stiff, swinging motion as she just let out a _loud_ groan of relief. "Hm… hm, hm, ah-hah, yes, mhmm…" Peach mused as she tilted the flask around to examine the contents with an extremely critical eye. "Alright. Go sit down, Ruby."

"D-di-did R-R-Ruby d-do-do g-good P-pr-proff-profes-pro-pr- ma'am?" Ruby jittered in place, and Peach gave her a small smile.

"Please, go sit down Ruby, you'll know your grade after your last class."

"Y-yaa-aaaay." Ruby wheezed, then turned on her heels, and walked like a tin man back to her seat. A bit of red dust on her shoulder erupted into a miniscule puff of smoke, and as she passed by her fellow students, they took their dust concoctions and moved them well away from She Who Annihilates Desktops.

* * *

Weiss walked through the fading black mist, a small, queenly smile on her face and her rapier shining brilliantly as the remnants of her aura pulse faded. In the private training room, Professor Port put on a big smile beneath his bushy moustache.

Weiss approached the older man, Myrtenaster now hanging loosely off her hip as she waited for his evaluation. "Young lady, look at what you have accomplished so easily." Professor Port shook his head, his eyes opening marginally to show his twinkling pupils.

"I have my team to thank for my improved performance." Despite her clinical speak, her smile grew wider at his praise, and she silently shimmied on her heels. "Thank you for the opportunity to prove myself, Professor Port."

The Boarbatusk had been an above-standard one, straight from the fields of Vale. Slightly larger than average, with a greater inclination towards reckless aggression. Compared to the Boarbatusk Weiss had fought on Monday, it was bigger, angrier, and definitely heavier.

It had done an almost artistic flip from Weiss's interjecting strike, and paid gruesomely for its crimes from her second. There had been zero hesitation, no thinking, and not a single misstep. By now, Weiss knew her distance, and had followed through with prejudice.

"Of course, Weiss. Please go let the next student know they are allowed to come in… and try not to look _too_ pleased when you walk out there, don't want them thinking this is easy!" He chuckled mirthfully, and Weiss bowed her head low.

"As you wish, Professor." Her smile disappeared into a neutral frown, and she walked out, only giving a single, gleeful skip before opening the door for the next student.

* * *

Taiyang braced himself, and firmed his abs as his youngest daughter crashed into him. Wrapped around his torso, Ruby let out a sad whimper. " _Daaaaa-aaad,_ these tests are _haaaard!"_ Ruby whimpered, clinging to his shirt as she looked up at her father's smirking face.

"Yes they are, Ruby, but you only have two more and the day is over. Go stand with your team, okay?" Taiyang instructed, ruffling her hair. With a nod, Ruby extricated herself from her father's midsection, and shuffled back into place in front of her team. Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but a quick elbow from Yang shut her up, and the blonde shot her teammate a cautionary look.

Weiss harrumphed. _Such_ a child.

"Alright," Taiyang began, clapping his hands together, "we're now going to start the Physical Fitness test for team RWBY." He swept a hand out. They were in one of the small, rentable training rooms inside the gym. Big enough for a team of four, a little stifling with five, even if three of the four girls were rather lithe and compact. Taiyang continued, referring to a scroll. "First off, I'll weigh the four of you— _and don't be shy about it_ —before starting two of you on weightlifting. Take your time stretching and warming up; you get three attempts to lift as much as you can over your head for _three seconds straight,_ and I'll be counting! The other two will take turns on the treadmill. It's preset to steadily increase in speed, and you are to run until you can't go any faster. You'll be wearing a magnet tag, so take it off, hop off, or just fall over, and the treadmill will stop and restart. It saves the top speed for me, so just put in your name and don't try and cheat it. Aura is not allowed, so do _not_ overdo it, or you'll get screwed over for your combat class. Any questions?"

"Is—" Weiss raised her hand quickly, before she could be accused of speaking out of line, "Is this the whole test? Just weight, lifting, and running?" She asked, looking confused. She was expecting much _much_ worse, and Blake couldn't help but agree. Monday had been a chaotic scramble, Wednesday had been all about muscle-building, which meant core exercises until both she and Weiss were begging for a shower, a bed, and a bed in the shower.

"Yep." Taiyang was casually inputting the girls' names as they lined up in front of an electronic scale. Their light, loose gym clothing would add hardly a thing to their weight, but Weiss couldn't help but feel slighted. "These early tests are me getting a feel for you, seeing how you improve or fall week to week. You'll be doing plenty of workouts in class, hopefully _out_ of class too, and I'll be adding more as time goes on. For now, let's start easy."

Ruby stepped onto the scale first, hands balled into nervous fists. Physical fitness didn't scare her. She had post-test nerves, as well as their upcoming combat class test. She straightened up, breathed deep, let it out, and stood still as the scale clocked her in at 158 lbs. Though the youngest, as well as the shortest, she had excellent muscle mass from her training. She paid little mind to the reading, and stepped out of the way.

Weiss came up next, trying to be as light as possible. Compared to Ruby, she was the picture of calmness, convinced, without a doubt, that she lead the pack in test scores. After all, she was Weiss Schnee, it was what she _did._ She frowned as the scale put her at 132 lbs. Easily the most waifish of the team, her training gave her a very limber, agile build without much added weight. Not that Weiss cared, she'd gained six pounds in just a month!

Blake stepped up next, eyes on Taiyang as he inspected her and read the scale. She had a knot in her stomach as the coach's eyes roamed her hair, looking at her bow, but he shrugged it off and put down the number. Blake was unconvinced that the tests were terribly important. She would pass, and that's all she cared about. Standing at 144 lbs, Blake nodded. An acceptable number; she was better-built than Weiss and had a good few inches on her as well, but had no fears of being overweight.

Yang was the last to get on the scale. Hands on her hips, her smile firm. She's done it. The hardest part of the test day was over with, and she knew full well she'd done more than admirably. Hell, she may have even done amazing! As far as she was concerned, the rest of the day would be about fun and games! She pursed her lips as 175 lbs. popped up, then shrugged it off. Yang stood over her team in terms of height, musculature, and 'additional mass.' It was natural that their bruiser was also the heaviest.

"Alright." Taiyang looked over the team, his smile growing. It was hard to step into the educator role when both his daughters looked up to him, waiting for orders and praise, but having blown his chance to grab Signal's attention, he didn't want to ruin this opportunity at Beacon. "Ruby, Weiss, how about you two start at the treadmill. Blake, Yang, you two hit the weights."

"Yes sir." Weiss, Blake, and Yang spoke as one.

"Okay dad!" Ruby said instead, bouncing over to the treadmill. Taiyang chuckled, and Weiss sighed before she followed.

"Don't worry about trying to win anything, Ruby!" Tai called after her. "Just do your best, sweetheart, and I'll be proud!" Taiyang then turned to Blake and Yang, and Blake noticed a shift in the upbeat man's eyes. Friendliness evaporated, fatherliness disappeared. His eyes were sharp, his smile cruel and tough, and he all but spoke through his teeth. "Yang, I'd better see you dominating that barbell. I swear, if you score lower than your last test at Signal, it'll be a full week of private training with me, nothing but ass-whuppings until I see it improve!"

Blake blinked rapidly, looking at Taiyang's almost _violent_ smile at the prospect, and she looked at Yang in worry, which was replaced by confusion. Rather than fear, or even nervousness, Yang matched his grin, looking like she was ready to rip his arms off. "What's that? I fail and I get to kick your ass in front of the whole school? Is that what I heard? Oh, papa, don't dangle that carrot in front'a me!"

"Hey, you need some gifts for the tooth fairy and I'll be happy to provide, li'l dragon." Taiyang crossed his arms over his chest, and Blake did not miss the way his knuckles cracked as he tightened his fists.

"Pity there ain't a rib fairy to do the same for you, old man." Yang stretched her fingers ahead of herself.

Blake silently worried just what the barbell would be used _for_ once they were done…

"Are you able to talk, Ruby?" Weiss asked as Ruby started the treadmill. Biting the hem of Ruby's shirt's collar was a plastic pincer, attached by a chord to an emergency stop magnet on the treadmill's control panel. The readout read 'Ruby Rose-Xiao Long', along with the machine's slowly climbing speed.

"Yeah. Is everything okay?" Ruby asked, starting out at a leisurely walk, but it quickly picked up.

"I just wanted to say that I am proud of your performance in Professor Peach's class." Despite her words, Weiss spoke with an uncompromisingly clinical nature, as if she'd been practicing for a speech she wasn't used to giving. "I know you have been improving since Monday, but you really kept your nerve today."

"Oh!" Ruby blinked behind her goggles, now at a slow jog, increasing to a quicker pace. "Th-thanks Weiss. I-I t-tried really hard to not b-blow up!" Ruby smiled, her arms swinging faster.

"I could tell. Considering, as partners, our scores outside of class will be shared, I have confidence that the two of us will pass without fail. However, we have this class and the next to worry about, so _don't slack."_ She ordered, looking up to Ruby seriously.

Ruby stared straight forward, nodding without speaking, breathing calmly, but deeply through her mouth as she began to run.

"Now, _that_ said…" Weiss crossed her arms and tapped her foot, looking away in thought. "My performance in Grimm Studies was fantastic. In no small part due to your help." Weiss glanced to Ruby again, trying to not look _too_ thankful. "Thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone to help me, the Boarbatusk I fought could have hardly been called a challenge with the technique you taught me. I will be coming to you for future advice in the dealings of Grimm."

"Okay!" Was all Ruby could manage. Her powerful legs carried her forward in long strides, easily making up for her height with a mixture of muscle memory and well-honed strength. The slap of her feet against the treadmill's revolving suspension belt was a steadily growing rhythm that had Weiss quietly counting.

Ruby's speed was admirable, Weiss always knew that. Their combat classes with Professor Goodwitch promised hunter-to-hunter combat eventually, but they had sparred using dummies and technique efficiency under her watchful eye. Watching Ruby skip around her practice dummies, constantly revolving, her feet always on point, her scythe barely visible when she struck. It was mesmerizing, and even though Weiss's fencing was undeniably skilled, Ruby _always_ turned heads.

There was a mixture of envy over Ruby's talent, and pride over having her as a partner… and a friend. Weiss's fingers curled together shyly as she remembered that; they weren't tools for one another to use, they weren't associates passing off paperwork, they had fought together, protected each other, and worked to improve each other for their mutual benefit. It was… nice. A clean and efficient relationship with her partner, her teammate, her team leader.

It certainly helped that Ruby could be so endearing… and good looking.

Weiss whipped her head back and forth, and metaphorically stamped that thought out. Ruby looked _fine,_ naked or clothed, but it was Blake and Yang that shined in the showers. Red-faced, Weiss turned away with a frustrated frown, while Ruby focused on her running and remained ignorant of Weiss's plight.

After a short time, Ruby ripped the magnetic brake out of its slot on the treadmill, and flew off the treadmill and onto her feet, barely catching herself in time. She trembled, her legs red, her breath escaping her in heavy pants, but she gathered herself up and stretched with a girlish grunt. "O-okay, I f-finished." She looked to Weiss with a smile.

Weiss nodded her head. Running would clear her mind. She took the brake and put it back in its slot, and glanced up to type in her name. She reached for the 'clear' button, but paused. 'Ruby Rose: 21 mph.' Weiss silently glanced over her shoulder at Ruby, who had wandered over to lean against her dad, earning an affectionate rub to her shoulder.

 _Twenty-one?_ Weiss's eyelashes fluttered. She hesitated. She couldn't beat twenty-one, could she? That was nearly a professional runner's level, and _without_ aura. With aura and her semblance, Weiss could move faster than Yang could punch, but without it, she was a much more tender, if still fit, young lady. She knew Ruby had monstrous strength and willpower—in addition to summoning actual monsters _with_ her willpower—but that was absurd.

Weiss hit 'clear', and the Coach's scrollpad updated with Ruby's impressive top speed. It made sense, considering who her father was, but it left Weiss feeling weak. At the very least she had her brains. With her brains, her body, her semblance, and her aura, she was a huntress and the heir to her dynasty. She took comfort knowing that, outside the class, she would excel.

She entered 'Weiss Schnee' and began to walk, building up to a jog.

One thing had been made abundantly clear by her time with her team: they were all stronger than her. Not in _combat,_ of course—at least, as far as she knew—but physically. They could hit harder, run faster, climb higher, and jump further than she could. PE was proving to be strenuous, leaving her too winded and achy to be acceptable. If she was to be a huntress, to lead with the same strength as her grandfather, she would need to be stronger.

Her mind was a finely sharpened tool, she was a veritable bank of worldly information, as well as the science of their most abundant and important energy source. She'd read thousands of books, journals, articles, and thesises, she'd attended hundreds of lectures, tutors, and classes, she had personally lead conferences and speeches on Dust and the SDC, she was brimming with intelligence and had a capacity for far greater…

Yet, as she slowed down and hopped off the treadmill, ending her run, her legs pulsating, her lungs aching, her heart racing, she stared at her top speed: 15 mph. She was small and frail compared to her teammates. She grit her teeth. She needed to be stronger. Not stronger than her teammates, but stronger than who she was now.

If she stood up to her father as she was, she would fail. She needed to be strong enough to look him in the eye and speak her mind without a trace of doubt or fear. Just _picturing_ his sneer made her knees tremble more. She needed more. She would grow, and she would leave _that man_ behind in terms of accomplishment. His money and cold intellect would fail him in the face of the inferno that Weiss would become.

Fifteen miles per hour… she had four years to improve. Ruby clocked in at twenty-one, and Weiss nodded her head. By the end of her tenure at Beacon, she would catch up to Ruby's first test score. She had zero doubt Ruby would also increase exponentially… but this was Weiss's first goal. She would, at the very least, catch up to the girl she knew right now.

"Well damn." Taiyang said, barely able to get the words out as pride overwhelmed him. "Look at my girls go! Guess I don't need to beat you up, Yang." Taiyang snickered, and got a good, friendly punch to the arm for it.

"You can still try, dad, see how it goes for you." Yang winked, and Weiss quickly joined Ruby, Yang, and the Coach to look at his scrollpad. Yang's final lifting weight had been 350 lbs. Weiss paled at the number. Yang didn't _need_ her aura to get beastly results. Beneath it, Blake had rung in at 170 lbs, and as the black-haired beauty relaxed against the wall, she seemed rather nonplussed about it.

"I'll take a raincheck until I don't have a mountain of paperwork to do. Blake, Yang, you two go run. Done, Weiss?" Taiyang looked back at her, and Weiss nodded stiffly. "Excellent. Good scores, girls, now show me some more!"

"Yes sir!" Weiss, Blake, and Yang said.

"Okay dad!" Ruby answered. With that, Ruby went to the barbell. She was quickly peeling the weights Yang had been using off, and courteously returning them to the respective stacks with little issue. She took her own weights, and began securing them to the barbell.

It was a best of three attempts, and it meant lifting from the ground to above your head, arms straight, for three seconds. To Weiss's surprise, Ruby had some fairly heavy weights on the bar, and entered the pick-up stance behind it. Two hands on the bar, leaning over, knees bent, as if giving a most awkward bow, Ruby began to hoist the weight, lifting with her legs, then, once the barbell was overhead, dropped her backside to the floor in a low crouch. Weiss quivered a moment, worried Ruby might fall, but she remained stable as she kept the barbell above her head.

Ruby stayed squatting for a moment, clearly straining. Weiss glanced to the coach, who watched silently, his arm tense. He seemed patient as his youngest struggled, but then Ruby stood. The weight was above her head, her posture perfect, her neck and spine straight, her legs spread and no longer shaking. Ruby stared forward, her face red, and then Tai called the third second. Ruby pitched the barbell, the clang as it hit the floor making Weiss flinch, then stretched, straightened, and panted.

"Feeling okay, Ruby?" Taiyang asked, unable to keep the worried pride out of his voice. "You have two more tries, you can go light." He offered. Weiss worked her jaw, wondering if that was the coach or the dad in him talking. Her own father would have huffed and shaken his head. After all, Yang had proven the stronger.

"I-I think that was too light, actually." Ruby flashed her father a little smile.

"Ruby…" Taiyang spoke cautiously, but he didn't make a move to stop her as she upgraded her weight. "You don't have to prove anything."

"Yes I do." Ruby countered.

Rather than argue, Taiyang simply asked, "How much did you just lift?"

"Two-hundred." Ruby answered. Weiss tightened a fist. Thirty pounds more than Blake, despite being a head shorter. The heiress stared at Ruby's bulging forearms. For such a little thing, she was _thick._ Not quite like Nora's stocky build, but when Ruby pushed herself, her seemingly lean muscles announced themselves proudly.

In the meantime, Ruby knew better than to overdo it. Her father, uncle, and sister warned her that pushing the limit was good, until it hurt you. She had to know her limitations, where to begin, where to stop. She was far past the little pink weights of her youth, her dad had spent months teaching her proper form and lifting technique.

Crescent Rose, for all her beauty, was not light. The pole had to be thick and sturdy enough to support the head, as well as a fully concealed, completely protected sniper system. Twirling it at the speed her uncle pushed her to was not easy, even with aura. The precision was one thing, but the strength needed to get it there, maintain it, and move with confidence while keeping control was just a pipe dream when she first started.

However, it motivated her. Get stronger with her family, get stronger with her scythe, make a heavy-duty killing machine that she could grow with, and prove to herself, her family, and the world that she could be a huntress without her semblance.

Aura was enhanced by physical strength as much as mental. A hunter had to _know_ they were strong if they were to _be_ strong. Desperation, overconfidence, and sheer tenacity could compensate with aura, as belief drove people to do amazing and terrible things, but in keeping herself physically fit, and capable of wielding Crescent Rose even without her aura, Ruby's strength would not fail her no matter how low she felt.

 _That_ was what was important to Ruby. So full of doubts and fear, she had to be able to fight through it. The Grimm were terrifying, the Grimm were _monsters,_ hunting them took guts, and Ruby compensated for guts with raw power and refined technique.

She stood, barbell over her head, pride swelling in her chest. She was growing stronger. She would surpass that doubt and fear. If she was to show Beacon that she could protect humanity, she had to be stronger than the negativity that gnawed at her, and lingered in her belly whenever the snarling entered the back of her mind.

The barbell dropped, and Ruby straightened out, panting. "Two-hundred ten." She announced to her father. Taiyang nodded, writing it down, and Yang gave a proud whoop as she awaited her turn on the treadmill. Ruby went back to the stacks of weights, and took two more. She wasn't done, not just yet.

Weiss watched quietly, staring as her partner lifted the barbell. She stood, short and proud, two-hundred and twenty pounds over her head with her best effort. When the coach called the time, the barbell hit the floor, and Ruby threw her hands up. In three, solid attempts, Ruby had broken her old record.

If push came to shove, if there were teeth at her neck and no aura to speak of, she had something to rely on in her darkest moment.

Weiss swallowed thickly. Ruby had a fire in her that burned when she proudly looked over her collective fitness scores. The trembling girl that sweat, squeaked, and shook during their first two tests was replaced by somebody who looked fierce and in charge.

Weiss had to remind herself of what she was good at. She wasn't here to prove anything to anybody… even if she desperately wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was. She had to accept reality, and know that she _would_ get stronger.

As Ruby had done, Weiss restacked her weights with some difficulty, and picked out her own. She had to try harder than she did back home, for her tutors. She was proving to her _team_ here as well.

No overdoing it, however. Weiss grit her teeth silently, and picked out a reasonable weight for herself.

Three attempts later, she panted, her arms hanging loosely by her side.

"And finishing up at 150 lbs, that's everybody on team RWBY." Taiyang remarked. "Girls, fantastic job today, we'll see to those numbers over the coming weeks, so don't think for even a second you have time to waste." His wink was both reassuring and off-putting, considering the grind he'd put the girls through on PE days.

"Sure thing, pops. Don't sprain anything resetting the weights." Yang teased, earning a snort from the man.

"Thanks dad! I'll visit soon!" Ruby squeaked, waving.

"Later." Blake shrugged, heading for the door.

Weiss said nothing as she followed. Blake had reached 19 mph, Yang had reached 17. Weiss had been dead last on her team for both of their physical fitness tests. It wasn't a _failure_ —she was in great shape, compared to the average person—but with her teammates around, she was the weakest.

"Hold up, just a sec!" Taiyang called. Four heads snapped back curiously, and the coach pointed a finger at Weiss. "Weiss, c'mere, I wanna talk to you for a bit." Weiss's eyes widened, but her expression lowered. Weiss felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Ruby gave her an encouraging smile before pushing Weiss towards Tai.

She had performed the weakest out of her team. She was about to be told that she'd failed, and that she had no hope of a perfect score or being a top-scoring student. The knot in her stomach tightened. She stood before the muscled man, staring down at his feet, when a hand delicately rest on her head. She looked up, and the coach was smiling at her.

Weiss looked up at him with quietly glimmering blue eyes, clearly hoping for some good news, and Taiyang let out a small sigh. He was friendly, his smile was more than warm, his eyes weren't piercing, demanding, or accusing, and the way his ruffled her hair was playful. There was no pain, he didn't try to drag her away by her ponytail, yet Weiss couldn't help but feel… small. Her father was not a towering man by any means—Jacques Schnee was perfectly average in height and build—but Weiss was short. Having an older man loom over her, pulling her away from the safety net of witnesses and defenders made her lungs tighten and her heart pound.

"Y'know…" Taiyang started, putting his hand back on his hip. Weiss's eyes flickered to his, their gazes locking for a moment, before Weiss turned her head away. "They always make you look taller on the television." He chuckled jokingly, and Weiss gave him an unsure look. "So what's the secret? Platform heels? Stand on a box?"

"... Err, the box." Weiss muttered, rubbing one of her tender forearms as Taiyang nodded. Without a word, he slid down to one knee, capturing Weiss's attention as he shrank down, now a good few inches shorter than her.

"Good thinking. Hard to notice, and all those low camera angles are flattering. They say TV adds ten pounds to whoever's on screen, I think it just hides how toned you are." He scrutinized her, without leering too long to come off as provocative. "Yeah. The dresses are pretty, but they don't show the _real_ you. My ex-wife, Summer, Ruby's mom, hated dresses 'cuz of that, but she was always a tomboy."

"Well, I mean…" Weiss felt her tongue loosen. He wasn't so scary when he was shorter. "Dresses are a spectacle in and of themselves. You wear them to make not just a statement about your figure, but your affluence and taste. When I wore them, it was to feel beautiful, and to represent the Schnee family name."

"You did good." Tai assured her. "Despite the controversies, the products are always good."

"Thank you, Coach." Weiss stroked her arm comfortingly, and looked him in the eye, trying to have some semblance of a spine. "You wanted to talk to me?" She asked meekly. With that, Tai nodded.

"So, this should be obvious, but I was keeping an eye on scores in there, yours and your team's. You look pretty put out, not happy with your scores?"

"I scored the _lowest_ out of the four of us!" Weiss hid a growl of annoyance, not wanting to offend nor accuse her coach of anything, but having her flaws pulled out into the open so plainly… "I was weak, and _slow._ I can admit I need improvement, and next time—"

"You'll be okay." Tai interjected, and Weiss swallowed her words as he ran his fingers through the blonde stubble on his chin. He was stereotypically rugged, and it made Weiss twitch. He was definitely _Yang's_ father, with how much he flustered Weiss with nothing but good looks. "You are not weak. Your teammates may have had better performances, but that's not what's important. You're better than some run-of-the-mill civilian."

"Even so, I underperformed as a _hunter,_ not a civilian." Weiss muttered.

"Not at all. In fact, you're in the same position _my_ team leader was when I first came here." At that, Weiss quelled her thoughts to listen, the knot in her stomach loosening the tiniest bit. "Summer Rose was…" His words failed him, his eyes going to the floor, but he snapped himself out of it, almost quick enough to throw off Weiss's skepticism. "She was hardcore. Think Ruby, but without the stutter, and enough spine to put me in line when things got rowdy."

"So not Ruby at all." Weiss countered, and the two shared a smirk.

"Thing is, Summer wasn't very strong, or super fast. Between me, her, and our other two teammates, she came up short, and not just because she was 5'3" in heels."

"Cute."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Taiyang spoke wistfully, his eyes closing briefly, but again, he shook himself out of it. "Point is, when Summer fought, she didn't _need_ to be the fastest or the strongest. She was clever, resourceful, _never_ at a loss in battle. She pulled us through so much crap we should have bailed on because of that brain of hers. Of course, I can't talk about Summer without talking about how she fought…"

"Let me guess, you, big and tough, couldn't touch her." Weiss crossed her arms in front of her chest, the stress drifting away as Taiyang guffawed.

" _Hell_ no, Weiss, I kicked her ass whenever we fought." Taiyang's smile grew, but it wasn't the evil smile he kept for Yang, it was wistful and encouraging. "She wasn't a gladiator in the slightest, but she _tore_ up the Grimm _._ She was talented beyond belief when it came to Grimm studies. It was magical watching her work, the moment she appeared on the battlefield, no matter how bad we were losing to the Grimm, it's like they all just… _wilted._ Like the first rain in a drought, or some poetic shit like that, we knew things would be okay when she showed up. So… don't worry about what a bunch of numbers say. That's for _me_ to worry about, so I can get you pumped up even stronger. All you gotta worry about, Weiss, is giving your best." His smile was pure and genuine, and Weiss felt a lump appear in her throat. "I know what you can do in a real fight. I'm going to work you hard, but it'll get easier as time goes on, and soon enough, you'll see these old numbers and realize how far you've come. That's a _promise."_

Weiss's eyes quivered. Was _this_ how a father was supposed to be? It almost hurt worse than the petty put-downs, because Weiss knew this meant she was going to go back out to the fields and do push-ups until she wanted to throw up. It was seriously disconcerting, _real_ dads were dangerous! "Y-yes sir."

"Good, now go prepare for your last test." Taiyang stood to his full height, and gave Weiss's shoulder a friendly pat before glancing towards Weiss's team, waiting near the locker room doors. Weiss turned to obey, but Tai got one last word in. "Oh, and Weiss?" Weiss looked over her shoulder. "... Ruby's got nothing but good things to say about you. Thanks for being good to her. It means a lot to us, as a family." The coach nodded his head, once again so heart-on-his-sleeve honest that it made Weiss uncomfortable.

"It's no problem." Weiss nodded. "She… she really helped me out too. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement, and I believe our cooperation will only grow as time goes on." It wasn't at all sweet and sappy, but it got a friendly smile from Taiyang.

Weiss accepted that with a blush, and hurried after her team.

* * *

' _Put on your uniforms, summon your weapons, and wait for me to call your name.'_ It was amazing how such a simple set of orders could leave the students itching and squirming in discomfort as they tried to guess exactly what they were going to do.

The students sat in the rows of folding chairs set up in the middle of Professor Goodwitch's class arena, rather than in the encircling audience seating they normally would. While this would normally not be cause for alarm—after all, when the arena was clear they would actually be swinging weapons around—it was the command to get in their combat uniforms.

Two days of beating up training dummies as Professor Goodwitch stood around writing left most of the students a little disillusioned and dismissive of their test day; after all, they didn't expect to go straight into a fight, but wearing your combat clothes was different than wearing your uniform. Wearing your combat clothes was meant to put you in the mindset of a hunter, and fully engage you towards your purpose.

A combination of self-sacrificing heroism and celebrity culture gave birth to what Glynda referred to as the ' _Hunter's Celebrity,'_ something she'd cribbed from a book a decade or so back. People loved their heroes. The more daring the deeds, the better the displays, and the more boastful their persona, the easier it was to sell yourself.

Glynda had an intense distaste for the Hunter's celebrity, with things like merchandising and modern entertainment, as it encouraged hunters to showboat and make asses of themselves trying to promote an image to sell. Money, fame, grandeur, it could easily drown out the sense of self-sacrifice and seriousness hunters had to endure. For some people, it became more important to be recognized than to study the Grimm's weaknesses.

Of course, Ozpin thought otherwise. The headmaster thought the frivolities of a celebrity hunter were a reward for the people who worked so hard to defend the human race, and that seeking self-gratification for their due-diligence was wholly justified. After all, giving your life and soul to a career with a near-perfect mortality rate and expecting nothing in return was absurd. At its heart, humanity was a greedy thing, but doing the right thing for personal gain _was still_ doing the right thing.

As much as Glynda disliked the greed it could spark in hunters, she couldn't deny that it drew some impressive people to the job.

"Miss Xiao Long, how would you describe your fighting style?" The professor asked, sitting behind her desk as Yang sat before her. The girl's leather-and-skin style of clothing gave Glynda pause, if only out of annoyance. Good looks didn't take you far in a fight with the Grimm...

"One-hundred percent _kickass."_ Yang spoke with a charming ease, leaning back in Glynda's spare office chair. The office was less spartan than Yang would have thought, with bookshelves and filing cabinets lining the walls. The shelves were full of tomes and videos, a handful of them textbooks and reference guides, but a surprising number of them covered fighting styles from around Remnant. Everything from martial arts to weaponry, discussing fighting both Grimm and hunters, whether they be bandits in the wild that need to be put down, or simply opponents in the arena to be knocked out. The walls were plastered with maps, and the professor's desktop was filled with baubles and trinkets from her travels around the world. Nothing Yang would call goofy or fun, but curious nonetheless.

"I see." Glynda adjusted her glasses and gave Yang a look that silently demanded a better explanation.

"I learned my fighting style from my father, Taiyang Xiao Long." Yang explained, and Glynda began to silently write, mentally reminding herself of their new PE coach. Yang engaged Ember Celica on her arms to stroke the offensively yellow metal. "He learned how to fight on the streets of Mistral as a kid, said he got his skills sharpened by a local martial arts master who saw him. Got taught the Iron Fist style, but used it to enhance his street fighting, and later figured out how to turn it against the Grimm. We don't really have a name for it."

Yang's fighting style could be summed up in a single word: brutal. Glynda had watched the young lady before her turn steel-and-plastic dummies into pulp under a relentless flurry of strikes, but they were not mindless in the slightest. Weak points were uncovered and exploited, every strike was thrown efficiently, the practiced movements engraved in Yang's muscle memory. Some were slower, sloppier, or less serious, but Yang at her most focused was a deadly predator. She may not have been a skilled hunter vs. hunter martial artist, but Glynda couldn't deny that it had been well-tuned to kill much larger, more thoughtless prey.

"Mhmm." Glynda's expression did not change. Yang never lost her ease, though she kept shifting in her chair under the educator's scrutiny. Next, however, was more important than how one fought. "Now, tell me, what do you contribute to your team in combat?"

Yang looked up to the ceiling. It was question that caught a lot of students off-guard in their first year at Beacon. While team fighting was covered in intermediate schools, their primary focus in those years was refining a student's strength and fighting style. Individually, the students could combat the Grimm without worry, but forcing them to think about how they meshed with their new teammates, and how they would enhance the team as a whole, made them reconsider how they fought.

"Well…" Yang shrugged her shoulders, pursing her lips, her eyes never travelling down. "I'm pretty sure I'm the toughest one on our team, so I'm kinda the tank, y'know? I keep aggro and peel the mobs off my squishies."

Glynda stared down at her scrollpad, then sighed. "Once more, miss Xiao Long. Layman's terms, please."

Yang stuck her tongue out in thought. "I'm big and distracting, so the Grimm pay attention to me when I come in. I hit hard, and can take more hits than my teammates, so I make sure Ruby, Weiss, and Blake aren't getting ganged up on, and give them the space they need to set up an attack. I don't need to think too hard, I just need to make sure my peeps are safe and healthy."

"Mhmm…" Glynda nodded slowly. "Now, would you say you have succeeded thus far, in that regard?"

Yang looked down from the ceiling at her professor, thinking back to the fights they'd had. "... Yeah, yeah I think I have." From saving Blake's and Ruby's bacon in the forest to punishing Cardin in the cafeteria, she thought she did her job pretty damn well!

"Very well then." Glynda wrote on her scrollpad, then glanced up to Yang. "Call in the next person and leave out the left door." Yang's hands went from behind her head to on her lap as she stared at the professor curiously.

"Wait, that's it?" Yang cocked her head.

"Of course." Glynda didn't look up at Yang as she prepared her next status sheet. "I have all the information I need to get you started next week."

"Started on what?" Yang persisted.

"Fighting hunters."

"Finally?!"

"Finally." Glynda stopped what she was doing to look up at Yang, the younger blonde jumping up with her fists in the air. "Miss Xiao Long, we are on a strict time table."

"I just didn't think we'd ever get to fighting hunters at this rate! Beating up dummies, a freaking _interview?!_ I was worried this class would suck." Yang breathed a sigh of relief, and Glynda felt a vein pulsate in her temple.

A sudden, girlish scream erupted from the office, and the students waiting outside each flinched and stared at the door.

Glynda stepped around her desk, riding crop in hand as Yang stared down at her in slight fear, trying to wiggle her way into an upright position as she hung in the air, feet nearly brushing the ceiling. "Miss Xiao Long, while the headmaster may believe throwing you into the midst of a Grimm hunting ground is an acceptable evaluator of your abilities, it is _my_ job to maximize your potential. I hardly have the time to tutor each of you individually, so you'll pardon me if I need a few days to have an accurate and well-informed example of your combat style."

"Sorry Prof!" Yang squeaked, her cheeks turning red, legs and arms still as she stared at her teacher upside down.

"I _do_ promise you will see some more excitement next week, but it will be to _teach_ you, not to provide you with _entertainment._ I expect an _exemplary_ performance from an A-student from Signal." Glynda pushed her glasses up her nose, and gave a loud, dignified sniff. "Am I understood?"

"Yes'm!" Yang managed with big, quivering eyes. Then, without a word, Yang was swirled rightside-up and dropped on her feet. She landed with a shake, and took a moment to regain her bearings. Glynda walked back around to her chair and settled in while looking up to Yang expectantly.

"Miss Xiao Long?" Glynda spoke impatiently. Yang snapped to attention before remembering she was meant to leave and marched towards the door. Yang held the door knob, but turned her head to give her professor a cheeky grin.

"By the way, miss? Your tits are _fantastic_ from that angle." With a squeal of terror, Yang threw herself out the door as Glynda stood, crop raised. Yang bent over, hands on her knees, cackling to herself as the rest of the students stared down at her in confusion and worry. Yang picked herself up, planted her hands on her hips, and loudly announced, " _Next!"_

Glynda _hmm'd_ as Blake Belladonna settled into the seat in front of her, thinking hard. A relatively unknown factor, a girl who hid her true self from everyone else out of fear and paranoia. A former terrorist with a handful of crimes under her belt, and a spoken guarantee that she was seeking to reform herself and escape a history of robbery and espionage. She was questionable, that was for sure, but the headmaster trusted her good will implicitly. Glynda had sworn by his judgement, and he was rarely wrong, but recent applicants left her questioning if his optimism went too far.

"Do you have an answer, miss Belladonna?" Glynda cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, um, it's nothing special. I aim to find my opponent's weak spots and expose them, then finish them off as fast as possible." Blake answered, refusing to lock eyes with Glynda as they spoke.

"I see. Anything else?"

Blake winced, drumming her fingers on her knee. Glynda had been in attendance when Blake was admitted, so the professor knew everything from the young catgirl's meeting with Professor Ozpin. Blake couldn't tell if the professor was trying to draw some sort of confession out of her or what. "Well, I mean, I use speed and distraction to open that weak spot. Not much else to say."

"Very well, and what do you contribute to your team in combat?" Glynda asked, her face not so much as twitching as she examined Blake.

"Well…" Blake trailed off, her mind racing in an effort to not incriminate her somehow. "Information, I suppose. I'm a scout, and when the enemy is distracted I can easily go in for the finishing blow." Glynda looked down at her scrollpad and typed. "I guess I'm what you could call a rogue…"

"Indeed." Glynda didn't understand the reference, and pushed ahead. "Would you say that you have succeeded so far, in that regard?"

 _Succeeded?_ In combat? Blake worked her jaw thoughtfully. They had fought very little since their time in the forest, but… "I-I would say so."

Glynda nodded at the girl, and finished typing. "Very good. Miss Belladonna when you leave, please call in the next person and exit through the door on the left."

"Right." Blake stood, making no cracks about Glynda's chest, which the professor appreciated more than she thought she would. "Thank you." Blake tacked on meekly, scurrying out the door.

"Of course." Glynda nodded, awaiting the next student.

"My fighting style takes its roots from ancient Atlesian fencing masters, namely Korvo Gorate and his esteemed rival, Ais Winderbilt." Weiss spoke with her eyes closed, her hand over her heart, Myrtenaster held tightly and affectionately in one hand. "Using a larger blade and aura to imitate the quick movements of the old masters, I can strike dozens of inhibiting blows against my opponent, opening them up for a decisive blow. Combined with my semblance, as well as my knowledge of Dust, I am effective at both short and long range, in close combat, as artillery, or in a supportive role, and I like to think that my in depth knowledge of Dust and the variety of subjects Beacon covers grants my team a peerless mind and library of knowledge."

"Mhmm." Glynda wrote rapidly on her scrollpad. Weiss Schnee, the run-away. The Schnee Family had been a controversial one since Nicholas Schnee stepped down, as the current patriarch made many questionable decisions at the expense of his own employees and competitors. Atlesian hunters were meant to join the school of Atlas, yet Weiss curtailed this expectation by admitting to Beacon. Though Beacon had a long and much vaunted history of exceptional students, the Schnees represented Atlas through its tireless technological advancements and distribution of power and energy. Sending the celebrity heir of the family overseas could strike a bitter chord between the Schnee family and the Atlas elites. Ozpin had deduced that Weiss was escaping from home, and Glynda had no knowledge of the girl or her family that could refute the headmaster. "Having preemptively answered my second question—how you contribute to your team—I have one final question: do you believe you have succeeded in contributing to your team?"

" _Ab_ -solutely!" Weiss nodded, meeting Glynda's eyes with ease. "My abilities played a vital role in passing our initiation, and I have helped my team in their studies!" She nodded, confident as could be.

The same could be said about the next person on the list.

Ruby crept in, her weapon hugged tightly to her chest, her expression a mask of pure nervousness and terror as Glynda looked up to her.

The headmaster's most worrisome decision yet…

Glynda's eyes did not drop to her scrollpad immediately. The young girl's posture was, still, atrocious. Slouched shoulders, bent spine, trying to protect her chest and using her weapon and arms as a shield. No moves had been made, no pieces disturbed, no shots fired, no questions asked, and Ruby slid into the chair across from Glynda, already defeated.

The professor silently closed her eyes and took a breath. Glynda had dedicated her life to combat, but not _just_ against Grimm. The Grimm took her childhood away from her, the Grimm took her friends away from her, but the Grimm were a horde of notions, an amalgamated stampede of misanthropy dreamt up and commanded by the true villain, the _true_ enemy to hunters and mankind. Glynda studied combat against _hunters,_ she learned, practiced, and fought against hundreds of styles and hundreds of weapons, all so that she might be prepared for the true fight of her life.

Before her sat a quivering conundrum: a young girl, human in body and soul, who claimed to want humanity's salvation, yet could wordlessly beckon its destroyers. Glynda did not blink as she stared Ruby over, the living paradox of intentions and abilities, and found a much more pressing worry: Ruby fought with a great scythe.

Globally panned for its clumsy, counter-productive design, the great scythe was still a weapon of cultural legend. The weapon of the Grim Reaper, the tool of the Mistral Death Legion, an object that invoked images of death and desecration, that was typically crafted to create an eerie keening that was rumored to disrupt aura and cause fading. It was the beloved weapon of dozens of fictional villains, but aside from a few notable exceptions, few individuals had the talent and dedication to put it on par with a sword. To put it lightly, anybody who bothered to actually master a great scythe enough to confidently deploy it in combat was somebody worthy of praise and respect.

Against the Grimm, the great scythe had a unique shape perfect for catching the mindless beasts off guard and end them with a single strike. Against humans, the legends and noise alone often created enough hesitation for the scythe-wielder to triumph. But against hunters, whose very nature was built on preparation, training, and adaptation, the scythe had the unique advantage of being near impossible to predict, as _nobody_ taught defensive maneuvers against a scythe without a particular reason to, and great scythe wielders prefered to end the fight in under three strokes.

Qrow Branwen was the only man Glynda personally knew that seriously fought with a great scythe, but only after his greatsword proved ineffective. Qrow Branwen was also an infuriating lay-about, who was less interested in teaching his allies about a relatively unknown method of combat than finding the serial number at the bottom of a bottle. He did not fight like the Mistral Death Legion, his movements weren't anything like the descriptions of High Baron Thanos, his agility and speed overwhelmed his opponents with rapid, awkward strikes from numerous seemingly-impossible angles before a single swing left his opponent floored.

And before him sat his little protege. As if Glynda couldn't develop even more of a headache, it seemed she copied his style to the letter, but using her shorter height and lighter weight, developed a style unique to herself. Swinging about her scythe like an exotic dancer, Ruby was able to displace herself and set up in a new position with the same ease of a pole or a whip fighter. Glynda had only briefly seen this while she was assaulting the dummies, but it forced her to reevaluate how her knowledge of Qrow would be used.

Clearly the basic fundamentals were the same, but execution and movement were as different as a bastard sword and a shotel. Glynda would have found it utterly fascinating if it weren't equally frustrating, considering her limited time to devote to each individual student.

"Ruby Rose." Glynda spoke up, making the girl pop into an upright, rigid position as she watched and listened in utter terror. "How would you describe your fighting style?" If _anybody_ could explain how Ruby fought, it would be Ruby herself.

"U-uh…" Ruby uttered with a white face. "I-I-..." The squeak of her rubber soled boots swinging across the floor filled in the space between Ruby's mumblings. She swallowed thickly, and Glynda felt a momentary bubble of annoyance, but pushed it away. Her personal feelings aside, she was a professor, to raise her students. "I-I fight with a scythe…" Ruby whispered.

"Ahem." Glynda ignored the small whimper from Ruby. "Miss Rose, if I may remind you, this is a simple interview. Evaluate yourself to the best of your ability, that is all I ask. In addition, we are on a schedule, so _please_ do not waste time." Glynda ordered tersely.

"R-right…" Ruby gently lowered Crescent Rose to her lap, and stared down at her folded weapon silently, and thoughtfully for a few moments. "M-my style… i-it's based around k-k-killing G-Grimm fast. Q-quickly, I mean. Fr-from any r-range. I-I learned it from m-my uncle."

Glynda nodded, but inwardly groaned. She would have to be more specific if she intended to learn more about Scythe-wielding, but she would have to press on. "What do you contribute to your team in combat, miss Rose?"

That gave Ruby further pause. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, thinking, and when Glynda was about to speak up again to remind her, again, they didn't have the time, Ruby answered. "I-I-I pr-protect them. I k-kill Grimm s-so they don't h-have to worry."

"And would you say you have succeeded in this role, miss Rose?" Glynda tapped away at her scrollpad. She clearly did not give this much thought…

"N-no…" Ruby answered weakly. Glynda looked up to her student. Ruby had brazenly thrown herself into the Grimm to keep her partner alive, not to mention distracting the Nevermore. Glynda pursed her lips. If there was anything she disliked more than scant knowledge, it was a liar.

"And why do you believe this, Ruby?"

"..." Ruby let out a small sigh, and Glynda could imagine those lethal eyes looking everywhere but at herself. "... Th-they got h-hurt. Even if-if it's only a l-little, I d-didn't do my j-job right…"

Glynda silently shook her head. She would bring up the girl's martyr issues with Ozpin later, the last thing they needed was a student who was locked into riding the Nightmare. "Very well, miss Rose. You may leave. Call in the next student and take the exit on your left." Glynda ordered as normal.

Eight students later, Glynda submitted the last of the class's work to her complete archive in Beacon's databases. She sat alone at her desk, silently examining the last student's evaluation. One Jaune Arc, a boy whose promising records were slowly unravelling themselves in front of Glynda, but despite her logical judgement she ignored the need to go inform her headmaster he was wrong.

After all, it never took long to prove him right when she did, she simply had to have patience with his decisions, immensely questionable as they could be…

' _Traditional Arc family swordsmanship, relying on a mixture of offense and defense to wear down an opponent. Amateurish performance in class, seeming lack of semblance. Claims that he_ wants _to be a leader, but is unsure of his tactical skills. If anything, he shows some promise there. Believes he has succeeded in keeping his team focused, cursory evidence shows otherwise (see: Valkyrie, Nora)."_

* * *

The hushed chatter of the class arena came to an end at the rhythmic click of a pair of heels across the arena floor. Glynda Goodwitch stood before her students in the open, circular middle of her classroom's combat space, wearing a neutral expression comparable to Weiss's.

Ruby silently wondered what was with the academic types and their constant frowning.

The theater seating for the students was full of curious students, leaning forward, looking to their teams in quiet confidence. Goodwitch was typing away on her Scrollpad as Ruby felt a hand settle on her shoulder.

"Don't be so nervous, Rubes, you definitely passed." Yang said gently, squeezing Ruby affectionately. Ruby stuck her bottom lip out in silent worry, but sucked her lips back to try and toughen up.

"We should have each passed, our study sessions were both thorough and involved." Weiss had her arms cross, watching expectantly as the class instructions on the arena jumbotron disappeared.

On the other side of her, Jaune sat trembling, watching their professor. Pyrrha tried to imitate Yang and give his shoulder a comforting squeeze, but he was beginning to turn a little green from nervous nausea.

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat, the sound echoing through the chamber thanks to the microphone clipped to her shirt collar, and lifted her eyes to her class. "While I am pleased to announce that _most_ of you have passed, a small few will be attending detention through the weekend." The announcement left some audience members squirming, Ruby among them, but nowhere near as bad as Jaune was, currently in the fetal position on the floor…

The professor cleared her throat again. "Your grade and ranking will be updated to your personal profile, accessible through your scroll. For the moment, each of you is dismissed from classes for the weekend—" A loud cheer interrupted her, and was abruptly silenced by the professor's icy glare. "... Each of you is dismissed from classes for the weekend. Remember that you represent Beacon even out of your uniform. I expect no incidents! Am I clear?" Silence and solemn nods were her answer, and she let out a soft sigh. "Excellent. Dismissed."

The doors to the classroom opened to release a tidal wave of students, loudly chattering in excitement and relief over their temporary freedom from their responsibilities.

"Well, then, my friends and victims," Nora rubbed her hands together in excitement, "it is the weekend! No more _reading,_ no more _writing,_ no more boring _lectures,_ it's us versus Vale! So… what do we do?!" She bounced in place, drawing a few curious eyes as her skirt fluttered about her thighs. Her seven friends stared down at their scrolls, opening their student profiles nervously. "... Guys, we can literally put the screens down and go _do_ things. _Fun_ things!" She huffed.

"It's updated!" Yang announced, quickly reading her profile. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake looked up to their bruiser, and watched as a small frown formed on her face, and her brow tightened. "Aw, _damnit!"_ She threw her hands up with a snarl, and Ruby winced.

"Yaaang, noooo!" Ruby pushed up to her sister, snuggling her tightly. Blake worked her jaw slowly as she watched Yang grumble and growl as she reread her score. "It'll be okay…"

"Did you at least pass?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow, taking Yang's arm to read what was on her scroll. Weiss's nostrils flared, and her eyes squinted in confusion. "... Yang. You're rank _seven."_

"Wait, seven?" Blake piped up, cramming into Yang's other side to read. "You made seventh." Blake repeated, her mind stumbling to grasp Yang's apparent dissatisfaction as Ruby looked up to her sister with a small frown.

"It's okay, Yang." Ruby stated calmly, causing Weiss and Blake to look scandalized at her soothing voice. "You'll do better next week."

"She made _seventh!"_ Weiss pointed out angrily, and Yang shook her head.

"Whoop-dee-do, seventh! Seventh ain't first, princess." Yang planted a hand on her hip, and Weiss's eyebrow twitched. She scrambled to get her scroll in order and check her profile. Her face relaxed immediately, and she nodded.

"Well, you'll have competition in that regard." With a beaming smile, Weiss turned her scroll around to let them look, and Yang's eyes slipped into a damning wine-red.

"Gonna beat you up, Weiss." Yang muttered, staring at the #1 gracing Weiss's student ranking. Blake blinked at Weiss, whose smug smile drew a menacing growl from her taller teammate.

"Wait, Weiss is number one." Blake pointed out, then crossed her arms over her chest. "That means we have, like, unlimited freedom over the weekend, right? We can just go into Vale and do whatever we want until Monday."

Yang let out a loud gasp, a single quick blink turning her eyes back to their soothing lilac. "Oh, hell, she's _right!"_ Weiss let out a shriek as she was suddenly pulled into a tight, happy hug, right next to Ruby, and Yang cooed in delight. "Oh Weiss, have I told you that you're my favoritest Schnee?"

"I'm thrilled…" Weiss groaned, trying to push herself away from Yang's iron grip.

"I knew you could do it, Weiss!" Ruby grinned, and Weiss huffed.

"Of _course_ I could do it. I had good tutors." Weiss rolled her eyes, and Ruby mulled the statement over for a second, before growing a pleased blush.

Blake slid away from her team to check her ranking. She stared at the number, and silently nodded. "Twenty-ninth isn't bad." She told herself, putting the scroll away. She couldn't believe Yang had gotten _seventh._ That was top ten, she had reserve seating to entertainment or something. That was… cool, Blake supposed.

"I heard you scored well." Ren spoke with an unusual levity in his voice as he looked at his scroll. "If I may share a moment of self-pride, I have made sixth."

"Aww _hell!_ That's _two_ of you ahead of me!" Yang groaned… then offered a hand. Ren took it for a shake, and was swiftly tugged in for a noogie, tussling his already-messy hair. "This is what you get, pretty boy! _Nobody_ trumps Yang Xiao Long!"

"Then would it be unwise for me to announce that I am third?" Pyrrha grinned, watching Yang with a smile. Ren was let go to shake out his shaggy hair, and Pyrrha snickered as Yang came nose-to-nose with her.

"... You are damn lucky you're so hot." Yang grunted, drawing a nervous, blushing smirk from the redhead. "Congrats though."

"My thanks." Pyrrha pressed a finger to Yang's nose, pushing the blonde back. She sighed, however, and looked over her shoulder to Jaune, who was staring at his scroll blankly. It did not go unnoticed.

"Oh…" Weiss tilted her head, joining Pyrrha and Yang. "Well, he'll try harder next time." Though an attempt at tact was made, a hint of condescension still slipped through.

"Poor guy." Yang shook her head. Following Monday, she lent him some advice and didn't cross paths with him during training again. She had no clue how he'd been performing without her watchful eye.

"I'm worried it may have hurt his pride…" Pyrrha sighed, rubbing the back of her head. Would the best thing be to go speak to him? To pat his back, and assure him things were going to be okay? She didn't like seeing him so put out.

"He'll be fine. Men always bounce back." Blake mumbled, having snuck up to Yang's side with a contemplative stare.

Jaune closed his scroll and put it away. Silently, he reached into his old, weathered backpack and pulled a red pencil out. The four observers tilted their heads as he twiddled the pencil, and gulped loudly. "Ruby?" He finally spoke, his eyes quivering.

Ruby turned away from Ren and Nora curiously, watching Jaune slowly approach her. The other six observed as Jaune took slow steps, staring at Ruby with hunched shoulders, before, three steps away, he sprang towards her. Ruby let out a squeal as she was lifted by her mid-section, several jaws dropping as he crushed the smaller girl to his chest. "Jaune?!" Ruby squealed, giggling as he shook her about happily.

"You beautiful, _amazing,_ little person! I did it!" Jaune announced, grinning, his eyes wet and sparkling before he wiped them on his sleeve. Ruby was rigid in his arms, her shorter legs kicking in excitement before he set her on her feet. He bent over, groaning in relief as he held up a hand, which Ruby eagerly high-fived. "I'm like, rank a-hundred-and-eighty-one, but I'm over a sixty. I _passed."_ He spoke in open disbelief at his accomplishment, and Ruby ruffled his hair fondly.

"I told you it was lucky." Ruby beamed. Pyrrha stood up straight, her hands sliding to her hips subconsciously as she observed the two. Weiss rolled her eyes, Blake shook her head, and Yang hid a laugh as Jaune returned Ruby's pencil.

"Well done, Jaune, but we'll need to improve that score in the future." Ren spoke calmly, but his tone brooked no argument.

"Yeah, dork, better numbers." Nora rolled her eyes, while Jaune nudged Ruby.

"So what'd you get?" He asked with a little smile. Ruby froze in place, and oh-so-casually swung her hands behind her back, clasping them together. "... Ruby?" Jaune raised an eyebrow. At that, Yang wandered over, and the two stood side-by-side, and as one, crossed their arms over their chests to stare her down.

"What did you get, Ruby?" Yang demanded. Weiss and Blake joined them, Ren and Nora crossing their arms for the full effect. Pyrrha… tried not to crowd.

"... I nunno…" Ruby stared down at her feet.

" _Ruby…"_ Yang and Weiss both said in warning, making Ruby freeze up.

"'m scared to look…" Ruby's quivering hand slid over the pouch her scroll was in, and her face was pale and pinched in worry. With a low sigh, Yang reached out and set a hand on her sister's head.

"C'mon sis, it's our first grade. They'll get better, alright? Just don't be scared to share with us, Jaune was brave enough to tell us how _he_ did."

"Yeah!... I mean _hey!_ But yeah!... _Yang…"_ Jaune rubbed his forehead.

Ruby sucked her lips in distress as she took her scroll out and activated it. A couple of taps here, a password entry there, and she looked at her student profile. The color slipped back into her cheeks, and a frown formed. Her head tilted as she licked her teeth. "... I think I need to talk to a professor, there must be a-a bug or something…"

"Unlikely." Weiss started with a huff. She stormed forward, not wanting to be kept in the dark. Ruby was her _partner_ after all, and their grades intertwined. If Ruby was _failing…_ "Give." Weiss held a hand out. Meekly, Ruby handed over her scroll, watching Weiss carefully as her partner silently read. "..." Weiss's lips parted, on the verge of saying something, but then sealed. She swallowed thickly. "I see no issues here, expected even. Well done, Ruby."

"Y-you think it's right?" Ruby asked, unsure.

"Of course it's right." Weiss shrugged. She felt a pressure against her back, and glanced to Blake as the girl hung over her shoulder.

"... _Wow."_ Was all Blake could say. She told herself again, twenty-ninth wasn't so bad… but it wasn't amazing either.

"What?! Don't be all dramatic about it!" Yang leaned over Weiss's other shoulder and stared. She blinked slowly. She took a breath, read again, and looked up to her sister, then back to her scroll, reading one more time. "... _Nooooooooo…"_ Yang whimpered, grasping at her face as Ruby flinched. "Oh god, dad's never going to _let this go!"_ Yang stepped back, taking an agonized gasp.

Jaune filled in her spot curiously, and his frown turned into a little grin. "Well damn, you didn't need that pencil! Congratulations Ruby!" He wrapped an arm around her neck, drawing a little smile as he stroked her shoulder. "Second freakin' place!"

" _Really?!"_ Nora gasped.

"... Ah-hah." Ren glanced down to his scroll in idle thought. He definitely needed to study more.

Ruby quietly stared at her phone, her mind racing as she looked around her group of friends. Second place in her grade, the second highest scores on all of her tests. But… that _couldn't_ have been right, could it? Surely she'd bombed Dust mixing, or… well, it didn't _explode,_ but she couldn't have been _nearly_ as precise as Weiss.

Even _with_ Weiss as a study partner, she'd been on her own for these tests. She had to compete with _Yang,_ and Yang had been an A-student without having a partner and study groups! History had been a skull-scratcher, but not difficult, Grimm Studies had been things her family drilled into her, PE and Combat Class had been purely subjective, not really even tests, just… preparation. So, she couldn't _really_ be the second in the school, not without going through actual tests! Pyrrha and Yang were definitely better fighters than her, and way more fit.

It was luck. That was all. She had to tell herself that to keep her pride in check, but she couldn't rid herself of her little smile.

"Ruby." Ruby looked up from her phone with a curious little look, and found Yang looking down at her with a small, calm smile. "Good job." Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, drawing a little giggle, and opened her arms up when Ruby rushed in for a hug.

"Thanks Yang…" Ruby sighed. "I-I'll try and k-keep it up."

"You'd better, miss silver medal." Yang's smile grew as her little sister wriggled in tighter. A low sigh escaped Yang, and she let go of that gnawing disappointment. This was nothing to get jealous over. Besides, she had four more years to claw her way to the top.

Quietly, Jaune sidled up next to Weiss as the white-haired girl looked on favorably towards her partner. She hardly noticed the blonde next to her side, too proud that their study sessions had not gone remiss. However, a soft, manly clearing of his throat made her jaw tighten as she was snapped back to the hallway they were currently crowding.

"So we both passed…" Jaune started, a thin, but forcibly confident smile on his face. Weiss made an ugly cough, that may have hidden a demand that he be on with it. "Err, and I know you have a shellfish allergy, but picture this!" He held up his hands with a wistful smile. "A moonlit dinner on one of those fancy little swan boats in the middle of Vale bay, I'm thinking taco salads. We stuff our faces, we laugh at dumb jokes, we look each other in the eye, and smooch our night away, what do you say?"

Jaune's hand landed on Weiss's shoulder, as he smiled with all of his teeth, leaving Weiss's brow to wrinkle in a mixture of worry and distress. "A swan boat… in the Valean bay…"

"Ooooh yeah, there's gotta be a place renting out-"

"Dinky, floating, plastic boats in the midst of choppy, ship-infested waters, besieged by salt spray and dumped garbage." Weiss spoke through grit teeth, not looking the blonde's way.

"W-well it can't be _that_ bad! I mean, sure, it's not a Vacuan Oasis, but you can ignore the smell and enjoy the turbulence—"

"Pass." Weiss sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with two fingers as Jaune deflated.

"Speaking of dates, count me out for whatever y'all're planning tonight." Yang said with a calm grin, drawing an aggravated groan from Nora. "Hey, don't gimme that! I have plans. Mama Yang's got a pretty lady waiting for her." She smiled cockily.

"A date? So quickly?" Blake smirked, and Yang tossed a thumbs up.

"I gotta move fast, beat everyone else to the cuties first!"

"Who?!" Ruby asked, looking up to her sister. "Is she cute? Do you at least know this one's name? I expect a phone call before midnight, missy!"

Yang rolled her eyes, _hard._ "Oh my god, fine, _dad,_ fine. Jeez, the last thing I need is a _second_ Tai." Yang carefully pushed Ruby off of her, and stroked her shoulder. "She's the chick I sit next to in Grimm Studies, Roja Camille. We're going to a little salad place near the movie theater, and then I'm gonna show her how to minigolf."

"... Pretty tame for _you,_ sis." Ruby crossed her arms.

"Eh, what can I say? She's sweet, needs to be shown the _moves_ first before I dive in. She's never dated a guy, much less a girl."

"I still want a phone call if you stay out late, okay?"

"You really _are_ becoming dad…"

"No! I don't care what you two do together, I'll just worry if you aren't back before then." Ruby pouted, "I won't even call you first, but, like, if I wake up in the morning and you aren't there…"

Yang pet her sister's head, and puffed up proudly. "I'll leave you a voicemail at least. It's a pain but… _eh,_ thanks for worrying, sis."

"Only because I love you! Now shoo, go get ready!" Ruby slapped her sister's hip, getting an amused smirk in the process, and Yang strutted away.

"Weiss, Blake, watch Ruby for me! If y'all need me, y'all can shove it! Catch ya later!" Yang waved to her teammates and friends, hustling to the dorms. It would take a good while getting her hair in order, but she had the right outfit picked already, so she wasn't worried.

"... Soooooo?!…" Nora turned to the remaining six.

Pyrrha was the next to awkwardly rub her arm, and offer an apologetic chuckle, leaving Nora's eye to twitch and silently demand an explanation. "Actually… well, there was something I've been hoping to do all week. I don't mean to disappoint…"

"Pah! Fine, go on your date or whatever, the rest of us—I don't like that look, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha's cringe only steepened as she slowly turned towards Ruby, who glanced up at her. "Ahem… Ruby, I was wondering if you would like to reserve a practice room and train with me?" Pyrrha tilted her head, wearing an excited smile.

"Oh! T-train? Me? W-with _y-you?"_ Ruby blinked as the older girl nodded rapidly.

"I've been hoping to learn more about your technique! I've picked up and learned the basics of a variety of weapons, both for fun and curiosity, and you're the first scythe user I can call my _friend._ I'd be more than willing to show you a thing or two in exchange, but if you can at least show me the foundation of your combat style…"

"Oh…" Ruby tapped her chin, thinking. Pyrrha wanted to learn how to fight with a scythe? From _her?_ Wouldn't somebody from Mistral be easier?... Maybe it was too complicated to learn in her off time. An axe, bow, or sword were easy enough to become at least competent at, but it took Ruby _years_ to even get the basics of her scythe down. Though Pyrrha was probably more talented, she was more likely to get it under her belt sooner... Ruby looked to Weiss and Blake. "Do… we have plans?"

"Don't think so." Blake shrugged.

" _No."_ Weiss pushed Ruby into Pyrrha's waiting hands, giving her partner a serious look. "We don't. _Learn from her."_ Weiss ordered, hands on her hips as Ruby and Pyrrha both smiled nervously at the glare. "Pick up every skill you possibly can and pay attention, then come teach _me_ what she teaches _you."_

"O-o-okay W-weiss…!" Ruby squeaked.

"Would, uh, you two mind if I watched? I could use some tips myself."

Nora gasped in outrage, "Jaune! We're supposed to _do stuff!_ How dare you betray the weekend for more school!" She pointed an accusing finger, and Jaune put on a pained smile.

"I kinda _have_ to, I only barely passed, y'know?" He whimpered.

"I'm not opposed." Pyrrha smiled favorably at her partner, earning a thankful sigh of relief.

"Me neither." Ruby shook her head, and Jaune pumped his arm.

"Awesome! More school… yay." Jaune chuckled. "So let's not waste time! Practice rooms, ho!" He pointed down the hallway, the three of them departing, waving to the other four.

"Our numbers have dwindled." Ren observed dryly, and Nora growled in agreement.

"That means it's just us four! Ugh, four's _fine,_ but eight's more fun!" Nora looked to Weiss and Blake, who looked to each other, then back to Nora. "... Don't you dare."

"Ahem…" Weiss began, drawing a howl of despair from the hammer maiden. "Blake, seeing as Ruby and Yang are occupied, I was wondering if you would like to visit Vale with me." She spoke clearly and slowly, entirely business.

"Is… this your way of asking me out on a date?" Blake raised an eyebrow, working her jaw as Weiss sputtered and pouted. "'Cuz I'm not sure how dating between teammates will go, especially with Yang around."

" _No!"_ Weiss grunted, arms crossed, face red. "I was only thinking that we go find a nice little tea shop and enjoy the warm weather. I could use an afternoon of sitting around and relaxing, and would like some company."

 _Sitting around and relaxing._ Over tea. Blake heard an angel choir in her head and could not nod quickly enough. "That sounds nice, actually. You won't mind if I bring a book, will you?"

"As long as I'm not entirely ignored in favor of literature…"

"No promises, but I'll try." Blake laughed, and turned to Nora and Ren. "Will you two...?"

"We'll be fine." Ren massaged Nora's shoulders as the girl stomped in place. "We have the rest of the weekend for everyone to have fun together, you two enjoy your tea. Come now Nora, I can think of plenty we can do together." The boy offered, guiding his fuming lover away.

Weiss and Blake looked to each other, nodded, and headed off to the dorms to freshen up before their departure.

* * *

Pyrrha quietly lifted Crescent Rose's folded rifle form in her hands. The blocky, audaciously red weapon was far, _far_ heavier than it looked. It was slightly too small for her—she would have prefered a few extra pounds and a little more length—but it was the perfect size for Ruby.

She knelt to one knee and entered a basic firing stance, her nostrils flaring as Ruby hit a small switch, causing a scope to pop up. "Mm, Atlesian seven-twenty high-impact stability scope." Pyrrha noted out loud, focusing on the plastic mannequin in the distance. A button on the scope's hide zoomed it in, once, then twice. "Oh! You fixed the 4x zoom defect?"

"My uncle did, actually." Ruby spoke patiently, smiling as she looked over her rough beauty of a weapon in pure adoration. "He has a smithing buddy that knew how to fix it."

"While waiting for Miló to be repaired, I had to use a defected scope. The blur was obnoxious." Pyrrha noted, firing off a shot. Jaune, standing nearby, flinched at the loud _bang,_ and the dummy crumpled over, nearly folded in half from the rifle shot to its gut. "Strong stability, powerful delivery, the kick of a mule…"

"Isn't she great?!" Ruby squeaked, her smile dominating her face. "I spent four months on her sniper shot! She needed to hit like a truck! I knew I was doing something right when I accidentally dislocated my shoulder the first time!"

"You _dislocated your shoulder_ and thought it was a good idea?" Jaune piped in with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, _yeah!"_ Ruby beamed. Pyrrha took another shot, noting the way it forced her shoulder back, and how the mannequin's head split open like an over pumped truck tire. "That means she's hitting _hard!_ My pretty girl here can stun an Ursa Major from a range of just over half a mile with a headshot! I think I saw her turn a Beowolf _inside-out!"_

"You _dislocated_ your shoulder."

"Well I had my aura off…"

"And Yang thought that was okay…?"

At that, Ruby stuck her lower lip out. "She slapped the back of my head and told me to not forget…" She held her little fists up as Pyrrha took a third shot at the dummy's groin. Pin-point accuracy too, those four months of crafting and refining really showed. "But-but she thought it was really good! She prefers shotguns and stuff, but I _think_ I impressed her, 'cuz she took her out to a school shooting competition and made twelfth with only three weeks of practice."

"Not bad." Pyrrha stood. Crescent Rose's rifle had more power, but less reliability that Miló's, being heavier, slower to load, and enough of a kick to leave her off-kilter for a little longer than she was comfortable. "Yang's placement, I mean. Crescent Rose is phenomenal. How many variations did you go through before you settled on your current model?"

Ruby tapped her chin in thought, "Um, I think a full journal of rough sketches, eight schematics, and four models. I knew what I wanted pretty much right away, but I just needed the pieces to fit."

"Understandable. I had a similar experience with Miló, though Guivierre was the man who ultimately designed it." Pyrrha smiled as Ruby's jaw dropped, and a loud gasp escaped her. "Yes, _that_ Guivierre. My manager was insistent that nothing less than the best would work."

"Who?" Jaune tilted his head.

"Guivierre is the great-grandson of the famed weaponsmith Prometheus, who handmade Excalibur!" Ruby was bouncing in place, squealing as Pyrrha handed Miló over. "His father's father only made weapons for anybody who could best him in a duel, and his father created King Oscar's famous warcane, the original design for the Atlesian light rifle, and Nicholas Schnee's dual axes! Guivierre focuses more on aesthetic, but his services can cost _millions_ of Lien, and all of his weapons are functionally perfect, with free repairs for the rest of your life! The very first weapon he was ever commissioned to make is still in service in the Mistral royal family, and is famous for shattering Atlesian Goliath-class shields!"

"... Neat." Jaune bobbed his head, staring at Miló in Ruby's hands. "So… three-form weapons aren't common, right?"

"Correct." Pyrrha confirmed, examining Ruby's weapon as Miló flipped between a short sword, a javelin, and a rifle in quick order. "Three-form weapons tend to come at the expense of weaker joints, leading to jamming and overall lower performance, but we simply couldn't decide whether I should fight with a sword and rifle, a sword and spear, or a spear and rifle. So, we used some sponsorships to avoid the debate." Pyrrha looked over her weapon fondly. Though it was said that a weapon carried the soul of the creator, Pyrrha felt a bond with her beloved Miló that Guivierre could not take away. Pyrrha had been a part of every creative process, from the measurements, to the designs, down to the materials used, even if she only made suggestions and approvals, leaving the handiwork to the master. "It had taken an entire year, but it was worth every second, and every lien spent."

"So, why not carry an extra weapon, rather than combine them all together?" Jaune questioned, and with a wobble and a hum, Akoúo̱ answered his question as it flew from Pyrrha's back to her hand.

"To save time." Pyrrha nodded, holding her shield in the air. "With a rifle on my back, sword in hand, and shield in the other, I would have to stow away the latter two to pull the former, and vice versa. Now, as I put away Akoúo̱, my sword becomes a rifle, and I have fired a shot in under a second of making the switch. Speaking of which, Ruby…?"

Ruby was very reluctant to give Miló back, but eventually took Crescent Rose, holding two buttons at each end of the rifle. Jaune considered Crocea Mors by his side as the rifle unfolded, extended, and numerous complicated parts collapsed and extended into its full-bodied, Pyrrha-sized, head-taking shape. Though simple to envision, Jaune had trouble picturing how one was supposed to fight with a scythe, and Ruby's design was no less befuddling.

Jaune had a basic understanding of weaponry. You swung a sword differently from an axe, he knew that much. Being country boy, he had some experience with a gun when his dad took him hunting for food and protection, but a gun didn't sit right, not as well as a sword did. Sure, Mors had only one form and one shape, but he didn't feel like he needed any more than that. Maybe he leaned on his shield a little too much, but all his allies had range, if he needed them to shoot… though if they needed _him_ to shoot…

Pyrrha's hands delicately ran along Crescent Rose's pole. Finding the right grip on this must have taken practice, though she found her non-dominant left hand easily holding where Rose's trigger lie. A simple press of her thumb against a small pressure panel unlocked the rifle's trigger, while her dominant right hand easily gripped the pole higher up. It was all around unusual in design and function, yet for all of its eccentricities, she felt no rattling, there was no wobbliness, it was solid in her hands. Again, it would need to be longer for Pyrrha, but it was perfectly Ruby-sized, which was all that mattered.

"She is beautiful." Pyrrha murmured. Every weapon had a _feeling,_ Pyrrha felt. The owner's design influenced its tone, but the weapon's basis had a _feeling._ Swords felt friendly, like they always had your back. Spears felt righteous, striking true at the most crucial moments. Axes felt bloodthirsty, heavy, and seeking its opponent's flesh. Scythes… Pyrrha had rarely held a scythe with a true, analytical eye, since most were props or ceremonial, but Crescent Rose had the same feeling an amateur-work scythe did in her hands so many years ago: cold. The scythe was not cruel, it was not biased, it was not gentle. The scythe bore a purpose, a great and terrible one as the old books would say. The blade was aimed at its owner, a warning of the immense difficulty associated with its style, but held at the right angle, out to the side, the tip pointed towards Ruby, it seemed just as hungry as an axe, but just as righteous as a spear. It would kill, either its owner or its owner's enemies, and it would do so decisively, suddenly, and with the ease of a sigh.

A thrill ran through Pyrrha's shoulders. She doubted she would master a scythe in her lifetime, but she had picked up and thoroughly learned every weapon she could out of curiosity and fascination, and what was more fascinating than the perilously exotic? Pyrrha respected Ruby's dedication to learning it and her skill in wielding it. She wanted to learn from this young master, and should she ever return to the MRT, return as a more sharpened duelist than she'd ever been. The roar of the crowds, the triumph of victory, the pulse-pounding battles against dozens of opponents…

… The under-the-breath insults, the intrusive journalists, the demand for utter perfection in social situations, the careful dietary planning, the money passing from hand to hand, the threats from her opponents and their fans…

Pyrrha shook her head and stood tall, Crescent Rose raised before her. She twisted her wrist and tall weapon spun around her hand in a sloppy circle, much less effective than what Ruby was capable of, but she had not dropped it. She smiled to herself. Oh yes, this would be a _fun_ lesson.

"Where did you come up with such a complex design?" Pyrrha asked. The scythe didn't have just a handful of moving parts to transform, its expansion and shrinking was _extraordinarily_ complicated. The number of moving parts that went into it boggled Pyrrha's mind, much the same way Miló had at first, but that simply made the scythe's solid structure even more impressive.

" _So_ many internet videos…" Ruby sighed, rubbing the back of her head. Pyrrha shot her a curious look, smirking as the younger girl whimpered. Jaune just imagined Ruby huddled in front of a computer, scribbling hastily on a notepad, but sketching a dozen weapon designs instead of writing all the steps to a hair tutorial... "Like I said, I had an idea of what I wanted, I just needed to make it work. I read books, watched videos, and drove myself crazy trying to get her _just right._ She needed the right weight, the right height, to be super tough, and smooth, and still be able to fire, and-"

"I would say you've done a masterful job, Ruby." Pyrrha ran her aura'd thumb along the blade, feeling the sharpness with a thoughtful hum. "Maybe you're not a master smith, but I cannot identify any immediate flaws, other than engagement time. Why, if you had labored under a master smith…" She spoke idly, unaware that her praise was steadily turning Ruby a rosy red.

"N-not _that_ good…"

"Well, compared to your teammates' weapons, her make is much more intricate. The amount of _thought_ put into her…"

"S-stop, I'm n-not th-that g-go-"

"And she's so well maintained! There wasn't even a hitch in her deployment, and she's as sharp as the day she was conceived!"

Ruby made a couple of noises as her face turned red. Pyrrha chuckled to herself. When a hunter designed their weapon, usually it was a couple of easy motions that could change its form in the span of a second. Crescent Rose took her time, but went from reasonably compact to absurdly oversized.

"So, what's the first step to properly wielding a combat great scythe?" Pyrrha asked, entering a stance she had seen Ruby enter several times before. Legs apart, hands wide on the shaft, blade held high out…

Without a word, Ruby took back Crescent Rose, making Pyrrha watch her in somewhat dismayed curiosity. Ruby walked away a few steps, and immediately entered a low stance, a more refined form of what Pyrrha had been imitating. Pyrrha watched as Ruby took a deep breath, settling into the mindset of a huntress. "My uncle Qrow told me that a scythe's true strength lies in momentum." She tightened her legs, raising herself, and slowly began to spin Crescent Rose around her.

The heavy, curved head of Crescent Rose wheeled at a leisurely pace around Ruby's body, its momentum slowly increasing as Ruby spoke. "He told me that all weapons in the world need _speed,_ but the scythe needs it more than any other." The weapon whirled and spun as Ruby slowly passed it from hand to hand, front to back.

' _The Death Wheel,'_ the ' _Circle of Death,'_ the scythe's most well-known performance. Anybody who picked up a scythe inevitably learned the technique, since it was its most famous. Compared to the few show-offs Pyrrha had seen in the MRT, Ruby seemed to spend no undue effort maintaining the movement, and the 'hiss of death' filled the room.

Between the name, the sound, and the legion that famously carried it, people heavily associated the great scythe with death, and with the constant whisper of steel, mixed with the cool air the weapon whipped up, goose bumps raised and apprehension was heightened. Pyrrha couldn't help but grin, and watch on as Ruby began to shift, keeping her spin going even as she stepped back and forth, then leapt, then did a jumping twirl…

Of course, balance was totally necessary. Pyrrha could handle that, but just watching Ruby do it was fun! A promise of things to come, of accomplishments to achieve!

Jaune, however, shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his arm as he watched Ruby. She moved like a dancer, like a ballerina, her feet impeccably placed every time as she continually twirled the scythe around her, but it was all punctuated with that _sound._ He rubbed his arm some more, trying to ignore the need to walk away.

Crescent Rose was presented to Pyrrha with an affirming smile from Ruby, and Pyrrha took the scythe in confident hands. Now, it was was her turn.

* * *

" _Beacon Airbus Beta will be arriving at the Vale Airport in just a few minutes. Please return to your seats and remain buckled in for your safety! Thank you for riding with us today, future hunters of Vale!"_ A soft, pleasing male voice spoke over the airbus intercom.

Blake silently watched Weiss as the Schnee heiress thoughtfully nibbled the end of a cheap pen, a paperback book full of word puzzles open on her lap. In glorious contrast to Yang, Weiss was capable of entertaining herself when there was a lull in the conversation, though she periodically enunciated a question out loud to herself.

Getting to Vale was showing to be a remarkably painless procedure; Weiss and Blake both showed up at the airbus platform, where an airclerk beckoned the crowd of waiting students, taking a headcount in the process, and cut them off before they could stuff the bus. When Airbus Alpha had taken off, Blake briefly fretted over having to wait for the full round trip, but as it turned out, Beta was waiting to dock, with Delta in transit on the way back, and Gamma unloading its students at Vale.

From what little Blake had picked up from the surrounding crowd, Beacon had a special deal with a small airbus company that made full use of its four busses every weekend, and had at least two busses on standby during the weekdays. Apparently, expedience and convenience was at the forefront of the administrator's minds, as the students were quickly herded to open seats, given a quick, likely-unnecessary primer on safety and rules via a video, and then the airbus was off.

It was no wonder Beacon was so highly regarded when it came to its seamless blending of modern technology with old hunter sensibilities. Blake could respect that, she overall agreed with glorifying hunting and hunters, but didn't like the idea of having to rough it to Vale just to enjoy a teahouse.

Overall, it had been a quick and comfortable experience riding to Vale, and Weiss and Blake walked off the departure ramp among a crowd of students with little fuss. Vale's marketplace airport was quick and easy to traverse, allowing the students to spill out into the open market plaza. Weiss and Blake exited the building side-by-side, staring at the big, circular courtyard.

Students and citizens blended together, a crowd of milling bodies moving to and from the airport, with a ring of stalls selling small, token goods, snacks, and giving out informative brochures on the edges of the courtyard. The sheer number of people made Blake suddenly nervous; it had been forever and then some since she could move around so many _humans_ without fear, or without some _plan_ at their expense.

Mentally, she counted the escape paths she could take if things went wrong, weighing their pros and cons, how visible they would be and easily they would be blocked. Would it be possible to take Weiss with her? Probably not, nobody would dare target Weiss for fear of law-based reprisal, but Blake was a nobody. She could disappear, both intentionally or at the whim of another, and nobody would know the difference…

A shudder went down her spine. She had to calm herself, she was in a safe place, nobody was a counter-operative, or a spy, and she doubted any of the members of the White Fang booth would recognize her. Her eyes still lingered on the young girl with the large hamster ears, and a man that was most likely her father speaking with another faunus over who-knew-what. She didn't recognize them; she recognized none of the surrounding Faunus, they were free citizens, not part of the White Fang.

She had nothing to fear.

"Blake?" Weiss's gentle voice broached the haze of paranoia, and Blake looked to her teammate curiously. "Deep breaths. It's just a crowd, and we won't lose each other. Besides, we have scrolls if we do." Weiss stated factually.

"Huh?" Blake responded unsurely. Weiss pointed, and Blake followed her finger to the far end of the courtyard, the gate.

"We're just going that direction, no pit stops. So don't be scared, nobody will hurt you." Weiss spoke gently, soothingly, and Blake felt the tiniest bit irritated at that condescending tone. Just because she was a _Schnee_ she thought she could treat Blake like—

"Um…" Blake shook her head, "Sorry, I don't follow, what are you doing?"

Weiss blinked up at her with those icy blues, and then blushed. She turned away, clearing her throat. "Y-you were panting rapidly and you looked like you wanted to run away. I was agoraphobic when I was a little girl too, but you can muscle your way through it. Just keep telling yourself it'll be okay. Do you want to hold my arm through the crowd?" Weiss offered, still looking the other way.

Blake stared. Weiss had read her cues quickly and easily, but came to the wrong conclusion. Blake was thankful for that, but that annoyance deepened. She was a _big girl,_ she didn't need to hold a _hand_ to make it through a crowd… even if it was just Weiss trying to be helpful.

Blake swallowed her denial and took a deep breath. Weiss was _only_ trying to help. She made the wrong assumptions, of course she did, Weiss didn't know Blake at all. Weiss was probably imitating something a family member did for her, telling her to take deep breaths and holding her hand through the crowd. That was…

Blake looked to her feet guiltily. That was a normal thing for a friend to do. Blake would help her rookies get over their fears, disabilities, and self-doubt through soft encouragement. She was letting that fear of being found out get to her.

"... Would _you_ like to hold _my_ arm?" Blake countered. Weiss looked to her, then to the offered elbow, and looked away shyly.

"We don't have to, I just thought it might help." Weiss mumbled, taking hold of Blake's inner elbow, which flexed comfortingly.

"It might. I haven't been through a crowd like this in a long time." Blake smiled calmly, trying to picture Weiss with a pair of rabbit ears. That was better, she could better envision Weiss as a newbie trying her best to provide for the pack. By the same token gesture, she felt a little stronger herself. The whispers of doubt and fear quieted for at least a moment as the two made their way down the port steps, slipping into the crowd of people and moving towards the exit. "You still get nervous around groups of people?" Blake spoke through the din of the crowd.

"A little!" Weiss was squeezing Blake's arm tightly as they brushed and pardoned their way past numerous shoulders. "I do better leading a crowd… being in the middle of them? I mean, I'm a little on the small side."

"You are, and that's fine, as long as you aren't made useless by it." Blake nodded. Weiss's hand was warm. Not as sweltering as Yang was, but comfortably so, and _so_ soft. Compared to her calloused fingers, Weiss was a dainty princess, and Blake amused herself thinking that she was the bodyguard, or the escort.

For a _Schnee._

' _For Weiss,'_ Blake corrected herself. She had no obligations to the Schnee Dust Company or its business practices and partners, just her teammate. Weiss was not dangerous, not to Blake…

Not unless she _found out._

The two came to a stop just outside the gate. Weiss stretched, sighed, and bounced in place, loosening up after a clearly stressful journey. Blake stroked the arm Weiss had held, and thought to herself.

If Weiss knew what she was… who knew how she'd react. Weiss seemed okay with faunus, her interaction with Velvet had been odd, but all around kind. How would she react knowing Blake had lied to her this entire week? It _had_ only been a week, but Blake's ears would have been obvious and prominent from the get-go if she didn't hide them.

But more distressingly, how would Weiss react to knowing she had been part of the White Fang? That she had carried out missions to steal? To detract? To defame? How would Weiss feel knowing that Blake had been on missions where SDC workers had been killed?

 _Murdered?_

Blake flexed her fingers gently. How would Yang react? How would optimistic little _Ruby_ react…?

As long as she played it safe, there was no way she'd be found out, right? What were the chances of one of her teammates one day walking in on her while she had her ribbon off, see her ears, and demand to know what the hell was going on? What were the chances one of her old White Fang buddies would find her and try to take her back?

Blake squeezed her forearms and itched. By her side, Weiss opened a brochure to read, and Blake's eyes sank low to the floor.

She could run away again.

She could escape to Mistral, _anybody_ could disappear there. She could join up with Sienna Khan's chapter… and go through the same cycle of hurting she went through with Adam. Go back to hurting humans, go back to undermining her own desires, her father's message.

' _Don't think about father… don't.'_ She grit her teeth. The very thought of that _man,_ tired and defeated by years of slow progress, grated on her mind. He wanted humans and Faunus to join together, he did not want to be _feared_ , not like Chieftain Sienna. Blake wanted her whole race to be respected for their power and abilities, she wanted them to be afraid of what the Faunus _could_ do.

But… not through pain. Not through violence. When she had been full of fire and a need to prove herself, pain seemed acceptable, up until starved corpses began to appear, and rookies were being trained to slit throats.

Would the rest of the White Fang go through this… _madness?_ They were her home, her hope for the future for a long time, and now they were falling headlong into the savage, monstrous stereotype they'd been pinned as for years, but crossed with modern-day terrorism.

She didn't have a place among the humans, the White Fang had evolved into something that terrified her, the rest of the Faunus were too complacent…

It was only a matter of time before her team found out too. They'd see her ears, and then the questions would arise. She'd simply have to run away, never see them again. She only knew them for a week, but she could live with that. She could leave Ruby, leaving the young girl to look over Blake's books in mute pain. She could leave Weiss, who would wonder where the next sarcastic quip at her expense would come from. And Yang… she could leave her partner picking up the pieces with a new partner, raging and lonely… wondering if she did something wrong…

Blake dug her fingernails into her palms. She could leave behind three complete strangers who, through sheer innocence and friendliness, made her feel welcome. Safe. Happy. Three things she hadn't felt in a number of years.

She could… she _could…_ she _couldn't_ run away from this. She'd spent so long afraid, tired, disappointed, and uncomfortable, she'd been out of place and unhappy for years, she couldn't keep hurting herself. She couldn't keep lying to herself and saying 'this was okay' over and over again…

So if she wanted to stay, if she wanted to be with her team, they'd have to find out. From _her._

Her chest swelled, her eyes opened, she straightened her blouse, and she turned to face Weiss. "Weiss." She said with her hands clenched into tight fists. "I need to tell you something."

"Just a second, Blake." Weiss answered. Blake felt the truth at the tip of her tongue, her lips parted, her expression stern… and it wouldn't escape. Weiss continued to look down at her scroll, and Blake wound down with an unheard sigh. "Ah-hah, Tea Oasis." Weiss smiled, typing at the holoscreen. "Just a twenty minute ride through the mercantile district into the business district. There was a girl in Dust Mixing who was going on and on about the tea at this place, said she got authentic Vacuan cactus tea, _without_ the hallucinogens." Weiss chuckled at that, then looked up to Blake with an excited expression. "Now, what did you want to tell me, Blake?"

Blake met Weiss's eye, then looked down at Weiss's shoes. "I... Nothing. Let's go." She insisted. Weiss gave her a curious look, but then silently granted Blake her chance to be mysterious, and hailed a taxi.

Perhaps _now_ wasn't the time, when she and Weiss were going to go relax at the tea shop. Persona-changing reveals were something that should be private. She somehow doubted Weiss would remain cool and calm if she suddenly revealed her ears, though the idea of leaving the white haired heiress utterly stunned and wide-eyed tickled Blake. Maybe she was overthinking this…

Maybe the cab driver could have turned the AC up too. She stroked her arms and grumbled as goosebumps appeared all over. It wasn't even that chilly, and Blake sorta felt bad that she was missing Weiss's story about cab drivers in Atlas, but at the same time, she was preoccupied. When should she show herself? She couldn't keep this charade up forever…

Well, she could. Ruby seemed intent to.

Another flash of irritation, but this one did not pass, this one lingered on her. Ruby was a good girl, but there was something very… _off_ about her that Blake couldn't identify. It wasn't just in the eyes, it was in the secrecy surrounding it, like she was a secret weapon, or she was a Faunus of her own.

Wait… could that be _possible?_ Blake touched her bow, hiding a twitch in her ear as she considered it. Ruby may have been a nervous Faunus as well, hiding reptilian eyes, or maybe like… compound eyes. Lots of people had arachnophobia, so it was entirely reasonable to assume she would be persecuted for eyes like that! That sounded neat. Maybe her 'eye condition' was a light sensitivity from her Faunus mixing, or maybe she was afraid of being revealed! She was born on Patch after all, and had a different mother than Yang. That was… entirely plausible. Ruby had some sorta secret Faunus mom, and she herself was a Faunus.

Blake couldn't stop the narrative from racing through her mind. Cardin seemed like the sort of jerk to attack Ruby using his own dog as a cover. Patch Island had a reputation as being threateningly racist thanks to the attitudes of early settlers, maybe she had been victimized, _forced_ to wear the goggles. Maybe her mom was somebody important, like Chieftain Sienna under the poetically absurd alias Summer Rose. Blake's jaw gently dropped at the thought. _Ruby Khan._ Whatever Weiss was babbling about now could not be anywhere _near_ as interesting at the story Blake was building.

Yes, and the years of abuse at other humans, and the fear of revealing her heritage to the chieftain of the White Fang, would lead her to hide her eyes. It was almost too amazing to be true! She _knew_ she liked Ruby right away for a good reason! A fellow Faunus on her team to relate to?!

'… _Slow down.'_ Blake caught herself and took a deep breath, looking to Weiss and nodding when Weiss ended her statement in a question. Weiss knew what was under Ruby's goggles, as far as Blake had picked up on. If Ruby was a Faunus and Weiss was protecting her even from Blake, Weiss must have had some deep sympathies for the Faunus people… assuming Ruby _was_ a Faunus, and really didn't have some absurd condition that demanded 24/7 eye protection.

Blake's heart was hammering as she considered the possibilities, the rights, the wrong, what could be and what couldn't be… she had to know. If Ruby was a Faunus, or even if she wasn't, Ruby also had a secret, a much more visible one that made everyone hush-hush, and Blake wasn't allowed in on it.

It left Blake with a clenched stomach and a small frown, knowing her teammates didn't trust her with such a stupidly obvious secret, but… maybe if she just… asked? Poked around a bit more, settled everyone's nerves and remained sympathetic. Then… _then_ she could reveal herself. A big, secret-revealing party, where everyone would come forward with their dirty laundry, and they could be closer.

She wouldn't have to hide from or be afraid of her pack anymore. The thought made Blake blush. She could show her ears, but… but only once she knew what Ruby was hiding. If they trusted her with that, she could trust them with her true identity. Now she completely itched to _know._ Nervous tingles ran up and down her arms, thinking on what Ruby's secret could be, and about unveiling herself.

It wouldn't have to be flashy, just a simple admittance and removal of her bow. No excessive drama, just… talking with her team. That was all. She just needed to know they trusted her, and that she could trust them…

Blake tuned back into reality in time to hear music. The cab driver had turned the radio on, which was playing a pop song. Blake glanced toward Weiss to see her teammate dancing in her seat, quietly singing along to the song. Blake pat her own cheeks and shook her head to dismiss the lingering doubts, and to refocus on her goal.

Enjoy a nice afternoon with Weiss, her teammate, her friend, and try to pry into Ruby's secrets.

Vale's Spring afternoons were some of the coziest times of the year, as far as Blake was concerned. She slid into the wicker chair and picked up a menu from the squat, wooden table between her and Weiss. The outdoor patio had a shady overhang with a couple of slowly revolving fans, and low lighting over each table, with a bug-catching mesh keeping the dozen-and-a-half or so customers protected from miniscule annoyances.

A musician was on a squat stage, playing a slow, warm Jazz song, adding to the cozy, chill atmosphere of the small, out-of-the-way building. Though a fenced yard blocked the view, the smell of salt spray and the distant crashing of waves told Blake they were near the ocean. Even if she cared little for taking a dip herself, the sight, the sound, the smell… they all relaxed her. Blake understood immediately why this place was popular, but no teahouse could survive on its scenery alone.

"What's your preference?" Weiss asked, calmly turning the pages of the laminated menu booklet. The page color indicated the kingdom the various teas came from, from the mellow, earthy teas from Mistral, to the fruity and energetic teas of Vale, or the acquired-taste, desert-born teas of Vacuo, and the enriching, savory teas from Atlas, though each kingdom had its nuances and variations within their own borders. It seemed the little teahouse did not want to disappoint.

"Hm… hot, relaxing, green is my favorite day to day, but I'm feeling a teensy bit risky today… hmm, an Oolong from the Yoshi province." Blake smiled to herself, her appetite catching up to her after so much time hemming and hawing inside the cab.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked with a quirked brow, looking over the various Vacuan selections. "I hear Yoshi-style Oolong can be pretty bitter."

"Nothing some cream and sugar won't temper." _Genuine_ cream and sugar at that, not the cheap, dehydrated milk—as regular milk was at a premium in her old camp—or, worse than dehydrated milk, the packets of artificial sugar. She glanced up to see Weiss eyeballing her with a sharp look. "... Problem, princess?"

"... Nothing…" Weiss flipped a page with a huff. "... _Heretic…"_ She grunted under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Blake straightened up, putting on a wry smile. "I do believe you just insulted me, Weiss."

"No, no, _you_ are perfectly fine, but your taste in additives has _clearly_ malfunctioned." Weiss waved away with an airy voice, and Blake was simultaneously impressed and offended at Weiss's ease delivering such a passive insult.

"Cream and sugar are _staples_ to tea drinking, Weiss." Blake pointed out, and the Heiress simply sighed.

"Sure, sure, staples for somebody raised in a _barn._ I don't know of any _true_ tea drinker that would pass up perfectly good honey." Weiss wasn't looking at Blake, and Blake's nostrils flared as she breathed deep the scent of conflict.

"I'm sorry, Weiss, you are correct." Blake delicately shut her menu, her threatening, golden eyes fixed unblinking on Weiss's nonchalant expression. "I would _love_ to try some honey, it's just, after so long out of civilization, where resources are rare, you grow a taste for certain things you can't find or _afford."_

"Oh, it's perfectly fine Blake." Weiss's smile turned a shade of smug that made Blake's stomach tighten. "I will be more than happy to teach you the finer points of civilized tea drinking."

"And what's wrong with how _I_ drink tea?" Blake asked in a very calm voice, masking her growing animosity.

"Oh, I don't know, nothing, really." Weiss answered with a small shrug, and a little grin. Blake's eyebrow raised, and her lips tightened. "Have you ever had to sit with a tea snob? It's the most upsetting thing in Remnant, over something so horribly petty."

"What are you talking about?" Blake downplayed the demand, not wanting to upset the start of her weekend.

"My second mentor, one of the noble girls I regularly attended events with, and my older sister are some of the _snobbiest_ people in the world when it comes to tea. _I_ don't mind cream and sugar, though it's far from my favorite, but if you dared bring up ' _cream and sugar'_ and ' _tea'_ in the same breath, each of them would be more than happy enough to go into their own, dedicated little rants about how abusive such ingredients are to tea." Weiss stated, starting to snicker at the memories.

She was joking? Blake blinked twice, working her jaw as Weiss let out a small sigh.

"Each of them _insisted_ that only honey can carry a tea properly. I only switched to honey to get them off their back, but now that I have a taste for it, cream and sugar is hard to go back to."

"So… wait." Blake held her hands up. "You _like_ cream and sugar in your tea?"

"Of course." Weiss confirmed, looking confused. "It's just a preference, anybody who gets that stuck up over a drink is ridiculous. Disregarding Ruby's attempts to turn coffee into a caffeinated _milkshake…"_

"Oh." Blake paused. She rolled her shoulders and sat back, furrowing her brow and trying to figure out why she was getting so upset. Was she that tense from having her tastes insulted? It was just supposed to be banter, she and Yang teased each other, so why was the Schnee such a problem?

Blake shook her head. Why was _Weiss_ getting under her skin?

"You… aren't insulted, are you?" Weiss asked with a small frown, and Blake glanced up, her shoulders sinking in embarrassment.

"I, uh, maybe have thought you were serious, so a tiny bit?" Blake offered, trying to put on a smile. "It's no biggie now, I promise, I thought you were actually, you know… being a tea snob."

"Of course not!" Weiss's face tensed, putting on her own offended frown. Blake sighed… this wasn't a winning moment at all. "Hmph! Well, if that's the case, I shall cover our bill."

"... Huh?" Blake glanced up at Weiss, the girl flagging down a waiter. "We could—I mean, splitting the bill isn't—"

"It's supposed to be a nice day out, allow me to make up for my faux pas, at the very least." Weiss insisted, causing Blake to settle back in her chair. This girl was so confusing right now. It was an apology, right? So why did Weiss look upset? Was _she_ upset at Blake for being upset? Or… more likely, upset at herself for upsetting Blake?

It was… it was a nice gesture, and it _did_ put Blake at some ease knowing there'd be no burden on her wallet, but it also made Blake feel extra embarrassed. She had no issues poking and prodding at Weiss and couldn't take the same. The very definition of a narcissist…

She took a provided biscuit and nibbled on it. She was thinking too much. She felt like a roller coaster today, going from happy and excited to annoyed and despondent within the space of a few words. With Yang, she was almost always the former, but Weiss kept flipping that switch, through no fault of her own.

The issue ultimately came down to the fact that she liked Weiss, and she wanted to get to know more about her, but there was a not-insignificant fear that Weiss might one-eighty the moment she knew the truth. This relaxing tea trip was proving to be much harsher on Blake's nerves than she expected…

However, that could easily be remedied by some curious conversation…

"Hmm…" Blake glanced up to Weiss after their waiter walked away, taking their order to the front counter. "Weiss?" Her voice was soft and curious, much more… _afraid_ than she meant to be.

"Yes Blake?" Weiss had opened her scroll on the table, but her attention was firmly on her teammate.

Blake squirmed in her seat, trying to correct her posture and somehow feel more brave in asking her question. "I don't want this to sound like I'm trying to make you look bad, but, well, your family has had some, err…" Blake stroked the back of her head. This was harder than she expected, and merely mentioning Weiss's family caused the heiress's stare to harden. "I'm not _ignorant,_ I won't pretend to be, but, I—I mean, I have to know because it's kind of a big deal, so—"

"You're meandering." Weiss interrupted stiffly. Blake froze in place, and took a deep breath. "Get to the point, my family is _what?"_ Her eyes… Blake was caught off guard by how cold her gaze went. Sharper than steel, harsher than the coldest winter months, Weiss's normally bratty authority was replaced by something almost frightening. Blake made a mental note that the topic of the Schnee family was not to be approached lightly…

"Your family…" Blake began again, taking a deep breath to clear the storm of her thoughts. "Your family has a rather sordid history with Faunus-kind." Weiss's eyebrow twitched, but there was no shift in anger. "I am personally pro-Faunus, and I know we may be better off agreeing to disagree, but I would like to know how you personally feel."

"Oh." Weiss visibly relaxed, her expression and tone no longer carrying that cold annoyance. She crossed her legs and gave a moment of thought before answering. "Having worked alongside only a few Faunus, I can say that they are no different from humans I have spoken to in similar positions. I _will_ say they tend to be more paranoid and attentive of their work, and their ignorance in certain fields beyond their specializations can be headache-inducing, but they are growing into their role as citizens of Remnant."

Blake perked up, trying to suppress an excited smile. _Yes!_ That was the sort of thing she wanted to hear! She nodded her head, and laced her fingers underneath their table. "So, if you were in charge of the SDC…?"

"I would see to it that all of my employees would be properly compensated for their efforts." Weiss said clinically. Blake slumped back into her seat, and felt a weight lift off her shoulders. So Weiss wasn't racist, _that_ gave Blake more relief than she'd have hoped. "Besides looking into improving working conditions, I will see to it that they have other channels to go to in search of help besides those _brutes_ in the White Fang."

"... Pardon?" Blake's internal celebration ended with a punctured brass note and a wide-eyed stare.

"You know who I'm talking about!" Weiss all but growled, looking down at the table with an expression like an Ursa. Blake blinked twice, she hadn't seen Weiss this angry since initiation day. "An entire ' _organization'_ of violent thugs who hide behind the idea of ' _equality'_ to bully and kill humans, and cry foul when people point this out to them! They're a bunch of uneducated, self-righteous, myopic… _animals."_ Weiss almost spat the word.

It would have been _far_ more merciful if Weiss had just jammed a knife through Blake's unguarded hand, and Blake had to swallow thickly as resentment and fury bubbled up in her chest. Her knuckles went white as she clenched her fists, and it took every ounce of self-control to keep a snarl and a sneer off of her face. "They aren't _all_ bad." Blake spoke with only the slightest tremor in her voice. Where was the damn tea?

Weiss snorted, and Blake felt her jaw twitch in response. "And I would love to have a list of which of those thieves and murderers _wouldn't_ slit my throat the moment they could get away with it."

"Weiss, they're not _all_ bad." Blake's voice rose, but she kept ahold of the reigns, ensuring her voice did not betray her stance. Weiss opened her mouth to refute, but Blake pushed her voice out to cut the tirade. "They once stood for equality and justice for all, they exposed corruption, defilement, and exploitation, they actually got high-class lawyers to help them sue the people taking advantage of them!" Blake's voice was low, slow, but carried an anger to it. She had to look down, away from Weiss to avoid directing her rage at her.

Weiss was silent. Blake looked up after several, uncertain seconds, and saw Weiss staring at her scroll, frowning. The red-faced anger was gone, but there was an expression of unhappiness that made Blake's skin crawl. "... Maybe they've done _some_ good for _their_ people, but all they've done for me is leave me scared. Heck, I almost didn't come to Vale because the White Fang have been so active. The theft, the intimidation, it might not affect me directly, but my father would get so angry and…" She went quiet. Weiss put her hands together, as if she suddenly felt clammy.

Blake, wordlessly, reached across the table to take Weiss's hand. Weiss flinched for a moment, her hand so tense, Blake sensed she wanted to pull away, but Weiss did not. She forced herself to relax with a heavy sigh, not returning the squeeze. Blake's face was like stone, but she did her best to swallow her negativity. "I'm sorry." She apologized, trying to not shake. "I know it must be hard on you in some way, but they don't do it for fun, or to hurt people." She then lowered her voice. "Not all of them, anyways…" She cleared her throat, and spoke up again. "Sometimes, the only way people will listen is if they're afraid."

Her teammate did not respond. Weiss's hand lay limp under Blake's, and the heiress simply looked up, took a deep breath, and let it out just as slowly. It didn't feel like a victory, Blake wasn't even sure if it could be _called_ one. She knew there must have been a lot more to Weiss's opinion than some anger-by-proxy, but Blake couldn't have this argument. Not here. Not without blowing her cover. "... Tea's taking a while." Weiss noted.

"Yeah, it is." Blake looked to the door, taking her hand back.

"... Nice day, too."

"Very." Blake nodded. She drummed the table with her fingers. On the other side, Weiss rolled her shoulders. "... Watcha looking at?" Blake pointed to Weiss's scroll.

"Oh, um…" Weiss picked her scroll up, inverting the screen for Blake to see. Company names, accompanied by lien prices, and percentages indicating a rise or a fall. "Stock prices in some companies I've invested in. Ramuld Sr. died four days ago, so I've been monitoring Ramuld's Future Industries since investors have been in a flux."

"Oh. Cool." Blake stopped her ears from falling flat. She was already emotional, and even the thought of stock trading made her mind blank. "You know… whenever I thought of Weiss Schnee, I thought you were just a socialite with good grades. I didn't expect you to know how to fight, or even be into business."

A huff escaped Weiss as she pulled her scroll back to read. "That's pretty normal. A lot of people are surprised I care about being a huntress. I was one of two girls in my economic class in Atlas that took their hunter education to a professional school. Every other girl wanted to coast by on sugar daddies, good looks, and inheritance."

"Mmm." Blake couldn't say she understood the experience. "Well, at the very least you had that other girl to connect with."

Weiss snorted again. "I hated her guts."

"Oh."

The idle, awkward chatter continued, covering a plethora of topics from the perceived difficulty of the tests they'd taken, to remarking on the shoes of an older woman whose fashion sense ran a few degrees north of 'eccentric.' It was surreal. They both had reason to be angry—Blake still hurt from what Weiss had said—but a sense of guilt kept Blake from nursing that grudge. She wondered what Weiss thought, considering the girl seemed much more despondent but without a threatening or confrontational body posture.

Though she knew that starting this conversation could have been detrimental, she was confident that it wouldn't ruin her budding friendship with the young lady before her, as odd of a realization that was.

"Your tea, ladies." The waiter reappeared, carrying two steaming tea pots on a long, silver serving tray. It was the perfect thing to interrupt their brooding, as a pair of teacups were placed before the pair of now-excited girls. Tiny pitchers filled were sugars and liquids sat between them, and the two took their time pouring, sniffing, and sipping their tea before treating them.

Weiss had been correct, Yoshi-province Oolong had a bitter bite that left Blake's tongue curling and her brow wrinkled, but it was, in its own way, exhilarating. Through the disgust, she could taste the unique flavors that made the tea appealing, and reached for the tray. _Real_ cream… years of surviving on lesser ingredients would pay off when she got her hands on the real stuff!

As her fingers gripped the little pitcher, she paused, thinking. With a small hum, her fingers changed course. She had a full pot, she could be experimental. Weiss watched as Blake took the honey and added just a dollop to the Oolong.

Weiss, of course, had chosen a black tea, pairing it with the Vacuan honey. The two girls set their spoons aside, leaned back in their seats, tipped the rims of their cups to their lips, and sipped in silence. As one, their cups lowered, and they released a pair of happy sighs.

After some time, Weiss sipped at Blake's Oolong, her expression going from apprehensive, to curious, to somewhat frustrated. "I think you're right. The honey cuts it a little bit, but the cream and sugar was _far_ better."

"Careful Weissy, if the _snobs_ hear you…" Blake's eyes widened in mock terror, and Weiss smirked behind the tea cup.

"Hmph." She slid Blake's cup back, and poured herself a new cup of black tea to polish off her order. "A few bumps aside, I would say this was an excellent idea."

"Careful, don't pat yourself on the back too hard." Blake sighed, staring into her drink curiously, her rippling reflection peering back. "But it is nice. Sorry I… you know." She trailed off, lips tightening.

"It was bound to come up eventually, Faunus rights are all the talk these days. Not to mention it's impossible to discuss them without talking about the White Fang." Weiss worked her jaw slowly, trying to fight a scowl. "I don't mind being asked about my opinions, but… why did you want to know? Why bring up my family?" Weiss looked up at Blake, who sipped her tea thoughtfully.

"Your family is important. More so than most of other families, right? You're the heiress to a whole legacy that changed how the world works." Blake steepled her fingers, reminding herself to be nice. "I guess, like, I was trying to connect you to something. They _have_ had problems with the Faunus, but I wanted to know _your_ opinions, not the Schnee Dust Company's canned responses."

Weiss gingerly turned her cup in a circle, and a low, annoyed sigh escaped her. "It's not like the SDC gets its kicks seeing Faunus dead. Abusing a stable workforce is idiotic to the extreme, but it's not as if we're hurting for miners and drivers. I believe the last census report found that only forty-nine percent of Faunus in Remnant have an education, and under two hundred of them have an advanced degree. We don't rig the mines to collapse, you know, all our mines are up to inspectors' standards, but you know how volatile Dust can be. It's not perfect, I think it can be improved, but there's the question of cost, and the politics and bureaucracy involved…"

Blake let out an agitated breath through her nostrils. Yes, that made sense, but Weiss was glossing over—or perhaps didn't know about—the politicians and sorts of management the SDC backed. It was easier to keep a stable, steady flow of workers looking to make some easy lien through hard labor when the SDC's chosen partners enforced a casually superior attitude that left the Faunus grasping for straws and options.

Weiss continued, "I suppose that doesn't make me _pro-_ Faunus—at the end of the day, I will protect my family from harm—but I'm not _anti-_ Faunus either. As I said before, they're citizens of Remnant, it would be stupid to completely write them off."

"Hm." Blake nodded. She finished her cup, and Weiss took the chance to drink. Again, the mood had sunk, but Blake didn't see it as an omen. A change of topics was in order, to get to Blake's true mission while Weiss was still vulnerable. "Part of why I came to Beacon was because somebody very close to me… _betrayed_ me." Blake began carefully, causing Weiss to lower her cup with a wide-eyed stare. "Not like, stabbed me in the back, but they became a different person. Somebody full of hate and anger, and they lost sight of why we became hunters in the first place. I stopped feeling welcome, so I came here, to Vale, to Beacon." Blake looked to the fence, where the ocean lay beyond it, and her eyes sank. "I don't want that happening again. I didn't think I could trust anyone after what happened, but then I met Ruby, and Yang, and you." Blake looked Weiss's way, putting on a small, disarming smile, that left Weiss red-cheeked and squirming. "I feel a lot better since coming here. It's good knowing that I have this group of people who will watch my back and, when there's time to train and plan, go have some tea instead, and talk about really personal stuff without shouting at one another."

Weiss's eyes flickered up to Blake's eyes, then down to her tea, and bounced back and forth in embarrassment the whole time she did. She coughed into her fist gently, tugging at her side-tail in embarrassment. "W-well, that's certainly... It's good to have you with us, Blake. You may be rude, insulting, and agitating, but I've enjoyed every second of it. But… why tell _me_ this?" Weiss squirmed in place, and Blake chuckled.

"Well, you can't ask for people's secrets without giving a few yourself." Blake answered, forcing herself to look at Weiss as she continued. "I… I know _you_ know what Ruby's hiding. Her goggles, her semblance, Ruby won't talk about them, Yang won't talk about them, and you seem to know a thing or two…" Weiss twitched, a deep frown crossing her face. "I want to trust you all, but I feel locked out of things."

Weiss contemplated her tea for a while, and Blake gave her the time. She knew this wouldn't be something that could be easily dismissed, and certainly not a topic she would allow to be waved away. She squeezed her wrist and watched Weiss's face as the girl took her time before finally answering. "I know you're frustrated not knowing, I know I would be too, but I swore a promise, not just to Ruby, but to the headmaster that I'd be quiet about it."

The _headmaster_ was in on it too? Blake chose to ignore the alarm bell ringing in her head…

"But, I'm sure Ruby trusts you by this point. We've managed to keep it under wraps, and it would be, frankly, absurd for you to not know after a certain point…"

"It's just not your place to tell." Blake vocalized the statement that had gone unspoken, and Weiss looked to her hands in shame. "It's okay." She reassured, making Weiss pout. "Really, I get it. I guess asking you first is kinda dumb in hindsight, but I get it. At this point, I just want to know. To feel… trusted."

"Well, it has been only a week, but leaving you out of the loop while the rest of us dance around the issue is weird." Weiss groaned, resting her cheek against one hand. "I can't imagine Ruby will want to spend the rest of the afternoon training with Pyrrha, and knowing Yang, she won't make it back until late. You're bound to find some time to ask Ruby."

"And if not, it won't be hard to make some." Blake chuckled, and Weiss nodded.

"Just… promise you'll be understanding?" Weiss asked softly, catching Blake off guard. "No matter how she looks and what she does, she's exactly what you see, and hear, and feel. I know it's only been a week, but she has about as much depth as a puddle."

"... Right." Blake answered, her mind trying to wrap itself around the implications of what Weiss had said. "I'll try to keep an open mind."

None of that sounded… _right._ Ruby, Weiss, Yang, _and_ the headmaster knew what was going on, didn't want anyone else to know, and Blake would have to be understanding?...

… Could Ruby have been a former White Fang operative too?!

Blake silently cursed at her overactive imagination and shook the thought out of her head.

* * *

"Ah' shorree I didn' teash 'ou any'hing…" That was the best Pyrrha could manage with both of her raw, red pinkies in her mouth.

Ruby walked ahead of the trio, arms stretched over her head to stretch, a smile on her face. "It's okay. I kinda figured we'd spend the whole time with the scythe; you seemed to be having a lot of fun!"

Pyrrha grinned, freeing her mouth and gingerly curling her littlest fingers. Ruby had been correct, scythe-control was heavily reliant on all five fingers, and Pyrrha hadn't exactly trained her pinkies to deal with that much stress and work. "It's so much more involved than I thought it would be. Handling Crescent Rose is a good upper body workout."

Ruby twisted her torso left and right, grinning to herself. "Dad said I have an amazing core because of it."

"I can tell!"

The two girls laughed, and Jaune walked in the back, watching the two of them closely as they passed by a series of windows, displaying the reddening sky. Watching them fight, practice, and talk all about their weaponry was a solid reminder that, despite being a rather silly and gentle pair of girls, they were warriors. It was the one thing Jaune found interesting, even hilarious, even if he saw it every day.

He had always pictured powerful, bulky, aged veterans in heavy plate armor swinging around swords and axes with humorless snarls, but thinking about his grandfather, about Pyrrha, and about Ruby, he was growing accustomed to the idea that not every great fighter had to be an utterly serious titan in armor.

Some were adorable girls who squealed and bounced around talking about swords and guns as opposed to cute boys and makeup. Some were old men who constantly talked about how much their back hurt. It made Jaune feel more comfortable with how unsure he was. Barely passing, barely any skill compared to his partner, but they weren't perfect.

… Just better.

Jaune shook his head out, and sighed. That wasn't _wrong,_ but it made his stomach sink just thinking about it. He needed to practice harder, _far_ harder to catch up, and he needed to study more, and he needed to get his head in the game and figure out why he was here…

"Well, I suppose next time I owe you some actual training." Pyrrha chuckled, her pinkies pulsing against her clasped palms. "When I recover, of course."

Ruby looked back at Pyrrha, then to Jaune with a small smile. When she looked to Pyrrha again, her eyes drifted down towards the Mistralian beauty's long, pale legs. She had to remind herself to speak up and not just spy on Pyrrha's endearing stature, and idle thoughts became gentle questions. "How about tomorrow? If you aren't busy!"

"Hmm…" Pyrrha tapped her lips, and Jaune spoke up.

"We could stand to study a bit. Or _I_ could, and Nora's going to make us do _something,_ so you should probably plan for early morning or late at night." He offered, making Pyrrha nod.

"I'll ice my fingers tonight, and we'll speak with Nora and Ren on what we'll do tomorrow. I hope you don't mind if I knock early?" Pyrrha tilted her head, and Ruby considered it for a minute.

"Yang might get grouchy, and I dunno about Weiss and Blake. Maybe..." Ruby reached into her pocket and held up her scroll. Pyrrha immediately popped her scroll out, and Jaune scrambled to do the same. A round of passing numbers, and Ruby excitedly filled out their information, giggling in open glee.

While Pyrrha had numerous contacts in her scroll, she had made a special folder for the scroll numbers of friends. It had, at one point, been empty, but now she had Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren. Ruby, on the other hand, only had three numbers for a very long time, and recently added Weiss and Blake's. Now she had Jaune's and Pyrrha's! And Jaune… Jaune had the numbers for each and every single member of his family, but with a new scroll, no messages from any of them. He wanted to establish his place here before he contacted them again. He just hoped they trusted he was safe.

"Awesome." Jaune ran his fingers through his blonde hair, his thumb hovering over Lydia's name briefly, before he closed his scroll and pocketed it. "Well, I mean, I'd _like_ to sleep in, but if you two wake up early-"

"We can all train and eat and go do stuff!" Ruby bounced on her toes. She had friends! _Friends! Friendly_ friends! And they could go see movies and clubbing and stuff, like Yang did! She smiled so widely at Jaune and Pyrrha, the two were briefly taken aback, slightly confused, then offered returning smiles.

"Of course. Let's see what Nora wants first, though." Pyrrha settled a hand on Ruby's head, stopping the younger girl's excited hopping.

"Yeah, and Rubes, you know you can come knock at any time, right?" Jaune offered casually, watching the way her face went from over-excited to somewhat awed and surprised. "So if you need anything, don't worry about bothering us."

"O-okay!" Ruby bobbed her head. She took a second to examine herself shyly, kicking her foot in idle thought as Jaune and Pyrrha watched with a pair of amused smirks. "Th-than-thank you… y-you c-can come t-talk to us t-too!" Ruby nodded.

"Of course, Ruby." Pyrrha bobbed her head.

"Yeah, we'll keep that in mind. Don't be a stranger!" Jaune ordered, earning an affirmative nod. Jaune and Pyrrha turned to their dormroom door and opened it, shooting Ruby one last look as the younger girl opened her door.

Ruby stood in her room and exhaled, loud and proud. She couldn't keep herself from smiling as she glanced up. Weiss silently shut a book she had been reading and stood, and Ruby's good humor immediately curdled as Weiss dusted off her skirt and gave her team leader a serious look.

The cheer in the hallway was replaced by a powerful tension that Ruby felt sink right into her chest. She squirmed in discomfort, this was not what she had wanted to spend the night relaxing to, _something_ was up, and it scared her.

"W-weiss?" Ruby asked in a gentle voice as the white haired girl walked towards her.

Weiss took a deep breath, and looked up to Blake's bunk. Ruby followed her gaze to see Blake relaxed on her bed, one of Ruby's novels open in front of her face, and Weiss cleared her throat. " _I_ am going to grab a late-night snack! Do either of you need coffee?" Weiss asked in a voice full of forced casualness.

"U-uh-?" Ruby blinked behind her goggles as Blake waved her hand.

"Pass." The black-haired beauty answered.

"S-sure?" Ruby finally answered, and Weiss nodded.

"Very well! I will be back soon. Cream and f- _four_ sugars, right?" Weiss's eyebrow twitched, and Ruby nodded in her confusion. "P-p-perfect." Weiss brushed past Ruby and out the door without another word.

Well… that had been _odd._ The first thing out of Weiss's mouth was supposed to be something like ' _did you learn anything from Pyrrha?'_ followed by an eye roll, then a demand to come along tomorrow. At least, that was how Ruby pictured it.

She let out a small breath and glanced up to Blake, who was now watching her curiously. Ruby smiled sheepishly, walking over to her bunk slowly. That tension was still there, and Weiss walking out suddenly didn't seem to remove enough of it. She wondered if Blake was also nervous, or if Weiss's dramatic exit had affected Ruby in some weird way.

With a sigh, Ruby hopped into her bunk, disappearing behind its curtain. She slid her goggles off of her face, and reached into the little basket hanging on the wall by her mattress to take a bottle of lotion. The skin around her eyes was beginning to dry and itch, she needed that little extra layer of protection before bed or she'd be too busy rubbing her eyes all night to go to sleep.

As she stroked the plump, cool black veins lacing underneath her skin, she remained unaware of Blake on the other side of the room.

Her teammate, her friend was silently fidgeting in bed. She could make out the strap of Ruby's goggles through one of the thin cracks in the sheets. Her ear twitched. Ruby had secrets, Blake did too, but Blake was better with them thus far. Only a few people in the school knew anything about who she truly was, what she had been, what she had _done…_

She was… excited. She was brimming with an energy that she normally only got when she was teasing Yang to frustration, this would be the night she revealed herself. She would come clean to Ruby… as long as Ruby did the same with her. After all, Weiss knew, Yang knew, Blake deserved to know, to be _in_ on the secret. If they trusted her, she could trust them. She would even let Weiss know that she had been part of the White Fang, she wanted them to trust she had the best intentions.

She had to be cool. Get Ruby comfortable before she broached the subject. This was the _perfect_ moment. Her ears twitched again. No more ribbon, no more fretting and worrying...

Blake cleared her throat, her place in her book forgotten, and spoke aloud. "Ruby? Would you like to read with me?" Blake's called across the room. She heard a soft, excited gasp, and hid a little smile.

" _Eeeeeeee_ I was wondering when you were going to ask me!" Ruby squeaked. Ruby pushed aside the curtain around her bed, her goggles back in place. "I even have the perfect book in mind!" Blake closed the book she was reading to watch Ruby zip from her place on the bed to dig through _Yang's_ things. "Remember when we first met you'd asked if I'd read Alfheim and I didn't?! Well Yang has one of his books and I thought if we read anything together it'd be that! Yang used to read books to me if I didn't understand them so it might be the right way for us— _found it!"_

Ruby waved the thin, red, paperback book at Blake. The edges of each page had been turned yellow with age, and one corner was partially bent, misshaping it. Blake sat up to look over Ruby apprehensively. Even with a few scratches in the cover she recognized it. 'Cherry's Tail.' It was a short story discussing the changes in a young, Atlesian girl's life when she one day woke up with a big, fluffy fox tail. It discussed the societal implications and impact it had on her and her family.

The politics, the scandals, the 'friends' she lost and the friends she made, it was all to highlight the senselessness of anti-Faunus attitude. It did not sell as well as ' _A Fuzzy Perspective'_ , and controversy kept it out of schools, but Blake personally created the Cherry Initiative for the Vale chapter of the White Fang, in which the books were given, for free, to human children.

It was one of her prouder moments, one she still maintained would have a long-lasting effect… even if Adam thought it was a critical waste of time and resources.

Blake rolled onto her stomach, looking over the edge of the bed with a small smile. "Sure, Ruby. It's a good book to start with."

"Yay!" Ruby bounced in place, briefly scampering from bed to bed to gather pillows. "I'll get the pillow fort started! You grab all the sheets, and we'll have a little reading nest! Ooooh, maybe I can text Weiss to bring us some snacks! Eeeee-"

"Ruby?" Blake stopped her with a small chuckle. The enthusiasm was touchingly sweet, she hadn't met somebody so enthusiastic about reading with her since Ilia. A brief pain went through her chest, and she shook that name, that _face_ out of her head. There was nothing left to think about there. "Ruby, why not just join me on my bed?" Blake offered.

Ruby froze in place, looking up to Blake with red cheeks. "W-wha- on your _bed?_ B-but sharing beds are for sisters and lovers!" Ruby squeaked. She was quoting the Duchess's Bride, which was adorable on its own, but then Blake's yellow eyes were roaming Ruby in her little black and red huntress's outfit, and making no attempts to hide her mature inspection of her team's leader. "B-B-B-Bl-Blake?!"

"Hmm…" Blake nibbled her pinkie nail in thought. "Sorry Ruby, was just thinking to myself. Why don't you climb on up… _lover."_ She hissed the word, and slid back, laying on her pillow as Ruby sputtered a couple dozen consonants of complete nonsense.

Roughly a minute later, Ruby was laying by Blake's side. Her cloak had been discarded, along with her boots, to minimize how much space she took up. She was stiff as a board, her head resting on Blake's upper arm, supported by the pillow Blake was resting on. They were pressed together, far too familiar for a girl Ruby only knew for a week, and it was making her body all hot and stiff.

Blake, in the meantime, was enjoying the hell out of how hot and bothered Ruby was already. She had the book open above both of their faces, and Ruby could hardly concentrate, as each little movement pressed them together a little tighter. Blake knew she had a mission, but she was also enjoying herself. She _did_ want to get to know her little leader a little better, and it had been far too long since she had somebody to cuddle up to.

At one time she had a pair of friends she could relax against and share intimacy with, and now… now they were both gone. Far away, or off the deep end. Blake sighed softly, and subconsciously pulled Ruby closer.

"Shall I read first?" Blake asked, turning to look at Ruby. Her lips were within an inch of brushing Ruby's temple, and her words teased Ruby's hair, making the girl flinch, and burn brightly with embarrassment.

"I-I should…" Ruby sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I-I used to f-fall as-asleep to Y-Yang reading t-to me all the t-time, s-so if I go first…" Blake simply nodded, smiling at her team leader. "O-okay… u-um, page one… '"Cherry, it's time for breakfast." Cherry's father's voice could be-' oh it's her dad! Um, '" _Cherry! It's time for breakfast!'"_ Ruby corrected herself by putting on an adorably gruff voice.

"'"Coming, Father." Cherry answered back, believing this morning to be like many before it.'" Blake read, familiar to the point of memorizing the first page, which she had read aloud to groups of both young Faunus and young humans a dozen times before.

"'Sliding out of bed was no easy task for the young, Atlesian princess, as the chilly mornings tempted her to draw the sheets tighter about her neck. With great grief, Cherry cast aside her blanket to rouse herself. She walked to her mirror, unwary of the extra weight that dragged behind her.'"

"'In the mirror, she saw much of the same she saw every morning, every day, every year. A girl with perfect, whitish-blonde tresses, and eyes as gold as the minerals her father's mining company dug out; she was the very picture of Atlas nobility, from head to toe, from hair to tail. "What's this? What's _this?!"_ She nearly screamed as something that had not quite made itself known finally fluttered into view.'"

Ruby read, then Blake read. They were both practiced partner readers, and the longer they went, the more comfortably Ruby snuggled into Blake's side. Blake, for her part, resisted the urge to tease and befuddle Ruby if it meant actually making it through the book, as it was a favorite of hers. Cherry, for all of her Atlesian nobility flaws, grew to be the sort of heroine Blake admired. Her heart swelled for both human and Faunus alike, and she cast aside old prejudices as she realized how unfairly enforced they were, even among those who had long stood on elite side of the law.

Blake firmly believed that Ruby had none of these prejudices, and watching the girl's voice break a little in annoyance and disbelief that Cherry's family would be so quick to consider abandoning her made Blake more confident in her assumptions. If Ruby could so easily handle Cherry's spontaneous reveal, then perhaps Blake had a chance…

"... And that was chapter one." Blake smiled at her little teammate, who laid still with an enormous pout on her face. "Thoughts?"

"That's so _dumb!"_ Ruby announced in clear distress, drawing an amused, though curious expression from Blake. "She's their daughter! It shouldn't matter what she looks like, disinheriting her is… _is…"_ Ruby squirmed in place. Unbeknownst to Blake, Ruby had long struggled with the fear that her own family would give up and abandon her had she not gained some semblance of control over herself. "Is chapter two better?" She asked weakly.

"... Marginally, but it's also worse. The entire book's like this. It's about a human discovering the prejudice Faunus face every day, after all." Blake explained cooly, stroking Ruby's elbow to try and reassure her, but to little success as Ruby frowned. "Do you want to read something else?"

"No…" Ruby sighed, quietly turning the page in the book. "I want to know what happens. Cherry's a good girl, and maybe a dumb one, but she doesn't deserve that. Besides, if she manages to get everyone to like her regardless, maybe…" Ruby trailed off, and Blake cocked her head.

'Maybe' what? It almost sounded like Ruby identified with Cherry in some way. Were Blake's predictions true?... Was Ruby a secret Faunus with cool, funky eyes that Blake could cast aside by revealing herself?! Would she have another young, adorable Faunus to train and talk to?!

Calm, calm… she had to be calm. No setting herself up for disappointment, or worse, _false_ assumptions that could undermine Ruby's secret. It was these sorts of early, optimistic ideas that lead to Blake getting burnt out and disappointed, time after time, when her plans and trials succeeded, but only half-worked. Few opinions were changed, little progress was made, she had to be realistic here.

Realistic, understanding, and direct.

 _Direct._ "Mind if we take a short break? I was hoping to ask you something." Blake could feel a knot in her throat tighten, and her heart hammering. She was closing in, and she clenched her fist in quiet excitement.

"O-okay. Then chapter two?" Ruby wiggled, and Blake nodded her head. "Yay! Okay, um… what did you want to ask me?" Ruby looked Blake in the eye. Blake looked back at her goggles.

She needed to think of a tactful way to ask her, something understanding and— "Could I possibly see your eyes, Ruby?"—drive full force into the issue like the brakes in her car had been cut. Smooth.

Blake watched Ruby's childlike curiosity slip away, showing a pale fear that made the knot in Blake's throat grow. "I-I-"

"I don't want to _pry,_ Ruby…" Blake cut, making Ruby go stiff. The warm little girl had gone cold, and Blake knew she'd have to work to ease her. "I-I'm curious is all. I mean, Yang and your father obviously know, but Weiss knows too. I know she's your partner, but I'm your teammate too."

"I-" Ruby turned her head away, now facing the ceiling. "I can't show you." Ruby said, before swallowing thickly.

Blake felt her heart sink, and with a deep breath, she pushed on. She had to _know._ If she was going to tell them- "Ruby, _please?_ I mean, you can imagine how curious I am, with you talking about your condition, and always wearing your goggles, I just want to see them!" Blake dug her teeth into her lower lip. Ruby mulled quietly, then sat up. Instinctively, Blake grasped Ruby's side. "It's not fair." Blake added on in gentle admonishment.

"N-no, it's _not,_ b-but I-I was t-told I _can't_ —" Ruby's nervous stutter had returned in full as she tried to push Blake's hand off of her. "I-it's not f-fa-fair for me e-eith-either! B-but orders—"

"Ruby, I can be trusted!" Blake insisted, closing her fingers tightly into Ruby's side. Ruby gasped, and Blake realized she was squeezing flesh and muscle. She flinched as Ruby's aura flared to life, shoving her away as Ruby scrambled up.

No, _no,_ this was not how this was supposed to happen! Ruby trusted her, didn't she?! Just because she had orders- how could she neglect one of her teammates over some _orders?_ She wasn't in danger!

"Ruby—!" Blake sat up as Ruby swung her feet over the bed. Blake's hand closed around Ruby's wrist right as the girl slid off the bunk, causing her to gasp as her body fell at an awkward angle, off her feet. Blake's grip slackened, and Ruby hit the floor in a heap, her aura stained a pitch black as Blake felt her chest tighten in worry. "I-I'm sorry, Ruby!" Blake slid off after the girl, kneeling by her leader's side.

Ruby stood. Something about the way she'd fallen had caused one side of Ruby's goggles to slip a few centimeters. Blake stared, silent and meek at the thick, black vein crawling across Ruby's temple. That… was not normal. It looked like somebody had injected an ink pen into her vein, swelling it to an unnatural size. It looked ready to pop and spill a diseased pus…

"Y-your face…" Blake raised a hand up, morbid curiosity causing her to reach out to Ruby's temple. It was swatted away, and Ruby lurched out of Blake's grip. Ruby quickly readjusted her goggles, hiding the ugly vein from view. Blake's suspicions about Ruby being a Faunus began to shrivel. Was she truly… _diseased?_ "Ruby, what the hell is going on?!" Blake demanded.

Ruby looked back at Blake with a stiff, shaky frown, and by the way her forehead crumpled inwards, it was meant to be a glare. "I-I told you I can't tell you! I-I have o-orders! It's _m-my_ b-business!"

"So you don't trust me?!" Blake demanded. Her chest heart. How could Ruby not trust her?! It had… it had only been a week, but they'd fought together! Why was everyone else allowed to know?!

"I-I trust you b-but-"

"So why can't I _know?!"_ Blake had to stop her ears from twitching. She wanted to be trusted, she wanted to trust _them._ If they found out elsewhere… Blake grit her teeth. "You _don't_ trust me!"

Ruby had gone silent, and she looked to the floor. Her little fists were shaking as she considered, and briefly, a hand reached up to touch her goggles… but then lowered again. "I-I need the h-headm-master to t-trust m-me."

"More than you need _me_ to trust you?!" Blake's voice was rising. She couldn't believe this! They were friends, right?! They'd known each other for… for a _week._ They'd fought together and… Blake was feeling more shaky and more uncertain. What platform did she stand on here?

Ruby's chin sank to her chest, and almost too low to hear, she answered, "... Yes…"

Blake stared at Ruby in disbelief, and she raised a hand to try and grasp… _something,_ but it lowered back to her side. Ruby tightly held herself in her own arms, refusing to meet Blake's eye. "But… Weiss-"

"Was an _accident!"_ Ruby interrupted promptly, her voice thick and welling with emotion as she spoke to her breast. "Sh-she sh-shoul-shouldn't have f-found out… the h-head-headmaster le-let it go b-but I can't…" Ruby shook her head. "I c-can't push it ag-again. Th-this is my only ch-chance to b-be a hu-hu-huntress."

"But…" Blake spoke weakly. "It's ridiculous! I'm sure he'd understand if I—! I won't hurt you, I won't tell anyone, I'm—"

Ruby looked up at the ceiling as her voice rose, "Blake, I _order_ you to _stop!"_ Ruby commanded, visibly shuddering as her frown deepened, and she fell silent. Blake felt something in her chest crack. Did Ruby just… _command_ her to shut up? That—no, she wasn't like that, not like… "I-I'm sorry… I can't." Ruby sniffled, turning away to present her back. "Thi-this is all I ever wanted… to come here, to train, to learn… I can't be a huntress any other way. I-if the headmaster found out I'd t-told you, i-if he kicked me out of B-Beacon because I can't ke-keep the one s-stupid s-secret he t-told me to…"

Blake squeezed her hands together. Her ears laid flat on her head, and it took every ounce of her willpower to make them stand straight again. Her jaw quivered as she slowly strode forward, and rested her hands on Ruby's shoulders heavily. The girl was as tense as a rock, and a small, unhappy noise escaped her. "I-I won't tell, I promise, nobody'll know." Blake whispered in a quivering voice, but her team leader shrugged her hands off. "Ruby… _please…"_

"..." Ruby sighed thickly, and hung her head. "It's… I-it's none of y-your b-business Blake. Pl-please don't a-ask ag-again. I-I have to th-think a-about m-my ca-career and..." She felt the hand slide off her shoulder, and Ruby kept her eyes on the floor. After a moment of silence, she heard rapid footsteps behind her, and the door open, then slam shut. Ruby quietly slid to her knees.

Blake wasn't prepared to know. Weiss had eventually come around, but even _still_ she couldn't meet Ruby's eyes. But the kids on Patch who had stolen her little goggles and looked her in the eye, saying they were brave, had proven to be anything but. Ruby didn't want to hurt Blake, but this was the best way to keep Blake from being afraid of Ruby, and for Ruby to stay in the headmaster's good graces.

If she was forced out of Beacon so early, if she'd lost her chance…

Ruby sucked in a shuddering breath, and whimpered to herself.

* * *

The door opened cautiously after some time had passed. Weiss ducked her head through the crack, peering inside to see who was still there. Weiss's brow furrowed, a frown crossing her face. The silence was telling. Ruby was _not_ the sort to shut up if she had to explain herself, so unless the two had prematurely gone to bed with the lights on…

"Ahem?" Weiss announced herself, stepping into the room holding a single cardboard coffee cup for Ruby, filled with enough sweets that Weiss was half-convinced even porcelain would melt. She glanced to the bunks, then the bathroom, and only then noticed the hand lazily waving to her from under the curtain of Ruby's bunk. "... I'll make a fairly strong assumption and say that it did not go well?" Weiss asked, trying to sound consoling as she walked to Ruby's bedside.

"... Whyzit so hard?..." Ruby sounded awful through the curtain. A loud hiccup, a sad sniffle, a 'boohoo' as well, and Weiss sighed heavily. "I _hate_ keeping secrets…"

Weiss tugged the curtain aside, eyes briefly catching the goggles resting on their hook by the bedside. Ruby, however, had one arm over her eyes, keeping them concealed. Weiss's jaw quivered, and she silently took Ruby's hand, putting it around the cup. Ruby set it on her chest, and breathed deeply.

"Blake's mad at me…" She whispered, and Weiss slowly shook her head.

"Why didn't you tell her, Ruby?" Weiss asked in a quiet, yet stern voice. "She's our teammate. Do you really think she'd act any differently?"

"Of course she would..." Ruby murmured, her fingers tightening around the cup in her hand. "She'd act like everyone else... She'd take one look, tell me to stay away, and _run._ Like Yang did when we were kids, like the other kids on Patch, like _you did..."_ Ruby grit her teeth, her voice an accusing barb that made Weiss glare.

"I ran because you _assaulted_ me, and I came _back,_ didn't I?! I seem to recall somebody nearly getting their neck chewed out by a Beowolf!" Weiss shot back. She didn't like to recall the events of that day, but she revisited that moment in her dreams often. Seeing Ruby at her most dangerous, her most _feral,_ her most frightened, Weiss knew there was something darker to her semblance and eyes, but she hesitated in trying to delve deeper in the girl's power. "You should have told her."

"So you _knew_ she was going to ask…" Ruby turned her head away from Weiss. She sat up and lowered her arm, making Weiss glance away as Ruby sipped her coffee. After a minute of tasting and warming herself with her coffee, she spoke again. "... I can't tell her. I promised the headmaster I wouldn't."

"I don't recall you making that promise in front of _me,_ the headmaster basically gave us a free pass because I chose to stay your partner!" Weiss pointed out angrily, and Ruby made a small, angry fist. "Why in the world would he—"

" _You_ weren't supposed to know _either!"_ Ruby's voice rose, silencing Weiss in the girl's anger. Ruby snarled, showing her teeth, and Weiss took an unsteady step back as Ruby glared into her coffee, her expression like a cornered animal's, furious, afraid, frightening… soaked with dripping tears. " _Nobody was!_ Look at me, Weiss!" Ruby ordered, turning to face her partner. Weiss couldn't pull her eyes away, and that grim gnawing at her heart began as those perfect, bloody orbs pierced straight through her, into her soul. "Do you seriously think I deserve to be here?!"

Weiss tore her gaze away from Ruby, to avoid looking at those _things,_ but she could still feel that stare on the back of her head. Weiss shuddered, arms pressed tightly to her sides. "Y-you passed the entrance exam, you made second, you've proven that you can—"

"I'm a _monster,_ Weiss! I should have been strangled in my crib before I had the chance to hurt anyone! Nobody deserves to know the truth about—" Ruby's words were cut short by a slap that left her gasping in pain. Coffee poured out of the crushed cup in Ruby's hand, staining her bedsheets. The young redhead lifted a hand to her stinging cheek, and a small, frightened cry escaped her, and without warning, fingers dug into her hair. The younger girl squealed in pain as she was all but dragged into Weiss's furious expression, with Weiss glaring pointedly at the bridge of Ruby's nose, and nowhere else.

" _Ruby. Rose."_ Weiss's voice was tight and simmering as she held her partner's hair. " _Must_ I remind you _who_ saved my _life?"_ Weiss asked, every motion of her jaw forced and exacting, making Ruby tremble at the barely contained rage. "I. Would have. _Died._ I spend every night thinking about what a _failure_ I am, having to have relied on you! I am a pathetic, talentless little _whelp_ against the Grimm when _you_ are around keeping the _teeth_ out of _my neck._ I, _Weiss Schnee,_ heiress to the _richest_ and most _powerful_ family in Remnant am _in debt_ to you, because _you,_ with all your _vile power_ and _horrible social conduct,_ are still _thrice_ the hero _I am."_ Weiss pushed Ruby's face away, and looked at the floor. Her expression had softened considerably, revealing a small, sad little girl, looking down at her feet with a frown. Ruby was taken aback, the thundering in her head and her heart replaced by an eerie silence. "I owe you. I owe you _so much._ Even when I hated you, you saved my life. Even when I'd grown short with you, you taught me to succeed. I'm _brains_ and _knowledge,_ but you're _action_ and _strength._ I'm scared of the sort of power you wield, but I…" Weiss sucked in a deep breath, and let it out. She looked up at Ruby, nervously keeping her eyes on the girl's forehead. "I admire how strong you are, despite it. If you weren't here for me, I wouldn't have my life. Or my _friend._ So don't you _dare_ say you deserve anything less than life and Beacon."

Ruby was still. Heart, mind, and body, in perfect sync, hardly making a beat, movement, or noise. Before her, Weiss wiped the gathering tears from her eyes on her wrist, and took a deep breath to calm herself. When those arctic blues looked to Ruby again, it was with the fierce determination Weiss approached any challenge, and she made great effort to ensure she was not cowed by Ruby's fearsome gaze. "W-Weiss…" Ruby turned away. "I admire you too…"

"And do you admire Blake?" Weiss asked firmly, keeping the emotion out of her voice as best she could, but failing with a quiver at their teammate's name.

"I-I do—"

"So doesn't she _deserve_ to know?" Weiss demanded. Ruby did not answer. She stared down at the wet, coffee-soaked sheets covering her legs, and rather than answer Weiss, she tugged the sheets out from under the mattress, balling them up. " _Ruby?"_ Weiss persisted, speaking through grit teeth.

"... Weiss…" Ruby spoke with a thick tongue, and Weiss bit back her anger to hear her out. "When… when I was a little girl, I used to watch a group of kids play games in the woods through the window. I wasn't allowed to leave the house, just… watch as they played Hunters and Bandits." Ruby's jaw trembled slightly, the memories piecing themselves together, the old scars reopening in her mind. "I wanted to go play. I wanted to be a hunter, more than anything else, even back then. I wanted to help people, and stop evil, and be something… something _worthy_ of my own humanity. My dad, and Yang, whenever I got too angry, or scared, they _suffered._ Beowolves in the bathroom, and Creeps in the attic, they got bitten, scratched, they _screamed_ and fought and… and… sometimes, I could see that they resented me." Ruby pulled her knees to her chest.

Delicately, she continued. "Not anymore, I learned to control myself, but there was a time when I was too young to stop myself. I poured myself into learning how to be a hunter, and I saw a chance. I disobeyed my dad and went outside to talk to them, and-and they were excited!" Ruby forced a smile, and Weiss knew that expression exactly. To meet someone you thought was like you, to have the hopes that you had a kindred soul in a life full of well dressed mannequins, repeating the same thoughts and ideas ad nauseum… but this was different. "They'd never seen me before, they said I could join the hunter's side! B-but…" Ruby's voice dipped. "But I had to take off my goggles. Only the bandits wore masks, the hunters weren't afraid to show their faces. S-so… so I decided…"

"You took off your goggles." Weiss guessed, listening intently. Ruby's fingers dug into the ball of blankets and sheets, and nodded.

"I thought—I _knew_ it was a dumb thing to do, but being a hunter meant being free, and meant protecting people. They were _kids!_ I don't know _why_ I thought they'd think the same way, I thought they were playing hunters because they wanted to be them like I did, an-and I thought they might l-look past my eyes... I was so stupid…" Ruby trembled, holding her head. "It was a stupid _stupid_ game and I was a stupid _stupid_ girl who was desperate to meet people and not be scared!... They… they saw my eyes and called me a Grimm." She wiped her eyes, and sighed thickly. Weiss nodded slowly, and set a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "They hit me. A lot. Dad was mad, Yang was mad, I don't know who they were angrier at, but… somehow they got the parents to stop coming around, and got the kids to play somewhere else. I didn't go out much after that, not until I could control myself..."

Weiss, solemnly, took the ball of bedsheets from Ruby, eyeing them as she thought to herself. The scent of coffee coming from it made her wince, and she slowly walked to the laundry basket, dropping it in. She stepped into the closet, and came out with a spare set, dropping them on Ruby's lap. "You are right, you _were_ stupid, but you were also just a kid." Weiss sighed, stroking the hair out of Ruby's face while watching her chin. "We all did stupid things as a kid. I said some _very_ stupid things on live camera because my dad wanted me to. I thought myself extra special, and infallible, and then, without warning, my entire family, my entire basis for my ego and personality, it all fell apart because my dad admitted the most selfish thing he could on my birthday." Weiss lifted herself onto Ruby's bed, and Ruby scrambled to get out of the way as her partner began to stretch the bedsheets from corner to corner. "All to make a _point._ Like he was _proud_ of how selfish he was. From that point on, I knew that _he_ didn't care about the Schnee family beyond what he could take from it, but I did. You and I both grew up, and we both decided we would stop being stupid kids and try to be better adults. And, of all people, I think Blake could be considered a 'better adult.'" Weiss shot Ruby a pointed look as Ruby tensed up.

"... It's… not that." Ruby murmured, causing Weiss to give an annoyed wheeze as she gestured for Ruby to slip off the bed. Weiss continued to make as Ruby kept going. "Weiss, this is everything I ever wanted, and then some! I'm at Beacon, I'm nearly a _hunter,_ closer than I could have ever been…! I-If… if I got kicked out, if the headmaster decided I couldn't be trusted to keep my own secrets—"

"Then your chance of being a hunter is gone." Weiss finished flatly, causing Ruby to nod in agreement. "... I understand." The heiress sighed, sitting at the edge of Ruby's bed, giving her a gentle look. "I still think it's utterly idiotic to not tell her, but either way, we don't know how it'll end. Either Blake accepts it or doesn't, or the headmaster accepts it or doesn't. Theoretically damned if we do, theoretically damned if we don't." Ruby nodded again, more slowly. "She'll have to find out eventually."

"No she doesn't…"

"Don't be stubborn, Ruby! She's our _teammate!"_ Weiss admonished, making Ruby's head and shoulders sink. Weiss lightened up, swinging her legs in idle thought. "Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but you'll _have_ to tell her eventually."

"..." Ruby simply settled onto Weiss's mattress, and sighed thickly into her hands.

* * *

Two young women walked down the Beacon passenger dock, leaning against each other with flirtatious smiles and arms around each other's hips. Yang strode confidently, wearing a strapless black dress that stopped just below her knees, a daring outfit whose risque nature was slightly dampened by a white, breezy jacket. She walked with familiar ease in a pair of heels, accentuating her already womanly hips and butt.

By her side, Roja, the pretty dark-skinned huntress Yang sat by in their Grimm Studies class, wore a beautiful, dark Vacuan red dress, which seemed to be composed of half a dozen strips of similar colored cloth that flowed off her arms and legs like ribbons. Though she was covered from neck to toe by the tight dress, the crossing cloth over her breasts made an open triangle to expose her belly. A single, gold-leaf wrap around her waist kept the outfit from simply opening up around her, and her hijab had been untangled, and worn around her neck as more of a scarf as the evening heat bore down on her. This exposed her short, almost boyish red hair. She walked barefoot, a pair of tight, uncomfortable heels in her free hand as Yang lead her back into the school.

"My padra told me that Vale was different from home, I thought he meant the landscape, not the _boldness_ of its women." Roja teased, though not without prompt, as Yang's finger slid under her dress to stroke her side. "Surely Vale cannot claim to be more free than Vacuo…"

Yang giggled, giving her date a wink. "Well _my_ padra always told me to never beat around the bush. Said girls like a little earnesty."

"You are definitely earnest, Yang." Roja giggled back, halting her step, Yang quickly doing the same to give the girl a curious look. "Hm… earnesty." She mused, looking at Yang, then up at the darkened giant that was Beacon Academy, its few lights more like unblinking eyes on the obscured structure, with the glowing eye of the CCT tower piercing through the night sky. "I imagine both of our dorm rooms will be occupied."

Whatever Yang had been thinking was quietly forgotten as the blonde gave her date a small, suspicious smile. "Probably. Did you have something in mind, _Mhi'a?"_

"If my recollection of Valewood movies are correct, it is a common pastime for dating teenagers to ' _make out.'"_ Roja looked the other way, as if she was giving a lecture as opposed to a suggestion.

"Li'l brat!" Yang teased, lightly pinching Roja's side. The noise Roja made left the girl blushing, and Yang cackling. "Don't play the 'cute foreigner' card with making out! If you wanna find some dark corner to lock lips for a while, you just gotta say it."

"Hmph!" Roja shrugged her shoulders, giving Yang an aggressive bump of her hip, followed by a small smirk. "Fine. Yang, I would like to reach 'second base' tonight."

"... Righteous." Yang purred as she lead the way.

Similar situations at Signal had given Yang a bit of a thing for the smell of old leather and paper. Low-lighting, plenty of obstacles and surfaces to hide behind, a certain kinkiness to abusing a public facility, Yang loved the thrill of dragging her new catch into the library.

Yang took Roja upstairs, where they were less likely to be seen, and it took little time for Yang to get physical. The Vacuan huntress sat at the edge of a table, Yang between her legs when their lips first connected. The experienced ladykiller she was, Yang had little trouble leaving the virgin girl whimpering for more.

The fun part about getting frisky in a library was telling her partner that she needed to be quiet, then riling her up so much that she _couldn't._ With Yang pushing her tongue into Roja's mouth, it was easy to keep their little escapade a secret, but Yang liked to find buttons to push. A quick trip down Roja's chin, her teeth softly grazing the sweet girl's neck, and Roja was announcing herself to the whole room.

Trembling fingers slid along Yang's spine, too weakened by Yang's bite to fight back as Yang's hands began to tug and loosen pieces of Roja's dress. The blushing Vacuan found herself bare-breasted as Yang poured over her shadowed torso with a hungry growl.

The moment devolved into mindless indulgence, seconds and minutes passing by without heed as the two girls melted into the other's embrace. Hands and lips travelled with impromptu whim, not a plan nor worry between the two of them. For one, it was night of exploring a new girl, a new dish, enjoying and comparing the feelings and flavors to the others she fondly remembered, and taking pride in being a fantastical first. For the other, it was a night of discovery, a host of feelings once explored alone, now shared with another, one she barely knew, but trusted with exhilaration.

And for the third, it was a surprising moment of embarrassment and annoyance, to be derailed with a hacking cough and a pair of squeaks and shocked exclamations.

"It's not what it looks like!"

"Pervert! Leave us—!"

Yang and Roja both looked over the blonde's shoulder in surprise and anger, though Yang's changed her tune when she saw who it was.

"Guess the date went well?" Blake asked in a dull voice, trying to not get distracted as she addressed the two.

"Whoa-ho, Blake, uh, you aren't stalking us, are you?" Yang whirled about. Blake gave her partner a flat look, then looked the other way so that Yang could tug her dress back up over her breasts in at least some privacy.

"Hardly." Blake lifted a book with a library sticker on it, making Yang give a nervous laugh. "I came to check out a book for the night, though I guess I get to check out a little more. I like the piercings, Roja."

"Th-thank you, Blake." Roja dressed her torso again, her face burning red as Blake let out a sigh.

"So, uh… guess we'll find somewhere more private. Sorry to bug ya, Blakey!" Yang shot her a grin and a pair of finger guns, which would have been more than enough reason for Blake to roll her eyes, make some smartass remark, and walk away, but her partner simply gave her a listless nod.

"You two have fun." Blake gave them a brief nod before turning on her heels to slump away. Not with the confident stride Yang knew, but more like Ruby in one of her bad moods: head hung low, small steps, something to her chest… Yang could sense something wrong immediately.

"So… where to?" Roja spoke up, smiling hopefully as she thrust her modest breasts out to Yang. Yang glanced to her date, then to her chest, and mulled her options in her head.

* * *

It may have been as cliche as cliche could get, but Blake needed something sappy and moody. Settling into a claustrophobic corner in the dark and quiet, with only a pen light to read by, Blake cracked open the book of to try and settle her nerves. It was filled with prosey passages about loneliness and betrayal. Just what she needed, to justify her own pain through the overwrought poetry.

She was a fool. For the first time in years she was having fun, relaxing, communicating with people without having to walk on eggshells in case she said something that 'undermined their vision.' She took their petty little bonding as something deeper. She was just another girl in Ruby's life, number whatever in who knew how many other girls Ruby had crushed on.

She was just an overly emotional little girl, who thought _her_ secrets were _so_ special, who put her dreams and desires above her friends because, god forbid she stopped being a hunter…

… Then what? Blake stared at the page in frustration, the words having lost their meaning as her mind wandered and refused to focus. Why was Ruby so set on being a hunter? What did losing that _mean_ to her?... She wouldn't be able to become the hero she wanted to be, and of the things Ruby revealed about herself, her desire to protect people stood out.

Even still, Blake felt… displaced. She'd had her place on the team, and she'd enjoyed it, but they hid their secrets and now… now Blake wasn't so sure of what to do. She wanted to be petty and hide her ears from them, but she knew, deep down, in the long run, that would get her in trouble. As if _Ruby_ couldn't either…

That one, gross, bloated vein Blake had seen… she wanted to forget it, she wanted to know more. How diseased _was_ Ruby? Blake's hopes of the girl being a secret Faunus was shattered, and she was angrier that she let herself get so hopeful over it than she was about Ruby being sick.

"... Idiot…" Blake muttered to herself, leaning her head against a bookshelf. Now she didn't know _what_ to do, and she felt all the dumber for it.

"I literally _just_ got here." An amused voice made Blake blink, and whisk her pen light up at the figure watching her. In her little black dress and white jacket, Yang closed the gap between herself and Blake, and the moodier girl recoiled, drawing her legs in tight. _Yang_ knew, Yang was keeping secrets too, she wasn't any help! She had to–

Blake bit down on her tongue to stop her thoughts from racing so quickly, and she forced herself to stare with a dull look in her eye, trying to not betray her heated feelings. However, she couldn't hide the paleness to her face, the way the edges of her lips tugged down as she tried to focus, and she knew that Yang wasn't about to fall for it. "Don't you have a date?" Blake asked gruffly.

"I did, but I decided I had more important things to do." Yang plopped down by Blake, and though the darker girl tried to make some space, Yang tossed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Blake blinked in surprise as she found herself pressed to Yang's side, head suddenly on her shoulder, and sucking up the blonde's immense warmth. She cringed, her skin crawling, her body clammy, but Yang's presence made those little, ugly tics stop. "Told her I needed to go see why my partner's acting so down. I figure I'll show her the bedroom ropes later; you're more important."

Blake's mouth opened partially, expecting a quip to come out, but her brain had come to a standstill. "... I am?" Blake shut her mouth, and looked down at her knees, a blush forming as Yang laughed and gently smacked Blake's shoulder. "... You're going to badger me until I tell you, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Yang grinned, making Blake chuckle softly. She didn't know if she should have been honest, Yang was far more protective of Ruby than anyone else, but Blake still burned to know, now more than ever. Ruby didn't trust her to know her secrets at the risk losing her dream… and Blake felt the same way. She sighed thickly, and grunted in annoyance when Yang bumped her with her shoulder repeatedly. "Badger badger badger badger!" Nudge nudge. " _Mushroom mushroom~!"_

"The hell are you on about?" Blake demanded, while Yang just smiled cheekily.

"Man, you really _didn't_ have the internet, huh? C'mon Blake, you know I'm gonna be a pain in your ass."

"Tsk, you'd have to take me out before I'd let that happen." Blake put on a smirk at Yang's curious grin.

"Ooooh, I'll keep _that_ in mind! But hey, more importantly. Bother!" Yang bumped Blake again, making the smaller girl wiggle in annoyance. "Bother bother! Blake~y, c'mon! Bother! Badger!" Yang was now poking her obstinate partner, who was grumbling, giggling, and squeaking. "Pokey poke, Blakey! What happeeeennnned?!"

" _Stoooooop!"_ Blake whined, pushing Yang's hands away, only for them to come right back to needling her belly and sides. "You are the _worst!_ Oh my god Yang you are— _eek!—so annoying!_ Just let me sulk!"

"No think-y! More tell-y!" Yang ordered, now digging her fingers into Blake's sides, making the girl give a shout of dismay and squirm in place, the book flying from her hands as she slapped at Yang's. " _HEY!"_ Yang suddenly shouted, and it came to a stop. Blake found her back to the wall, her face so close to Yang's that she could smell the cherry chapstick on her lips. Yang was leaning over her, her levity gone, her expression serious. "If you're having a problem, Blake, you can tell me."

Blake pressed her hands to Yang's shoulders, pushing just enough to sit up, getting out from underneath her partner with a glowing red blush. "M-my prob-problem is that y-you're getting frisky on me when you're supposed to be dating _another_ girl." Blake found her heart hammering, her face red as red could be. She'd completely forgotten what she was so sad over, her body was pumping with energy, but as she calmed down, and Yang sat up to stare at her, her confrontation with Ruby came swimming back. Her elation slowly dispersed, and she buried her chin into her chest. "... Ruby and I had a bit of a fight."

"You and _Ruby?"_ Yang responded in disbelief, and Blake shot her a quick glare. Yang's nose crinkled, she took a deep breath, and then she nodded. "Okay, you and Ruby had a fight. What about?"

Blake sighed, "Nothing."

"Did… either of you try to start something that I wouldn't approve of?" Yang asked sternly, and Blake shook her head again.

"I said it was nothing! It was a disagreement is all, over some… _team_ stuff. We're big girls, we can work it out between us."

"If it's an issue between team members, I think me 'n Weiss should know." Yang said flatly, making Blake wince. "We don't want it affecting team dynamic, there shouldn't be any secrets or spats between the four of us."

"... That's what I was trying to say…" Blake muttered under her breath, causing Yang to give her an odd look. "Look, it's… I just–I didn't–I _understand..."_ Blake ran out of steam, and she quietly thought to herself. An impulsive piece of her told her to tear her ribbon out of her hair and show herself, spill _everything,_ just give Yang _all_ the puzzle pieces and put them together for her… but she was scared. It wasn't easy to admit, but she was terrified. Yang seemed to like the Faunus, but to tell her teammate that she was a _terrorist?_ How could she show her ears and then just say 'oh, I didn't want to be judged' when so many other Faunus boldly displayed themselves? Because she was a coward. Hiding from her problems, hiding from suspicion, that's all it was… "... I asked to see Ruby's eyes."

"You did _what?!"_ Yang's voice rose, making Blake wince. Yang's eyes flashed a dangerous red, and for a moment, Blake felt endangered. She did not want Yang angry; she didn't expect her to get _this_ mad. Yang, however, quickly got control of herself, as the heat dissipated. "Okay, sorry, sorry, Ruby's condition—we're super protective of it. It can't be taken lightly, asking her to reveal herself—"

" _I know."_ Blake interrupted loudly, and sank back into her sitting position with a sigh. "I just asked. Maybe too much. I wanted to know, since _you_ know, and _Weiss_ knows, and… she was unhappy that I asked. She said no, I pushed, she said no, I pushed _harder,_ we had a bit of a fight…"

"... The headmaster said that she couldn't." Yang pointed out, and Blake grit her teeth until they began to grind.

" _I know._ I _know_ the headmaster said so, and I don't know _why!_ Everybody on our team and on the staff gets to know but _me,_ I don't want to hurt her! I just—I just…" Blake scratched her head, and let out a soft breath. "I want to feel trusted. I'm sick of feeling like I don't belong. You girls are the first time I ever felt like I had a place in the world, as the big B of team RWBY—stop smirking, I get it. We've been together a week and… I already don't want it to end." Blake breathed deeply, feeling her eyes blur, and swiftly wiping a hand across her cheeks.

"... You know we feel the same way." Yang slid closer, pressing her back to the same wall as Blake, touching shoulders as she addressed Blake. "You're special, y'know that?" Yang smiled, and Blake's nostrils briefly flared. "I've been around a ton of chicks in my life and you? You're pretty unique. There's so much I wanna know about you, so I get that you feel… _left out_ because we're all dancing around it, but we have a reason, y'know? We don't hate you, Blake."

"Will I _ever_ be allowed to know?" Blake asked softly, meeting Yang's eye. "I know it's probably not much, I know I shouldn't be _this_ worried, but I hate feeling out of the loop." And worse, the guilt of keeping them out of the loop was starting to catch up.

"Sure Blake. Can you trust us until then? Like, I don't know when she'll be comfortable showing you, but—"

"Maybe with the headmaster's permission?" Blake asked. Yang paused, considered it, and nodded.

"With his permission. But right now, respect Ruby's privacy. We'll try not to make a big deal out of it, okay?" Yang smiled.

Blake thought it over. It meant more time in the dark. She _hated_ it. She didn't know if she felt like playing by the rules, not when she was dying to tell them her own problems, but they wanted to play it safe. Maybe she should as well. "Okay…"

With a small nod, Yang stood, and offered Blake a hand. The beautiful blonde, still dressed to impressed, took Blake's hand and pulled, dragging her partner to her feet. "Let's head home, alright? You and Ruby should kiss and make up."

"Yeah." Blake replied airily. It was all excuses and biding time, but… fine.

* * *

Yang strode into the dorm room with a peachy smile, and Ruby tossed herself out of the chair, 'Cherry's Tail' still open on her desk. "Eeeeeee how was your date?!" Ruby threw herself into Yang's arms, getting a rub on the back of her neck for all her excitement.

" _Awesome,_ of course. You shoulda seen her, Ruby, it was a _big_ effort to not unwrap her right away." Yang wiggled her eyebrows, and got a smack to her hip.

"Ugh, just tell me how it _went,_ I don't need all the grody details." Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang, and Yang returned the little raspberry with gusto.

Weiss looked up from the room's second desk, watching the sisters curiously, but she looked past Yang at the girl hanging in the back. Blake leaned against the doorframe, looking lethargic and thoughtful. The little heiress considered bringing up the issue, but Yang loudly raised her voice.

"Okay! So…" Yang unwrapped Ruby from her torso, and spun around, dragging Ruby with her. Ruby found herself standing between Yang and Blake, the latter giving her a worried stare. Ruby stared back, then quickly looked down to her feet, her hand grasping Yang's for reassurance. "Look. The two of you can't pretend this'll just go away if you ignore it. Someday, you two are going to have to talk this out. Ruby's eyes are not up for debate, the goggles stay on until the headmaster gives the okay for them to come off. Let's not let this ruin our team, okay?"

Yang tried to smile wide, but both Ruby and Blake stayed quiet. Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her chair, watching the two girls look at everything in the room but each other. However, the first to break the silence was Blake, who gently cleared her throat.

"Ruby, I-..." Blake shifted her weight from one leg to the other, and Ruby looked up at her in apprehension, and Blake closed her eyes and let out a breath. "I'm sorry I was so pushy. I… I'm curious, but I know you aren't trying to hurt, or punish me. You're allowed to have your secrets, but… I hope you trust me. I'll have your back no matter what, but, it'd be silly to say that this is over with…"

"I know…" Ruby bobbed her head, looking up to Blake, her eyes hidden behind those irritating goggles, her expression only half-readable. It made Blake's heart sink, but she didn't let it get under her skin. "I don't wanna hurt you, or make you feel left out, but-but until I kn-know for s-sure…" Ruby touched the strap of her goggles, and Blake silently nodded.

"Yeah. I trust you…" Blake swallowed the lie thickly, her cat ears burning at the false reassurance. "I–until then, we can–I mean, we'll–"

"Heeeeey…" Yang spoke up, making the two girls glance her way curiously. "I have an idea. Nora'll want to go out tomorrow anyways, so why don't we spend the day in Vale?" Yang offered, trying to smile for each of them. "Tell you what, at some point, we can pair up, split up, and explore. Oh!" Yang grinned, an idea forming! "Weiss and I'll go to that wing place I told her about!"

"... We will?" Weiss blinked, surprised at her sudden inclusion. "I mean—" Weiss stood up, putting on a tight smile, "—we will! We'll go eat! And-and–"

"And you two can visit Ruby's favorite book store!" Yang offered with a confident pump of her arm, looking down at her meek little sister. "You two love to read, so why don't you go enjoy some nerd-stuff together? It'll be a great experience for all of us!"

"Absolutely!" Weiss bobbed her head dramatically, giving Ruby and Blake awkward smiles. "It shall be a perfect team bonding trip! Simple enjoyment of the simple pleasures in life with our non-partners! I have yet to have a simple, fun experience with Yang, and you two will get to divulge one another in your favorite reading experiences! Yes, all the–all of the Legogorns and Aralis and whatever stories you like!"

Weiss and Yang both tried to radiate complete confidence in the success of their plan, and Ruby turned her head away from the both of them to look up to Blake. Blake looked back, scuffing the carpet with her shoe in thought, and finally gave a small nod. "Sure. We can go find books." Blake nodded, her voice the slightest bit hopeful.

"Yeah. Okay." Ruby nodded.

" _Yes!_ Operation ' _Friends Again'_ is a go!" Yang announced dramatically.

* * *

Blake lay in bed, unable to sleep. Luck be with her, there was no class tomorrow, so sleeping in was an option, but she still wanted to shut her eyes and let the day be over with. She needed a reboot, but her mind couldn't stop wondering what lay behind Ruby's goggles, and whether or not her team even _deserved_ to know the truth about her past…

She was not a murderer, that was the one thing Blake could claim. She was never the one to draw blood. She could bluff, but she never dared to follow through. That didn't mean she wasn't guilty… trains derailed, buildings wrecked, vehicles destroyed, Dust stolen, food taken, farms looted, families starved… she had helped in all of those, all with the reassurance that she was not a murderer.

She merely helped them. Even if she never directly encouraged them, her actions had enabled them. She opened locked doors and let them take hostages, she'd stolen documents detailing the movements of mercantile goods, and she was told to 'not worry' about the humans involved. In much the same way a parent told their child that a dying pet was sent to a farm, Adam tried to preserve her innocence and trust by saying the humans were 'let go.'

But Blake knew better. She'd seen the corpses, the hastily dug graves, and eavesdropped on her compatriots talking about the missions. Blake squeezed her eyes shut… they had _bragged_. An innocent man, executed for the crime of not being a Faunus. He was just a simple truck driver, Blake could recall his well-groomed beard, his cheap glasses, his southern Vale accent as he pleaded for his life…

And, like a coward, she shut her mouth, let it happen, and walked away. She stayed with the Fang for a few months after that, and it kept happening. Not all the time, most humans were simply put at the edge of the forest to take a few mile hike to the next village, but some… the ones wearing the Schnee logo, they were fodder for the cause. Tinder to fuel the flames of spite and revenge.

And, like a coward, Blake kept her mouth shut, let it happen, and ignored it. She ignored it until the guilt weighed greater and greater on her, until she hastily formed a plan for escape. A simple two-man operation, a couple of robot guards, enough Dust to keep the camp lit up for another month or two… and it took one good cut to leave Adam behind, while Blake watched him disappear in the distance, while she ran away as fast as she could.

Blake pulled the blanket tighter around her neck, and let out a small, shuddering breath. She could pretend to be a normal, teenage huntress-to-be all she wanted, but the blood of her allies had long soaked into her palms, and here she was, unable to justify it even with the Schnee heiress just a couple of feet away.

How badly she wanted to tell them, to feel their anger and hatred and betrayal, all so she would have an excuse to leave and never get attached to three perfect, lovely people. It had only been a week. She didn't deserve their affection, in no way had she earned their friendship, much less their forgiveness. She craved to be comforted and told it was okay, it wasn't her fault, to have her mistakes washed away so she could start anew…

… but she was a big girl. She knew how the world worked. She deserved to be imprisoned, her throat cut, and tossed into an unmarked grave. That was how it worked for cowards, especially ones who denied their pasts.

Silently, she turned onto her side to stare across the room at Ruby's curtain. Her goggles hung on the hook, in view between one sheet and the next. The vein crossing Ruby's temple was in Blake's mind now. The girl had secrets, brazen, horrible, disgusting… but not of her own fault, so Blake assumed. Ruby could have been diseased, infectious, and horrific, but she was an innocent girl, her hands clean of innocent blood, whose trust Blake wished she deserved.

Blake closed her eyes, begging the darkness to take her, so she could run to her dreams, where she was safe from the reality of her nature, and the fears she held for her new friends.

Tomorrow would be another day to stay silent and pretend nothing was wrong.


	14. Doubt

"That's my girl! One more lap!" Taiyang called across school's track and field. Running between the rungs of a pair of rope ladders laid side-by-side, Ruby steadied her breaths and focused on the crawling pit ahead. "Perfect form Nikos, but don't let it get to your head!" His voice thundered after Pyrrha, who swung from monkey bar to monkey bar, with such efficiency the coach would call it textbook. "C'mon Yang, pick up your damn feet or your sister'll be ahead of you on the course _and_ in grades!"

" _I will punch your ass out your mouth, dad!"_ Yang roared before tackling a heavy, weighted dummy, only barely breaking stride as she shoved it thirty meters into the red zone.

"I would _love_ to see you try, sweetie! Arc, pack it up and come get some water!" Taiyang barked. At his words, Jaune collapsed onto his knees, sweat pouring off his body. He pulled himself on shaking limbs over to the coach, who slapped his back and in one hand gave him a water bottle, in the other Zwei's leash. The blonde screamed as he was dragged away by thirty pounds of fluff and love. "You're almost done Schnee, ten more meters!"

Weiss was close to collapsing each step as she used two ropes fashioned around her shoulders to drag a heavy tractor tire behind her. On her final step, she fell onto her front, suppressing the urge to vomit up her breakfast on her PE shirt.

When she opened her eyes again, a slightly damp, cool towel was dabbing her forehead, and she accepted the sip of cool water with great relish. She was laying on her back, her head resting on something that was paradoxically hard as a rock, but cushioned enough that her skull didn't ache. When her vision focused, she found herself looking up at the coach, who fixed her with a quizzical look.

"Ya did it. Good job, Weiss." He offered in a refreshing tone. No more _shouting,_ no excessive pride in her accomplishing basic physical training, she was pleased with water and a well done.

"Thanks… coach…" Weiss spoke through burning lungs and a tight larynx.

Pyrrha jogged up, panting loudly, arms and legs aching, and stared curiously at Weiss using the coach's lap as a cushion. She pouted, why weren't there any cute blondes offering _her_ a lap pillow?

"Finished up, Pyrrha?" Taiyang asked, holding out some water. Pyrrha took it and drank deep, using the chill to calm the heat in her chest and belly. She finally gave Tai a quick nod.

"Very satisfying, sir! I've spent a long time focusing on tournament training, this… _difficult simplicity,_ I shall call it, is quite refreshing." She bowed her head to him, earning a lopsided grin.

"Hey, I'm just glad it works for you, super star. Sit and relax, the hard part of the day is over." Taiyang lifted Weiss's head and folded the towel underneath her so she'd still have a pillow, and Pyrrha took a seat at Weiss's feet. Tai walked out to the course to continue encouraging and challenging his two daughters.

Saturday mornings were meant to be the start of a weekend of fun and zero responsibilities, but the Xiao Long household had apparently missed the memo. Though Tai was forgiving towards the other students, Ruby and Yang had no chance to relax. A sharp knock to their dormroom door let the sisters know that just because they were in a new home didn't mean old habits were going to die easily.

What had been surprising was Weiss joining them, with only a few muttered explanations that she wanted to improve herself, and was only trumped when they crossed paths with Pyrrha and a still-tired Jaune, looking to invite Ruby to some practicing, but joining in on the morning workout. Blake had decided to sleep in, to the surprise of no one.

"I di-id iiit…" Ruby announced tiredly, dragging her feet as she came to a stop before the bench. She collapsed onto her butt in front of it, and plopped her head onto Weiss's stomach. A lazy, weak fist landed on her forehead, and Weiss let out a groan.

"I am _not_ a pillow, idiot."

"Shaddup Weiss, ye're a pillow now…"

"This is harassment." Weiss grunted, but made no further attempts to escape.

Ruby grumbled. "You can take it up with my lawyer."

" _You_ have a lawyer?" Weiss asked in disbelief. Ruby pointed, and Weiss followed her finger to the panting, muscle-bound blonde heading their way. "... That's a good lawyer."

"Damn right I am." Yang grunted, her usual enthusiasm overtaken by exhaustion. She sat to Ruby's right, leaning her head against Weiss's thigh as she took a water bottle. Weiss protested with small kicks, until aggravated growls stopped her.

Zwei sped up to Ruby and Yang's available laps and laid across them both, yapping in excitement as they rubbed his back and belly. Jaune, still hanging onto the leash, finally relaxed and lay a few feet away from his friends.

Taiyang snorted. "You only get three of those outfits, Jaune, if I see any grass stains on your clothes next week, it's gonna be extra laps, you hear me?" He demanded. He got a silent thumbs up, and Jaune tried to flatten himself against the ground. "Ahem. Anywho, good hustle everyone, I know y'all love your Saturdays, but this is gonna be worth the pain. Pity nobody else wanted to join in."

"Gee, dad, I wonder why." Yang shot her father a sarcastic grin, and he rolled his eyes back.

"I-I thought it was a very nice workout! An appropriate way to keep in shape on the weekends!" Pyrrha beamed, looking up to the coach with a big, excited smile. Yang's expression was somewhere between annoyed and amused as the redhead very obviously squirmed in delight under Tai's smile.

"Y'all hit the showers. Unless, Yang, if you got it in you, wanna come box with your pop?"

"Gimme five and we can dust knuckles, dad." Yang smirked, and Taiyang smirked right back.

The other four teens tiredly got themselves to their feet to go clean up, Ruby letting Jaune and Weiss both lean on her for support, while Pyrrha took the leash and watched Zwei trundle ahead of them.

After a quick shower, the four settled in by the practice ring to watch Yang bob, weave, and fight her father in one of the most grueling hand-to-hand sparring sessions all but Ruby had ever seen. Most bare-fisted combat drew their roots and inspiration from Mistralian martial arts, the difficult accomplishment of turning one's body into a weapon in and of itself.

What the Xiao Longs practiced, however, was much cruder, showing little grace other than in the simplicity of their attacks. There was no flourish or grandeur; the two slugged, grappled, and at times even seemed to cheat. Pyrrha blinked when the elder blonde shoved his open palm into Yang's face, squeezing to blind and distract her a he drew in and hammered his knee into her aura'd ribs. Yang, in turn, grabbed his arm, rolled back to throw him over her body, and climbed onto his barrel-like chest to try and beat his face in.

It was a crass and curious form of street-brawling, one that Pyrrha noted would have probably thrown a few fighters off their game with how underhanded it could be. She quietly glanced to Ruby, who was absentmindedly grooming Zwei's behind as Weiss clung to the other half of the dog to coo over, and grew amused at the disparity between her and her sister.

"Are you sure we won't be able to practice together?" Ruby asked in a sad pout, and Jaune gave a small, apologetic nod.

"Afraid this was all the time we had for today. We're hitting the books pretty much right after this." He scrubbed his boyish blonde hair with one hand, and let out a sigh. "Ren's like—I mean, you can barely tell because it's _Ren,_ but he's mad. I don't wanna make it worse or encourage Nora to slack off."

Weiss huffed out loud, lifting her chin to avoid the stench of doggy breath as Zwei licked her. "While I am in agreement that a team should work together to bring about good results, _one's_ failure shouldn't punish the rest."

"Nora is new to the way Beacon operates. Ren's adaptability has served him well, but Nora needs… encouragement." Pyrrha stated plainly, though by her tone and expression, she wasn't thrilled by the prospect. "We need to offer ourselves as friends and teammates."

"Yeah, and it's not like _she's_ happy. She's pretty worked up about not getting to go out. I kinda wanna head back and see if she's gotten out of bed yet, I'm gonna see if I can do _something_ to help…" Jaune compressed his lips in frustration. Not at Nora, but but at his own perceived failings.

"Well…" Ruby silently thought about the situation.

* * *

Ruby stared up into Ren's pink eyes, and was immediately disquieted by the boy's open annoyance. Ren's controlled emotions meant that, even at his happiest, it was only a small quirk of his lips that let his friends know he was in a good mood. Today, he was frowning, and the edges of his eyes had tightened the instant he saw Ruby's face. Though he dressed casually, in a comfy, women's turtleneck and worn jeans, his body language was anything but relaxed.

However, his bad mood passed with a sigh, and he regarded Ruby with an acknowledging nod. "Good morning Ruby, I trust you know that we're busy today?" Ruby was dressed as inoffensively as possible, in an unzipped black zip-up hoodie, a white T-shirt covered in cracked and chipping bubble decals, and baggy blue sports shorts.

"Y-yeah. Are _you_ okay?" Ruby asked gently, squeezing her journals to her chest as Ren annoyedly flicked some hair out from his face. His lips tightened, he looked to Ruby's left, and he stepped out from his room, shutting the door behind him.

"I would be lying if I said no, so I will merely abstain."

"That… _still_ answered my question."

"That's the point." Ren crossed his arms over his chest, and he twitched as gentle fingers settled on his hand, offering a comforting squeeze. He eventually relented, accepting her hand. "I suppose I should ask you, then, are you okay? Nora and I aren't children, we'll make it past this."

"Oh, y-yeah, I know! I j-just- I thought I might–" Ruby drummed her fingers against her notebooks, then held them up to Ren. He eyed them for a moment, then her in question. "Th-these are my class notes. I wrote down everything I could, a-and all the sticky notes are stuff Weiss explained to me. Anything crossed out in red pen isn't important, s-so…" She trailed off as Ren took the notebooks and opened one up to the first page.

His brow raised. Ruby's handwriting wasn't immaculate, but it was legible, and the lessons were recorded almost word-for-word. The first page alone had three sticky notes, abridging some of the information while extrapolating on the rest. Leafing through the notebook, it was immediately clear that Ruby poured her mind into the journal exhaustively, in a manner that almost seemed completely crazy… but the young huntress _had_ made second in their grade.

He took the stack of notebooks and then opened his room's door. He beckoned Ruby with a small motion of his head, and walked inside. Ruby went after him curiously.

In contrast to her room, team JNPR kept the standard four-bed setup, which made space a little tighter, but also a little less ramshackle. Ruby awkwardly waved to the rest of team JNPR as they huddled around one desk. Jaune and Pyrrha waved back, books and notes in their laps, while Nora sat between them. As opposed to the usual bundle of energy she was, Nora was almost completely still, watching the floor with a dull stare, the book on her lap open, but forgotten while she crossed her arms over her chest. She even dressed for her mood, wearing the baggiest, rattiest pull-over Ruby had ever seen, as well as what looked like scavenged maternity pants.

"Nora." Ren spoke calmly as he approached her, and sat in the chair situated right in front of his girlfriend. Nora looked up at him with a sad expression and big, green eyes, making Ren's lips purse. "Ruby brought you some studying material. It's her notes." He held Ruby's notebooks out to Nora.

The downtrodden redhead looked at the books quietly, regarding them with a mixture of ambivalence and annoyance, then took them. They were wordlessly dropped onto a stack of books and papers by her side, and she let out a sigh, going back to staring at the floor, or Ren's knees in this case.

Ren's lips twitched, and he tilted his head towards Ruby. "Be sure to thank her, Nora." His calm tone could not hide his growing annoyance, and Ruby silently rubbed her arm as Nora gave her a quick glance and a muddled thank you.

Ren and Ruby both watched her to see if she did anything else, and when it became apparent that Nora had resigned herself to an unhealthy bout of feeling sorry for herself, Ren leaned back and grew a flat expression. His fingers began to drum his leg in a way Ruby hadn't seen before, and she looked between the two lovers carefully.

Since Ruby had met them, she had found Nora and Ren to be nearly inseparable. They snuck affectionate gestures to each other all the time, and Ruby had, on several occasions, seen them sit through lectures, hand in hand, writing with their opposite hands. Lunches and dinner with JNPR always involved the two feeding each other to varying degrees of sappy grossness, and Ruby had nearly crashed in on the two of them holding a very heart-to-heart 'I love you more!' argument on the balcony.

It had gone on for at least _two minutes_ before they went for the kiss. The two were a textbook fairytale romance, but also teenagers, so it was a complex mixture of adorable and gag-worthy that gave Ruby the hope she would one day find somebody to be that stupid with.

This was not that relationship moment, however. Nora was tired, ornery, and more than either of those, sad. She had every reason to be disappointed in herself, since two of their classes were basically gimmes and she had managed to bomb her other three tests to an irreparable degree. Ruby had been terrified she'd be in this exact same position, but having Weiss as a partner held some particularly strong benefits.

Ruby touched her fingertips together in idle thought, and felt a hand on her upper arm. Jaune leaned towards her and whispered, "Just go, don't worry, we got this. Have a good weekend!" He gave her a small smile and a little wave, and Ruby let out a breath.

There it was, the pass to relieve her of any duty in the matter. She now had a guilt-free out to just get back to her room and enjoy the rest of the Saturday without worry.

Ruby hunched her shoulders, let out a breath, and shook her head. She walked over to Ren and gently touched his shoulder, drawing a look. "I'ma try something, okay?" She offered. He stared up into her goggles thoughtfully, trying to read something that wasn't there, then nodded his head. With his blessing, Ruby turned and bowed to Nora, getting face to face with her. The fiery redhead looked up to her with an expression silently demanding her space, and Ruby pointed to the door. "Nora, you wanna come get ice cream with me?"

Nora blinked twice, her expression turning confused, perhaps a bit hopeful, but then she deflated and grunted angrily. "Yeah, no, I gotta _study,_ besides, it's early so sweets are bad for my blah blah _blah._ Sorry." Nora looked to a corner of the room nobody was standing in to brood.

"She is correct, we should be taking our time to–"

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea." Jaune cut Ren off. Ren looked to Jaune sharply.

"Jaune…" Ren spoke in calm warning, his eyes a bubblegum pink threat if he harmed his girlfriend's academics any further, but Jaune was looking at Ruby.

Nora looked between her boyfriend and her team leader, as was Pyrrha, and Jaune's expression asked Ruby to take her chance very seriously. "Nora, go with Ruby. You'll both be back here in one hour, okay? We'll try and work up a lesson plan in that time."

" _Jaune."_ Ren said more sternly, his eyes narrowing as Nora hesitantly stood up, not sure who to obey. Ren and Jaune met eyes, and something unspoken passed between them. After a few tense seconds, Ren looked to Ruby, then to Nora, back to Jaune, nodded, and to Nora once more. "Very well. Go ahead." He finally relented, sounding less than pleased. He was not a gambling man, but even he knew risks sometimes had to be taken.

"Are you sure?" Nora asked hesitantly.

"Yes, very." Ren lied, gesturing to Ruby. "Go ahead, enjoy. But as Jaune said, be back within an hour."

"O-okay." Nora stood up straight, setting her books aside carefully to not anger her lover, and she went over to Ruby's side. With a confident smile, Ruby took the lead out of the room, and Pyrrha glanced over at Jaune suspiciously.

"I suspect there is more to this than simple ice cream and lesson plans?" Pyrrha asked wearily. Jaune stood, grabbing Ruby's notebooks and leafing through them quickly.

He didn't look Pyrrha's way as he handed them to Ren and put a foot on his chair, leaning over it in a classical thinking man's pose. "Let Ruby do her thing." Was all he said on the matter. "Pyrrha, Ren, let's get something together!"

* * *

Ruby squeaked and held onto the two packaged ice cream sandwiches as tightly as possible as her vision was suddenly obscured by two pieces of flying clothing. She stumbled, wavered, and finally got her foot down, tossing the clothing onto the ground in time to see Nora rolling down the grassy gnoll, all the while yelling in excitement. At the very bottom, she splayed out on her back, wearing a well-worn black sports bra and matching boys briefs.

Ruby bit her bottom lip. Nora was about as close to near-nudity as she could be near the school, and it was a stark reminder of how wild she was at heart. Ruby imagined Nora would have few issues rolling about in nature in the buff, but since they were still within a good mile of the school, she was being conscious.

" _This_ is what I wanted this weekend!" Nora pointed up at the clear blue sky, soaking in the sun as her healthy breasts heaved with each breath. As well-muscled as she was, Nora was like Yang, just slightly smaller than her in every aspect. Except height. Yang dominated in height. "Not stupid- _stupid tests rrrrrrraaaggghhhhh!"_ Nora growled in frustration, rolling onto her side and curling into a stressed ball.

Ruby slide-stepped down the hill, falling onto her rump on the last step and coasting down to Nora's level. With a teasing grin, she pressed the cool ice cream wrapper to Nora's tailbone, making the redhead squirm and kick and make more angry noises until she grabbed the package of out Ruby's hands. She sat up, sitting side-by-side with Ruby, and tore open the package with her teeth like a ravenous wolf.

"Oh my god the sugar gimme gimme _gimme."_ Nora bit into her ice cream sandwich as Ruby watched with a small grin, and began to open up her bar. "Hey!" Nora spoke through a mouthful of sweets, pointing at Ruby's bar. "You betta get started on that, 'cause if I'm done and you ain't, it's _mine."_

" _Jeez_ you're riled up today." Ruby huffed, taking her first bite. The cold was nice on this warm Spring day, and she stared off at the forest as she bit into her treat again. By her side, Nora chowed down on her ice cream, and as she warned, the moment she was done, she was grappling with Ruby over the remainders of the second. "Augh! N-Nora, noooo, it's _mine!_ I p-paid for 'em b-both!"

"Survival of the fittest, baby!" Nora exclaimed, blindly grabbing for Ruby's furthest arm, Ruby's other hand pushing her away by the cheek and making her domineering grasps for food look more like desperate flailing. "Your hand cream is _awesome_ by the way!"

"Why—eek!—thank you!" Ruby hastily stuffed the rest of her ice cream in her mouth, chewing with huge, circular motions of her jaw as Nora spilled across her lap suddenly, sat up, and stared Ruby in the lens. Ruby's cheeks puffed up, and she nervously swallowed as Nora watched.

The redhead sniffed. " _Rude."_ She stated, then slid back to Ruby's side, and laid out on her back to stare at the sky again. Even with her energy and aggression, Nora's mind seemed far away. Not in the same way Weiss could be, when she was in study mode, nor in the way Blake could, when she was wrapped up in a book, but like Yang could, not really thinking, but not really present either. They were both women of the here and the now, and going too far ahead in their thoughts was an annoyance.

In many ways, Nora was happy to ignore the subtleties and implications of life and social interactions. Her childhood up to this point had been her roughing it, living off scraps and what she hunted, things like philosophy, history, and chemistry hadn't been useful to her. As long as she had a cute boy telling her what to do and what needed to die, she was happy.

As long as she could avoid starvation, fear, and getting hurt, her life was pretty solid. Meals could be scarce, but she knew how to go to bed hungry. The wilds could be dangerous, but she knew how to weather a storm. The Grimm could be overwhelming, but she knew she was never alone.

That was life to her, simple. Ren's bright idea of going to Beacon seemed odd to her, after they'd spent so much time getting by without civilization or school, but Ren talked about having friends, having a room, having meals, getting an education, it had made his face light up in a way that made Nora think the same.

And, for all intents and purposes, he had been right. The cafeteria was _way_ better than spending all day hunting, Jaune and Pyrrha were both delights to tease and chat with, the beds were soft and warm, and she never had to worry about how hot, cold, dry, or wet it would be when she woke up. The education stuff… it just didn't click.

"Hey, girlfriend?" Nora looked Ruby's way. Ruby had been watching the forest, but quickly retrained her attention, looking to Nora curiously. It was weird that Nora was getting used to reading _Ruby's_ face, Ren at least had eyes to work with. "Why'dja bring me out here?"

"Oh, uh…" Ruby looked back at the forest, and rolled her shoulders in that little 'I dunno' way she did. "I thought it'd be nice to clear our heads. I have a bit of a w-weird day ahead of me, s-so… I thought, m-maybe you'd wanna come out here too." Ruby tried a smile, but it was obviously fake. One did not court with Ren without knowing how to read expressions well.

"Blegh. Aren't you and your team going to _Vale?_ You can pick us up a movie at least." Nora grumbled, closing her eyes. She lifted a foot, raising her leg high in the air above her. Ruby watched, embarrassed as that fully exposed, thick leg waved idly by her side. It was totally aimless, and Nora laid it down to do the same with her other leg, probably enjoying the way it made her flex. "Okay, so, what's the real reason then? No way Ren would have said yes unless you had some super-special way to teach me."

"W-well… I kinda don't." Ruby admitted as Nora raised both her legs above her head, balancing on her upper back and shoulders in a manner like a child, just beginning to explore the limits of their bodies. "I just… studied. Weiss and I would sit down and go over notes, she'd always wanna do quizzes and stuff, all of the extra bookwork–"

" _Boring!"_ Nora rolled on her side away from Ruby, showing off her well-toned back, but curling up in a bratty way. Ruby sighed. "Ren wanted to do all that, but you know how hard it is to focus on this crap? I don't care."

"I th-think that's it." Ruby looked away from Nora, reprieving the older girl of her stare as she thought out loud. "I think you have to care. I-I'm not saying you have to care as m-much as me, or Weiss, or Ren, but to at least p- _pass–"_

"So I can become a hunter?" Nora grunted, then unwound herself, stretching on her side in a way that would be provocative if Ruby allowed herself to stare. "I can swing Magnhild just as well without a license, and without knowing all this… _stuff."_

"B-but, with a license, you can get jobs and get money! A-and fame, and all sorts of discounts and travelling rights and agency–"

"Ruby, I literally walked across Mistral with Ren with a tin can full of lien to get a boat to Vale." Nora's tone was dripping with exasperation. "We could have lived our whole lives in the wilds, built a shack or something, but… Ren wanted more. I thought we were enough, but he disagreed."

"So, _Ren_ wants to be a hunter." Ruby stated, and Nora rolled onto her other side, looking at Ruby from her place on the ground.

"Yeah." Nora answered, then her eyes drifted away as she thought. "See, Ren and I came from different worlds when we were kids. We're both orphans, we got nothin' to go back to, if we're kicked out, it's back into the woods with us, but while I was just a streetrat grabbing scraps out of dumpsters, Ren grew up with his family in a place called Kuroyuri."

"... He lived in a town called Black Lesbians?"

Nora blinked. "What?! No! It's like, a flower or something! What?!"

"Nothing!" Ruby blushed.

Nora rolled her eyes, and continued. "Anywho, he had a mom who loved him, a dad who protected him and gave him weird life lessons, when we first met, we were a world away from each other." Nora's tone fell in a way that Ruby didn't like. "I spent every day getting brushed aside and glared at because I made a living on stealing. I was used to having nothing, while Ren had everything. Then…" Nora swallowed thickly. "I mean, you can probably guess, it's the same thing that happens to every town that gets a little too peaceful…"

"Grimm." Ruby spoke the word at a low simmer, and her fist tightened at her side.

"Yeah. A big one, and all the little ones it brought. Ren…" Nora sighed thickly. "Ren lost everything. He got me out of town, saved my life, and suddenly, I had something that mattered, while he lost everything he cared about. We joined a scavenger caravan that came by a few days later, and Ren stuck by my side that whole time. Y'know… y'know, I can't remember a single day that man wasn't holding my hand, even when we'd just met. Like, I spent ten years alone, and spent every day of the last seven feeling him by my side, in my hand, or up my–"

" _N-Nora!"_

"Sorry. Ren… he was never happy. Like, not super _super_ happy, he got pretty peachy keen whenever we got together, but he was always wanting. I think, like, losing his family and his home left a hole in his heart." Nora rolled onto her back, breathing deeply as she, for once, looked thoughtful. "I do everything I can to try and fill him up, but that man…" She smiled. "He wants to kick some ass. Only reason we spent so long in the wilds is because he felt he wouldn't become strong enough to fight unless he toughened up, so we spent years by ourselves, and he became that sexy beast he is today."

Ruby stared down at her feet. At some point, she'd curled her knees to her chin, simply listening. If she had, at any point in her life, lost her father, her uncle, or her sister, she knew she'd be left wanting too. Revenge, redemption… her mind drifted to Summer Rose, the woman whose smile dominated her memories, whose muffled voice sang to her in the back of her mind. What sort of girl would she be if her mother was still here?... Ruby didn't know, and trying to imagine it scared her, and left her with a-... a hole.

"Ren wants to be a hunter, and I'm his girlfriend, so I'm here with him. I just…" Nora stretched out. "I just don't care about this class stuff."

"Well…" Ruby shook herself out of her thoughts. "Well, Nora, what do _you_ want?" She looked to the redhead by her side, and Nora shrugged.

"I dunno. I don't care." Nora hummed, then shrieked, shooting up as a pair of fingers dug into her side and pinched. " _Bitch!_ Ow! Why?! I let my aura down and _this_ is what I get?! Mean!" Nora huffed, while Ruby simply frowned. Nora stopped griping and squirming, looking to Ruby with a surprised look. "You, uh, look kind of intense."

"... Because you're _dumb."_ Ruby smacked Nora's upper arm, making her jump and regret not activating her aura immediately.

"I _know,_ that's why I'm _failing,_ Ruby." Nora snarked, and got _another_ smack for her trouble. "Stop!"

"No!" Ruby snapped, making Nora flinch. "N-Nora Valkyrie, how do you _not know_ what you _want?!"_

"I never really thought of it before, jeez, stop hitting me!" Nora stroked her arm. For such a little push-over, Ruby could slap a Beowolf into submission…

"Then _think!"_ Ruby ordered, grabbing Nora by her bruised upper arm to pull her closer. "What do you _want?!"_

"J-jeez, I dunno! Where's this-"

" _WHAT. Do you. Want?!"_ Ruby demanded again, slower, angrier. Nora began to wilt, her jaw trembling.

"U-uh, um, I w-want Ren. To be happy. To l-love me?!"

"What else?!" Ruby demanded, and Nora silently squirmed in distress.

"A-a house. A _big_ house, big kitchen, and a chef!" Nora babbled, drawing from her innermost fantasies of her perfect future. "A-and I want Ren to propose to me wearing just a ribbon on his head! _Just_ the ribbon! I want to be his wife! And I wanna still hit stuff! I _really_ like the way Grimm heads just _crack_ when you smash 'em, so I wanna keep doing that! B-but I want- I want-... I want a _home."_ Nora finally stated, no longer trembling. Ruby's grip loosened, and Nora sagged, letting out a sigh. "I'm so _sick_ of living in tents! I finally have a bed, and a warm room, and a bunch of friends _who are also assholes who keep hitting me."_ Ruby offered no apologies. "I want Ren to fill me with babies and I want a place to put those babies and raise them into little shitwreckers. I want a family that doesn't go through what Ren and I did, and-and when everything sucks and hurts and I'm sick of it all, I want a place to go back to where everything'll be better…"

Nora crossed her arms over her chest, and pulled up her knees, and Ruby silently, consolingly put an arm around her shoulders. "Okay. So you want to stay here, and you want to have a big place when you're older with Ren, right?"

"Yeah…" Nora nodded slowly. "Yeah, I mean, it's dumb and it's simple, but I don't care about leaving a lasting mark. As long as I can keep Ren and hit stuff, I got nothing to worry about. Just… I wish I was smart enough to do all this crap." Nora admitted, giving a deep, angry sigh. "Ren taught me to read, Ren taught me math, Ren taught me a _buncha_ basic stuff, but it's _always_ been tough as hell for me. I can't–"

"Stop." Ruby raised a finger, and Nora looked her way. "Don't say ' _I can't.'"_

"But I _can't,_ Ruby, jeez! Sorry I ever thought you were a freakin' doormat, you're a little bitch today!" Nora snorted, and sank back into her knees, her expression lowering as Ruby sidled up closer.

"You can." Ruby whispered under her breath.

"Bullshit." Nora grunted. "I'm good for hitting stuff and making Ren happy, and that's fine."

"No it's not."

"What, like I'm trawling for your approval?! Lay off me, Ruby." Nora growled in frustration, and clenched up as gentle fingers drew her hair back, adjusting it and tugging out blades of grass. "We can stop pretending I have a chance here, so don't—so quit. I'll wait for Ren to graduate and we'll go hunting together, license or no license. I'm fine with that."

"He's not." Ruby pointed out, and Nora sniffed.

"No, he's not, but he's so _bull-headed_ sometimes, he thinks anything is possible. Growing stronger, getting to Beacon, passing initiation against a bunch of other students–"

"And was he wrong?"

"No." Nora conceded grumpily. "But this is different. I'm dumb, I hit things with a hammer, that's all. The tests weren't this hard before, initiation was as smash-and-grab as it could get, and growing strong, well…"

"Let me guess," Ruby began, "y-you'd wake up every morning thinking training was hard, and p-pointless. Everything hurt all the time, and n-no matter what you did, you never felt like you were getting any better." She watched as Nora's jaw twitched, but offered no rebuttal. "But somebody kept dragging you out of bed, saying you'll get better, saying it's not too much longer, and one day, you swung your hammer and saw something happen that made you t-think, 'I have a chance.'" Again, no argument. "So you kept at it. You kept at it until you realized you were f-fighting the monsters that destroyed homes, and towns, and ended lives, and you were just… _killing_ them. One, then two, t-then three, and they'd hit you, and it'd hurt, but then you killed them, and killed the next one, and when they were all dead, you realized you didn't hurt, and that you'd w- _won._ Not because you were lucky, but because you were _strong."_ Ruby's voice was growing thick with emotion, and Nora was still silent. "Do you think being smart is any different?"

Nora said nothing for a long while. She drew patterns in the grass with one finger, and closed her eyes. She sniffled loudly, and let it out. "It's… I mean, it's just such a long climb, isn't it? I don't know when I felt like I was getting strong, I just… _got_ there."

"And that's what it was like for me." Ruby spoke softly, rubbing Nora's back. "I didn't think I was even going to score t-top ten, but I did, and it's because I tried. I cared, and I worked _super_ hard, even though I was scared. S-sometimes, you just don't know if you did it right until you get to the very end. That's how fighting always feels for me. It's how getting into B-Beacon felt for me. Everything seems scary, and weird, and you kinda wanna throw up, but… then you're there, where you never thought you'd be." Ruby smiled, and Nora shot her a curious glance. "Don't you think you'd be happier if you were smart _and_ hit things with a hammer? Being smart's good for you."

Nora lowered her eyes to the ground.

Being smart was what Ren did. Nora admired Ren for his brain, and was okay with following him and Jaune because they were both smart. But… even Jaune had only barely passed. He was confident, and made the right call most of the time, but he was a little dumb. Ren and Pyrrha had both gotten into the top ten. Not her though, and not Jaune either, and everybody was okay with him.

Opening her scroll to check her grade, trying to keep it from Ren until he grew agitated enough to take it himself, that shame that hit her when he looked her way with in disappointment… she never wanted to feel that way again. The heartache left her feeling non-functional, escaping him with Ruby was the best she'd felt all day.

She never thought she could be smart, but… she once never thought she could be strong. Not until she looked up to Ren and saw his youthful, child's body growing muscle, pushing rocks, climbing trees, racing across the forest floor. She'd wanted to catch up to him, and prove that she could stand by his side back then.

She idly wondered if she really _was_ that cliche, being content with being in his good graces, but… he was her everything. He was what she wanted. He was what she would protect to the very end. Yes, she was that cliche, but… she couldn't stop here. He would grow stronger and smarter if she gave up, and would go far past her.

She couldn't deal with that. If he was the stick she measured herself by, she couldn't let him get so far she couldn't catch him. If it meant staying with Ren…

"... Oh _god…"_ Nora wheezed, lifting her head with a groan. "Fine. Freaking _fine,_ y'know what? I care all of a sudden. I don't get it, but I _care._ Damnit Ruby, you–" Nora glared at her friend, but only half-heartedly. Ruby's smile calmed her, and Nora felt the pain in her heart lift as she began to feel hopeful again.

No more feeling sorry for herself. If she wanted a big-ass house to fill with kids, she needed money. If she wanted to stick by Ren's side, she needed to be smarter. The path to being a hunter would give her both of those things if she _tried._

"... Thanks." Nora mumbled, and Ruby's smile grew. "So… where do I start?"

* * *

Team JNPR's dormroom door flew open and Nora strode in. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren glanced up to see her walk in with a serious expression on her face, arms swinging boldly as she stood before them, back in her baggy clothing.

"Okay!" She started loudly, making Ren flinch. "This weekend study hall stuff sucks! Make me smarter so I _never_ have to do it again!" She ordered.

Jaune let out a sigh of relief, and threw a thumbs up. "Can do! We think we got all the stuff together, so, just sit and we'll get started." Jaune looked past Nora's shoulder to see Ruby at the doorway, and mouthed 'thank you', earning a quick nod.

Ren watched his beloved drop into a chair, and, for once, seriously open up the book in front of her. Pyrrha leaned over the desk by her side, speaking calmly, explaining things to Nora as she read. Then… then his beloved picked up a pencil, and began to quickly scribble out some notes on a piece of paper, then ask a question, then write down the answer…

He blinked slowly, then looked Ruby's way. The goggled girl smiled at him, and though he did not smile back, he felt relief flood him. He owed that girl some pancakes… Silently, he slid his way out of the room, looking down at Ruby with a mixture of partially-open-eyed awe and curiosity. "What did you do?" He asked very gently, a little warmth in his voice.

"I-..." Ruby blushed in embarrassment, glancing into the room as Nora hunched over the desk, stretched, buried her face in the book, sat up, and read again. "I got her talking, and made her think about what she wanted, and used that to convince her studying would get her that."

"That must have taken some effort." Ren gave one of his little smiles-that-weren't-smiles, and watched his lover focus on the words in front of her, before shaking his head in disbelief. "She's not always easy to pry open."

Ruby's shoulders sank, and she gave a guilty smile. "I kinda made her…"

"Well, that's how you do it with her, whether she likes it or not." Ren nodded. He leaned back against the wall, revealing a monumental weakness in seeking support as he relaxed, his eyes closed. "I knew simply getting angry with her would solve nothing, but getting her to learn so many years ago was a struggle as well. Her motivations are… sporadic, in frustratingly predictable ways."

Ruby bobbed her head in understanding, and fell into silence as a question mulled in her head. She knew it would be intrusive, but at the same time, she wanted to hear the honest answer from him. "Ren, what do you want?" She asked. The question seemed to catch him off guard, as he quickly looked to her in question. "Like, out of life."

He lifted his chin in thought. Nora had said he wanted to be a hunter to get revenge and protect other children from the tragedy he had suffered, but Ruby was genuinely curious. He looked down at her when he had an answer that satisfied him. "A family. As big a family as I can have." He closed his eyes. "And somewhere safe. That would make me happy. Though, that is selfish, I want for Nora as well."

"She's a good girl. Just… out there."

"Mm. Yes, she's a strange one." He confirmed, his eyes roaming Nora's expression as Jaune read to her. "But when she has her heart set on something, she will upturn mountains until she gets it. Whether it be getting to Vale, the strength to succeed, or me." The way he looked at her, Ruby could tell Ren treasured that about her.

* * *

When Ruby returned to her room, she was greeted by Yang wearing her weekend best, as well as a desperate glare. "Ruby! Are we going out or what?! Get in the shower and let's _goooo!"_ Yang was shaking her little sister under her armpits, making the smaller girl squawk in distress.

"I-sorry-I-had-to-Noorrrraaaahhh-stooooop!" Ruby spun her arms like a windmill to try and break free, but Yang wasn't having any of it.

Yang tossed her into the closet, sending the girl stumbling. "Pick something out and wash up, Ruby! Blake's gonna be out any minute now and you two have a _date!"_

"It's not a _date!"_ Ruby cried, then turned and froze in place. A figure she hadn't noticed before stared at her. "... Yang there's a _boy in our closet!"_ Ruby's voice rose in a mortified shriek, arms covering her breasts, despite being fully dressed.

"I am _not_ a boy!" Weiss corrected in a furious tone. Ruby was roughly shoved out of the way, the heiress storming out with a grumpy expression. She was wearing one of Yang's thick, wool-lined leather bomber jackets, a white T, loose capris, and a big newsboy's cap to hide all of her glorious white hair, leaving her looking very plain and near-indistinguishable from a ruffian a few years her junior.

Ruby poked her head out to stare as Weiss gave Yang a dirty look, the blonde examining the boy's clothes with her thumb and forefinger stroking her jaw. "Hmm, y'know, you don't look half bad in this, Weiss."

"I look like a hooligan." Weiss grouched. If it weren't for the distinctly feminine slope of her face and neck, Weiss could have easily passed further scrutiny, but when one's eyes lingered a little too long… "Why not just hand me a baseball bat to complete the ensemble?" Weiss snorted.

"Aww, you'd look ready to bust the city up!" Yang cooed at the thought, drawing a disgusted roll of Weiss's eyes. "Okay, now, just like we practiced…" Yang nodded encouragingly.

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh, and almost forced her hands to pull off her hips and sink into her jacket pockets. She hunched, her legs spread in a mannish way. Weiss sighed more deeply as Yang nodded encouragingly. "Yo…" She all but groaned the word in annoyance. "B-basket o' _seven,_ Atlesian _S-spice,_ make 'em _hawt,_ _boss."_

Weiss planted her face into her hands, hiding her shame as Ruby and Yang both collapsed against the closest wall, laughing so loudly that Blake poked her head out the bathroom door in confusion. "... Dare I ask?" Blake glanced at Weiss.

" _Please_ don't…" Weiss pleaded.

Ruby pulled herself back up to her feet, took one look at Weiss smoldering, and nearly doubled over laughing again. Yang buried her face into her arms on one of the desks, managing to silence herself, but she couldn't stop shivering in mirth.

The bathroom door opened, and Blake walked out with a small, tired smile, a pair of bags underneath her eyes. Weiss's embarrassment was forgotten as Blake strutted her stuff in pair of black dress trousers, a deep purple bra lifted and shaped her ample, creamy bust, with a white, unbuttoned dress top fluttering off her shoulders. "I dunno, you got me all curious."

Weiss's blush grew, and she pinched the bridge of her nose to stop looking at Blake's trim belly as she buttoned up her shirt. "Yang and I will be going to a small, but supposedly-authentic Faunus wing restaurant while you and Ruby are out."

"Uh huh…"

"It is my duty to ensure that I am not visible in locations that may damage the Schnee name." Weiss planted her hands on her hips, glancing to the floor in a slight mixture of worry and shame. "This… _dive_ is not exactly a five-star restaurant, and is apparently a popular locale for Faunus who may or may not have extreme views that may or may not clash with Schnee family ideals."

"... So you dressed like a boy because you don't wanna be seen scoffing at the trough with a bunch of animals?" Blake asked pointedly, and Yang's giggling turned into a hacking cough of surprise. Weiss almost jumped at the barbed accusation.

"W-wha- no! I mean yes! No! I-it's not that _I-_ I-I'm sure they're p-perfectly fine pr-proprietors of their business, b-but if some tabloid-"

"Kidding, Weiss." Blake waved a hand, dismissing the accusation with a sudden, calm smile and a pinch to the flushed girl's cheek. "You're _so_ easy to rile up. I know your image is important, so lighten up."

Weiss puffed up her cheeks in frustration, forcibly loosening Blake's grip. "Pain in the..." Weiss devolved into grumbling as Blake simply smirked and began to gently tousle Weiss's clothing, ensuring it wasn't _too_ uniform. "Speaking of _pains…_ Ruby. Shower. Now." Weiss ordered, looking towards the closet.

Blake followed her eyes, and found herself blinking wearily at her young team leader. Ruby had simply been watching the scene, but now that she and Weiss were watching each other, her form shriveled, her shoulders shrank, and she quietly looked for Blake's reaction. Blake contemplated Ruby quietly, her smile replaced with an unreadable stare.

Ruby knew Blake was probably looking at her goggles, thinking, imagining, wondering… and Ruby silently pushed down the bubble of guilt expanding in her tummy. She had a goal here. She couldn't stray, as much as she wanted to. She slunk into the closet to tug at her shirts and pants, digging through the meddlesome murk in her head to try and find something resembling a reasonable outfit before she hit the showers.

Blake watched Ruby meekly slink into the showers holding fresh clothing. Her yellow eyes stared intently at the black strap surrounding the girl's head, a disappointed curiosity filling her. The girl's words stuck with her, her loud, shocking demand, and Blake's eyes lowered. The secretive little thing still hand a fantastic tushy, and Blake somewhat regret not taking advantage of their reading session to explore it…

Blake's jaw tightened, she squeezed her eyes shut, and she reminded herself that things couldn't stay this way. She would figure something out, but the sting of Ruby's rejection still hurt. She was not trusted. She was not in the need-to-know basis, even if she technically ranked the same as Weiss and Yang.

Sure she wasn't Ruby's partner, sure she wasn't Ruby's _sister…_ but surely she deserved all the same? Blake angrily remembered first meeting the girl, the curiosity the little human had sparked in her, so sweet, so innocent, so socially awkward and adorably curious about a stranger's reading habits. She'd seemed… she'd seemed a kindred soul, lonely and nervous with where she was, but rather than ball up in a corner as far away from people as she could be, Ruby had made a bold step in getting to know a stranger.

Blake thought she might have been bluffing, having lost interest after the school's first-year sleepover, but she thought that, surely, anyone who was on Weiss Schnee's bad side was somebody to get to know. How foolish to think that, now that Weiss was a friend, and Ruby was… Blake's jaw jut out, and she sighed. She didn't know what Ruby was. Blake wanted to like her, and adore her, but she'd lost faith.

Maybe her reasoning was solid and Blake was being selfish, but Blake still ached.

Blake felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to Yang with a dull, curious stare. Yang had a gentle frown, evaluating Blake carefully. "You two are gonna be cool, right?" Yang asked, Weiss tilting her head as she listened in.

"If you're asking if I'm going to try and get her goggles off, the answer's no." Blake sighed despondently, which got a frustrated grunt from Yang. "I won't ask either. You all made it _very_ clear that's off-limits." Blake couldn't hide _all_ of the bitterness in her voice, but if Yang caught it, she didn't call it out.

"Yeah. Look, whatever you may think is going on, it's not like Ruby's any different with them off. It's for her own protection. She's a good girl." Yang assured her, and Blake simply nodded, unsure what to think.

"I know." She finally responded. "I'll keep that in mind."

When Ruby reemerged, it was in a striped, flattering, frilled blouse and dark jeans, but she kept her Orion the hunter hoodie. She ran her fingers through her hair, let out a soft sigh, and glanced up to her team. Weiss had been strumming at her guitar in silent thought, but was now beginning to stand and walk over to her guitar case, while Yang jumped to her feet and stretched. "Finally! Alright girls, let's have ourselves some food and fun!" She ordered.

Blake slid off her bunk onto her feet, looking Ruby's way. Their eyes met—not that Blake could tell, much to her annoyance—and no matter how much she assured herself that it was fine, she couldn't belay her disappointment. However, when Ruby looked down with palpable regret and fear, Blake sighed. As much as she simmered, as much as her fears grew, Ruby wasn't unlikable.

Whereas Adam had slowly transformed from a warm, brave revolutionary into a spiteful, cold-hearted misanthrope, Ruby's cowardice and secretiveness did not replace the personality Blake had warmed up to. Silently, she moved to stand before Ruby, the whole room going quiet as she sized her young leader up.

She closed her eyes. Perhaps this would one day be something she could look back at and laugh, once she knew the truth. Until then, Blake could only cling to her hopes that she would be let in, and soon.

Ruby tugged the front of her shirt in idle distress as Blake stepped to the side and turned to face the door. Taking a deep breath, Blake offered her elbow. Ruby blinked, looking at Blake's arm, then to her face. Nervously, she slid a hand underneath Blake's arm, hooking onto the crook as Blake relaxed.

"Shall we?" The black-haired beauty asked, putting on a smile.

"Y-yeah. Yeah." Ruby bobbed her head, following Blake's lead to the door. Weiss and Yang glanced to each other, crossed their fingers in symbolic hope at each other, and followed.

* * *

"C'mon dude, it's a _shortcut!"_

"It's a dark and disgusting alleyway, and _don't_ call me ' _dude.'"_ Weiss growled, staring down the shadowed path between two buildings.

"Hey, _you_ don't want me calling you by your name." Yang reminded her, arms crossed under her breasts. In her low-cut tank top and hip-hugging shorts, Yang seemed to be _demanding_ attention, and Weiss turned away with a blushing ' _humph!'_ "And It's just a short walk in some back alleys, what's to be afraid of? You have _me_ to protect you!"

"From _filth_ and _grime_ and discarded _trash_ and probably used druggie needles…?!" Weiss ranted. Yang just sighed and took Weiss by shoulder.

"You know you're wearing mostly _mine_ and _Ruby's_ clothes? Those are probably better protection than the tissue-thin dresses you usually wear." Yang pointed out, while Weiss pouted further.

"They are _not_ tissue thin." She grunted. "That aside, how often do you find yourself in alleyways to know them as 'shortcuts?'"

Yang shrugged her shoulders, casually leaning against the wall as she waited for Weiss to stop waffling. "Hey, I had my 'bad kid' phase, and if at least one good thing came outta it, it was learning how to get from point A to point B in record time."

Weiss's eyebrows knit together in frustration, and she tugged her hat lower in a weak attempt to guard her worry. "Fine. But no lingering, I don't want to associate with the lowlife riffraff these places seem to attract."

"It's _just_ a shortcut, Weiss. Besides, I came prepared." Yang lifted her wrists, showing off the burning yellow braces that, with a quick surge of aura, could grow into her beloved Ember Celica. Weiss walked as close to Yang as possible, hanging to the left of her rear to keep an eye on things while affirming her comfort by the blonde's side.

"Are you _expecting_ a fight?" Weiss asked cautiously, her voice too low for a passerby to catch her distinctive timbre.

"Nah, not really." Yang replied as they hung a right, down the next alley. "Vale's got this huge interwoven alleyway schtick due to some building space ordinance. During the day, it's usually pretty safe—you might run into a pair of bums sixty-nineing or something, but—I'm _kidding,_ Weiss, stop turning so green. Anywho, it's usually safe, but that crimewave has me worried. I made sure Ruby packed Crescent Rose into her bag just in case."

Weiss's hand slid under Yang's arm, and Yang slowed her step. She could feel the girl's nervousness by her side, so she let her hang on as they walked through the back alleys. The sun may have been bright up above, but the tall, vacant walls were covered in shadow and tagged with street art whose quality varied from ' _indecipherable scribbles'_ to ' _somebody spent far too long on something that will get power-washed away but is still indecipherable.'_ The two passed by a mound of garbage bags, a straying foot brushed one, and the shift sent an old, dirty tin can clattering across Weiss's booted feet, making her peep in fright, and scooch to Yang's other side. "Yang, this is scaring me, can we please go streetside?" Weiss asked in a tight voice.

Yang gave her a small smile. "Sure Weiss, we're most of the way through anyways, it'll just be a few more minutes on the sidewalk."

The two hung another left and came to a halt.

Four men crowded around a fifth, pressing him to one of the walls of the narrow path. The fifth man had a thin layer of fur up and down his forearms and legs, and his face was swollen and cracked. The other four had a mixture of arrogant smirks and offended scowls, the largest of them holding the Faunus man's shirt by the collar, his other fist raised back threateningly.

"No, wait! Please!..." The Faunus begged through some missing teeth. He raised his hands to cover his face, but two of the men grabbed his arms, pulling them out straight.

"You got the nerve to come selling this _animal shit_ on a corner where my kids can see it?" The one hanging back asked in an ominous snarl. The Faunus shivered as the brute held up a White Fang 'Who Are We?' pamphlet. "I got a little girl back home wanting to know why people want to hurt you throw rugs; she ain't old enough to understand this shit!"

"I-it's just a job!" The Faunus insisted, "Please! Please, I-I just pass out pamphlets where they tell me to, it's not even that bad! It-It's just about the oppression-" His head, and words, were blown back by a sharp jab that left him reeling, and he leaned forward, blood dripping from his mouth, a pained groan escaping him.

"Yang?" Weiss whispered, clamping down on the blonde's arm as she felt it tighten. "Yang, le-let's just go, we're not- _please,_ we can't—" Weiss gasped as her grip was broken by a quick, furious tug. Yang silently strode forward, and Weiss felt her stomach quiver as she caught a glimpse of her friend's expression.

The Faunus pitched forward, hacking in pain as one of the men slugged his stomach once, then twice. The man drew back, shaking his hand out, then tightened his fist again, only to pause at a voice. "Hey." Yang sounded calm. Weiss assumed that was a good thing, until she remembered the way her arm had bulged. "I'm giving you your one chance." Yang continued, stopping within easy talking distance. "The four of you—the humans—y'all can drop everything and walk out right now, and save yourself a couple of broken bones until the next time we cross paths. Just put the man down, put your hands in your pockets, and walk away."

The offer hung in the air, the four men staring at her in silence, the Faunus man giving her a pleading look. Weiss's hands nervously wrestled together in front of her stomach. They looked like big men, and Yang was easily outnumbered…

"This doesn't concern you, goldie!" The man in the back shouted at her, holding up the Fang pamphlet. "This piece of shit is hawking his terrorist crap onto my kids! You wanna _defend_ that?!"

"No." Yang answered. The stillness in her tone was steadily disappearing, and Weiss began to silently countdown to when this confrontation would turned violent. "I wanna defend _him._ Offer's still out there." Yang offered with a simple raise of her hand.

The four men looked to each other, and then turned to the short, bulky one among them. "Just go hold her down 'til we're done here, if she makes a stink, give her a good whack." The pamphlet-waving man ordered. With a roll of his shoulders, the short one started towards Yang, his expression and body language reeking of a masculine self-confidence.

Weiss was nearing one. She would have to intervene, if Yang got hurt…

… Wait, this was _Yang_ she was talking about. Unless these four men were trained combatants…

"C'mere missy, lemme escort you a few alleys down." The man grabbed Yang's arm. Yang did not react, simply giving him a furious look. He pulled, but she didn't move, and the man grit his teeth. "Listen gorgeous, this is an _adult_ matter, so let's-" He pulled, and with it, her arm swung out. The blow caught him by surprise, his left clavicle made an unhealthy ' _crunch,'_ and a gasp of pain escaped him. "G-goddamnit!" He grabbed the spot she struck, wincing as every move of his arm sent needles of pain through his shoulder. "Shit, that _hurt!"_

The other three men looked to each other, and then to Yang. They began to move towards her as the first thug raised his still good arm and swung. Weiss recoiled as his knuckles buried into her cheek, her aura not up… and Yang did not move, simply staring the man in the eye. "Time's up." She stated, almost serenely.

"Wha-?" The question never fully left his lips, as the wind was suddenly hammered out of his lungs when a fist lodged itself into his upper gut. A loud wheeze escaped him, his feet lifted from the ground, his companions faltering as they watched him go limp like a cut puppet, and Yang tossed him to the ground with barely a ' _harumph.'_

Yang stepped around him, her arms swinging steadily as she locked eyes with the other three men. She briefly glanced to the Faunus, now crumpled on his knees, then back to the other three men. They should have run, Weiss almost wanted to _beg_ them to, but no, men and their petty _egos…_ she grit her teeth in fear as one whipped out a telescopic baton, another pulling out a plain pistol. "Alright, missy…" One snarled. "You got three seconds to fuck off, or we'll leave you worse than your _pet_ over—"

His jaw hitched back into his skull by a quick punch, tossing him back as the crinkle of splintering bone left Weiss with caterpillars in her stomach. Yang whipped her head to face the man with the gun, and merely looked annoyed as the barrel pressed against her temple. The wielder's elbow suddenly cracked and bent inwards, a shrill scream escaping the man as the gun clattered on the floor. His eyes went white as a lunging knee suddenly tried to force his balls up into his pelvis, and a fierce jab to the forehead sent him to the floor.

The ringleader, the man with the baton, hesitated for a second too long. When he pulled his arm back across his neck for a backhanded swing, a single hand pushed on his elbow, keeping his arm in place. Yang marched forward, her furious lilac eyes boring into his as she pushed him back, step by step, until they were standing by the Faunus man. The thuggish man stared at her, his eyes quivering in fright, and Yang gently leaned into him.

"Your little girl, how old is she?" She asked very softly. Weiss suddenly feared for the man's life, and she took a few uneasy steps forward, her eyes quivering as she watched her teammate threaten him.

"F-four! She's four! Oh god, she's only four! I can't-" The man babbled, but Yang's hiss shut him up.

"When you get home and she races to the door to meet you, isn't it the greatest feeling in the world?" Yang asked, somehow more terrifying than if she was screaming in his face. The man simply shivered. "Doesn't it feel good to have her look up to you, and imitate you, because she thinks you're the most amazing person alive?"

"... Y-... You have a-...?" The man could barely speak as he simply stared in shock.

"All _you_ need to know is that your little girl is the only reason I'm not sending you back to her in a _stretcher."_ Yang grit her teeth, her nose wrinkled with anger as the man dropped the baton in submissive fright. "Are you proud of yourself right now?! Is this how you _want her to see you?!"_ Weiss was wrong, it somehow got _scarier_ when Yang shouted. "You're a _fucking thug!_ You and your stupid, racist buddies are no better than the guys busting up Dust shops for protection money! It would be a _damn shame_ if the pedestal she put you on _shattered,_ right?!"

"I-... no- no god, please, j-just- he-"

Yang raised a fist, the man went limp, only barely holding himself on his toes as Yang pressed him to the wall. Her voice fell back to a low growl as her fist hovered threateningly behind her."Do me two favors and piss off and _never let me see you again._ If I catch you doing anything worse than minding your own goddamned business, I'll be happy to remind you how Beacon-trained bitches fix society."

The man's eyes suddenly focused, his jaw fell, and a single, quivering word escaped his mouth, "H-huntress…?"

Without warning, he was dropped. He fell to his hands and knees, and a single glance up to the still-seething Yang was all the motivation he needed to scramble over to his buddies and try to rouse them. Weiss glanced to the men lying on the floor, broken and in pain, and then to Yang.

The heiress felt her heart hammering in her breast. She took her first breath in what felt like a long time as her teammate knelt by their hairy victim, calmly speaking to him and checking his injuries. It was one of the most terrifying things Weiss had ever seen. The Yang she knew was quick to anger, quick to calm, and had no problem deploying violence against meatheads, but this wasn't a school spat they were dealing with. This had been a _real_ criminal issue.

Weiss unsteadily walked between the four human men, and then quickly made her way to Yang's side. She knelt down by her, her fingers shaking as she looked up to Yang. Yang gave her a very calm look. Calm did not fit Yang, and somehow… somehow Weiss felt admiration for that calmness. It was frightening, but it had allowed Yang to spare a man…

"Help me lay him out, okay? We need to call an ambulance." Yang spoke evenly as she lifted the Faunus by the arms. Weiss scrambled to grab his feet, and they carefully laid him on his back.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" The man kept muttering, eyes blurry and cheek unnaturally puffed up. Weiss didn't want to speak, her throat felt swollen with adrenaline.

"Hey!" A new voice rang out. Yang stood immediately, turning to face whoever stepped into the alleyway. A refrigerator of a man, tall and built like a dock worker, with a short chinstrap beard, whose uncovered arms revealed he was shaggier than the man on the ground. However, when his massive fingers uncurled, he revealed rows of sharp, black claws. "Who the hell are you?! Get away from him!" He ordered, quickly striding towards Yang.

In an instant, Yang's aura fired up, and the man slowed his walk, but his scowl darkened. "Sir…" Yang began calmly. "This man here is suffering from a couple of facial contusions and maybe a concussion. We need to call an ambulance."

"An _ambulance?_ And trust him to some human doctors? Hell no, I'll call the White Fang's medical division." He looked over Yang as he popped his scroll out of his pocket, then at Weiss. Weiss looked up from the beaten Faunus's feet, her eyes meeting the big bear Faunus's. Whoever he was, he paused in place, eyeing Weiss suspiciously, then shook his head and typed in his phone. "Who're those guys?" The man demanded, gesturing to the four men retreating slowly into the alley.

"Nobodies." Yang answered, and the man growled.

"Did _they_ do this?!" He demanded in a loud voice, making Weiss and the four men flinch.

"They've been dealt with. Call your medics." Yang ordered, and the man lowered his scroll.

"Girl, if they did this-"

" _They_ have been _dealt with."_ Yang's voice lowered further, and she stared the man in the eye. Weiss could only imagine the sort of look she gave him to make him falter, but she bet it was one Ruby wouldn't like. "Call your medics."

The Faunus hesitated for a second, then lifted his scroll to his face. "We got a victim in an alleyway on Minster, lotsa bruises and possible concussion, think we're between the burger place and Shifty's. Uh huh. Bring a truck. Nobody I know, but I dunno if anybody'll recognize him like this. Not _that_ bad, but I wouldn't pass around pictures. Nah, whoever did this was dealt with… Humans, actually, two of 'em. Yeah, yeah, world's changing, hurry down here." He ended the call and looked up to Yang with a hard stare, but it softened as he moved around her to kneel by the wounded man. "White Fang ain't exactly been popular around these parts lately, we got a lot of booth clerks and brochure guys getting attacked."

"The White Fang _has_ been pretty rowdy, one of your groups tipped a food truck heading to Dayson town last night." Yang remarked, kneeling down next to him. The big man groaned.

"Yeah, that's what happens when the main group decides to dice itself up into a buncha splinter factions because _somebody_ isn't happy selling bracelets." The man muttered and spat in annoyance. "Hard enough trying to run a branch in Vale and convince people we're peaceful."

"No kidding." Yang playfully punched the guy's shoulder, and offered a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't glare like that, your buddy's going to be okay."

"Yeah. Yeah…" The Faunus man shook his head, quietly thinking as Weiss carefully edged herself to the opposite wall. "Name's Kramer, by the way." He turned to Yang, and offered a massive hand. "Humans ain't my favorite thing, but I'll respect anybody who sticks their neck out for us."

Yang slapped her palm into his, underhanded style, and the two had a brief squeezing contest that left them both grinning. "Hey, as long as you aren't being an asshole, you're good in my book. I'm Yang, by the way, this is... _White."_ Yang jerked a thumb back towards Weiss, who buried her face into her hands.

"Hell, if _everyone_ had that attitude, we could go back to just parades and rallies." Kramer smirked, plopping onto his ass. Yang joined him with an idle grin, and Weiss quietly frowned. Well, her appetite could wait, she supposed, this man needed help…

… And Weiss had done nothing to help him. A wince crossed her face as she stared over the Faunus laying on the floor, currently drifting in and out of consciousness from the pain. Her first instinct had been to turn around and ignore what she'd seen, the complete opposite of Yang. Her survival instincts told her this didn't concern her, and yet, she could feel the guilt of her initial decision in her belly.

But, he _was_ a White Fang member, _both_ of these hairy men were. Weiss suspiciously glanced from Kramer to the victim. Two members of an organization that had made her family's life more difficult, more perilous, and more stressful than it should have been. Between their violent dedication to interrupting their business and their vicious smear campaign, Weiss's father had his nerves frayed and his patience cut short, and it wasn't the White Fang to suffer as a result of his anger.

She'd lost friends and family to these people, and she almost felt regretful that Yang had defended this man, but she had to swallow the bile forming in the back of her throat. They weren't _all_ bad, or so Blake claimed. Some were just pamphlet dealers… Kramer, she didn't know about.

Weiss sighed. Maybe she'd be less twisted up into knots if she had actually stuck her neck out like Yang had. Next time… next time she couldn't back down just because she was uncomfortable. She fought _monsters_ for a living, her goal in life was to protect humanity and bring it to the next step in its technological evolution, and with the humans, the Faunus would come too.

Even if some of them were her claimed enemies, she couldn't merely exclude them. Yang didn't, and _Ruby_ certainly wouldn't, so Weiss closed her eyes. White Fang or not, she would have to grant them the benefit of the doubt and protect them. That was what a hunter did, even at their own expense. It's what her grandfather would have done.

Weiss breathed deep and tried to settle her feelings as a large, unmarked, windowless van pulled up at the end of the alleyway, and from the back, two women bearing animal ears stepped out with a stretcher. Kramer, Weiss, and Yang backed away as they checked over the man curiously, pulled him onto the stretcher, and took him back to the van. A third Faunus, a rather handsome man with a thick wolf's tail, took a statement from Kramer and Yang, then was gone.

Like that, the three of them were alone in the alleyway, the problem solved, the weak defended, the violence suppressed… it was a moment of victory, even if it left Weiss feeling conflicted.

"So what're you two doing in the back alleys this time a' day?" Kramer planted his back against a wall, digging his thumbs into his pockets while giving Yang a curious look. Weiss lowered her head to hide her eyes behind her cap while Yang took a casual stance by Weiss with a smile.

"Just taking a shortcut, dude. I was going to show my friend to Pops', the little wi–"

"–wing place on the corner?!" Kramer straightened up, leaning forward with a broad smile, the rough edges of his face brightening up immediately when Yang gave a small laugh, then a nod. "I love that place! We hold meetings there all the time! Aww man, we should totally- I mean I really want to go- ugh, I have a package to deli- a-but-but- screw it." Kramer grunted as Yang raised an amused eyebrow at him. "The White Fang ain't a charity, but we look out for our own, and we look out for the humans who help us out. Why don't I treat you two?" He offered, putting on a friendly, lopsided smile.

Yang glanced to Weiss, who glanced back to her. Weiss's stomach stirred uncomfortably. This place was apparently popular among the White Fang, and Weiss had a deep, sinking feeling about the prospect of walking into one of _their_ joints. Before Yang could respond, Weiss tugged the blonde's arm to go a little further down the alleyway to talk.

Weiss spoke to Yang in a low whisper, "I am _not_ going anywhere with a member of the _White Fang."_

"Eh?" Yang blinked down at her. She glanced over her shoulder at Kramer, who was watching them curiously, then back down to Weiss. "C'mon Weiss, he seems nice. A little rough maybe, and spending way too much time checking out my butt, but nice. Besides, the food's delicious, and it's not like it's one of their secret hideouts or anything. It's just a restaurant! He's probably just a courier or something, don't tell me you're afraid of a mailman."

Weiss let out a small, uncomfortable growl, then squinted in thought. "Yang, you know _exactly_ who I am, if this man figured out who I was–"

"Then he'd know you pitched in to help one of his buddies." Yang interrupted, clutching Weiss's hip defensively. "He owes us, no way he'd try anything after we helped out another member." Yang waited until Weiss was looking up at her with a small, apprehensive frown, then smiled, squeezing her hip. "Hey, trust me, I've chatted with some White Fang people before. They can be a bit self-righteous, but they're honorable if you get on their good side."

"... Yang, I-" Weiss cleared her throat. "I hardly lifted a finger in helping that man."

"But he doesn't know that, and it's not like you hurt the guy." Yang smiled comfortingly, and Weiss dipped her eyes down to the floor. "C'mon Weiss, Pops' is a great place. Nobody'll bother you, and if anyone gets rowdy, I'll give 'em the old Yang one-two." Yang raised a courageous fist, and Weiss let out a small, uncomfortable breath.

"I-" Weiss's belly rumbled, and she blushed. Exercise had taken its toll on her, and she was ravenous right now. Ever since Yang had suggested it last night, the promise of one of her naughtiest guilty pleasures hung about her belly, slowly tightening and tightening as she just imagined the taste… "Fine. _Fine._ But- but don't you _dare_ leave me alone, okay?" Weiss grabbed Yang's arm, squeezing in worry. Yang chuckled softly. "If you go to the bathroom, I'm going with you, I'm not being left alone in there."

"You're _such_ a worry wart." Yang bumped Weiss with her hip, the smaller girl clutching tighter in embarrassment. "I'm not gonna leave you, I promise."

"... Okay." Weiss said after a few moments of thought. They were _just_ going to eat. Her disguise was on-point, they had no illicit intentions, and neither did the Fang member before them. Eat, enjoy, leave. Weiss sucked in a deep breath. "Lead the way."

At that, the two turned, but Weiss didn't let go of Yang's arm. Yang was safe, and warm, and Weiss needed that comfort if she was going to walk into the proverbial lion's den. Maybe she truly _was_ just being paranoid.

"Yo Kramer, we've decided to accept your generous offer!" Yang strode forward with Weiss by her side, and Kramer's smile widened.

"Awesome! And I thought today was gonna be a disappointment. C'mon, I'll take point." The massive man turned on his heels and walked to the alleyway entrance, the two girls following behind him. "Y'all know anything about Pops?" He asked as they turned down the sidewalk. Back by the street, in the open air, with regular citizens passing by, and cars frequently on the road, Weiss felt her gut unclench, and the rumble became more ominous. Maybe she'd be a little gluttonous today. She _had_ run one of Coach Tai's courses…

"Yep!" Yang called up as Kramer glanced over his shoulder. "He was a miner in the SDC, he got his cooking chops started by opening a food stall after work. Said it was some of the best times of his life."

Weiss watched the storefronts as they passed by, making note of the little printing shop they passed by, as well as the antiques store. Most of Atlas's stores were focused in large shopping malls and inside buildings of business, but Nicholas' Street was a major tourist attraction thanks to its streetside stores, which often had to shut down early during heavy blizzards.

Kramer continued the conversation, "If you want a bit of a fun story, you should ask him about the time the White Fang held a rally at the mines he was working at. Mates 'n I had a good laugh over that one, though we were hitting the bottle that night, so…"

Yang just laughed, "I'll be sure to ask him. What do you do for the Fang, Kramer?" She tilted her head, and Weiss looked up, straining her ears to listen.

"Odd jobs, mostly." Kramer answered with a casual shrug. "Running deliveries, placing and picking up orders, sometimes I'm protection for one of the higher-ups, though they've had me down at the docks a lot lately managing cargo for the other continent's factions."

"Sounds rough, what sorta goods do you trade between each other?"

"The usual: documents, food, clothing, handmade goods to be traded, _lots_ of Dust." At that, Weiss felt her hand ball into a small fist. "The Atlas group has been making a splash in Mantle lately, so they're trying to set up a division there. Fire and lightning are needed for the engines and heaters."

"And for their attacks, I imagine…" Weiss muttered under her breath, getting a sharp look from Yang, and a quick elbow to her side to remind her of her manners.

"Sounds pretty safe to me!" Yang responded, while Weiss silently glared.

The three of them stopped at the corner of a three-way intersection and turned right, around an aged, wooden building that stood isolated from nearby shops, and Kramer almost immediately came to a stop. He beckoned the two girls with one hand, and Yang hungrily smacked her lips as the smells hit them: frying chicken fat, spices galore, and savory herbs. Weiss's grumpiness was temporarily forgotten as they stood before an open door, underneath a sign: ' _Pops' Wings & Things.'_

Weiss glanced around, noting they weren't in a particularly busy section of the city. There were people and cars, but little parking other than on the side of the road, and people mostly seemed in a hurry, but a young Faunus couple ducked into the building before them, and a steady chatter came through the open door.

Out of the way, not in a popular place, but the smell was tantalizing. Weiss kept her eyes opened wide as they stepped inside, exiting concrete walkways onto a creaky wooden floor. The wide interior was cramped with numerous wooden park tables and benches to serve as seats, while the metal counter and til took up the left side of the building. Rows of friers could be seen behind the husky shop owner, and drink machines were placed all along the back.

Kramer called out to some apparent friends at one of the long, wooden tables and went over to shake hands, slap backs, and laugh along with the fanged, clawed, tailed, and eared individuals. The smell was stronger inside, and the sound of friers hissing and popping reached Weiss's ears. The lighting was low—not romantic, but comfortable—and the walls were full of pictures of various foodstuffs, inbetween posters of Faunus unity and White Fang memorabilia from the first chieftain's era.

Yang dragged Weiss past the rows of tables to the simple counter, where an enormous man stood. "Hey Pops!" Yang called, waving her free arm as Weiss clung to the other, staring around at the two dozen Faunus packing the tables. Nobody was looking at her for longer than a curious second. The tall, broad man behind the counter planted his hands on his hips and grinned, his lips peeling back to reveal a row of sharpened teeth that made Weiss flinch.

"Well if it ain't the li'l blonde buttkicker!" Pops proclaimed, leaning towards them both with an analytical stare. He wasn't just big, or husky, he was enormously fat, with drooping cheeks and a big, round body, though his arms were hairless, and his graying hair was trapped in a hairnet. He peered over his thick glasses and pursed his lips. "And a new friend I see, a boy at that. Why's it seem like you come in with a new lover every time I see you, blondie?"

Weiss's cheeks burned red and she looked down at the counter, reading the menu as Yang guffawed. "Not this one, Pops, sh- he's just a friend. On the shy side though, so don't put h-him on the spot, alright?"

The big lard of a man just chuckled merrily, and nodded. "Fine, fine. Oh!" One of his big hands slapped down on the countertop, making Weiss tense for a second, before he pushed the menu towards Yang with an excited grin. "I think I got somethin' you'll like. You were tellin' me the Vacuan Mango Hot was bad a month ago or so, yeah?"

"I'd have gotten more of a kick licking a packaged habanero wrapper, Pops." Yang grinned cheekily, and the big man leaned forward conspiratorially, his glasses sliding down his thick nose.

"Well I took that to heart, ya little critic! Took a week-long trip to Vacuo at the end of last year and let wifey handle the shop as I explored some of the old Fang stomping grounds in the deserts." He pointed to a framed banner on the wall, a defaced SDCV flag where numerous pro-Faunus messages had been painted on the empty space, or over the original text. Weiss gulped. "Got my hands on an original call-to-arms, but just as important, bumped into an old wingmaster still plying his trade in town."

"Ooooh, _oh,_ okay, I've already heard enough!" Yang bounced in place, quickly glancing down at the menu. "I want sixteen wings, but I want at least one of each of the new flavors, however you can divvy it out. Kramer's buying." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and their hairy escort glanced up from the table he was chatting at and tossed a thumbs up.

" _All_ the new flavors? Oh, blondie, workin' this old man to the bone! How about you, sir?" Pops looked Weiss's way. Weiss tore her eyes away from the graffiti'd banner on the wall to look up at Pops, and she twitched as his eyes immediately took in her face. He tilted his head to the side, but simply waited for her response.

"A-ahem… err, y-yo." Weiss began, trying to lower her voice as the big man quickly glanced Yang's way, then back to her. "S-seven- um, actually, m-make it eleven! I-I want eleven…" She looked over the menu, blinking rapidly as she took in the assortment of sauces. "... Twelve…" Her brow knit, her nose crinkled, and Yang nudged her. " _I'm thinking…_ A-ah! T-twelve total… yo. Six Atlesian Spice, extra hot, and six Sweet Mistral. M-make 'em _hawt,_ Pops." Weiss managed to utter out. Yang went tight as a spring by her side, trying to not laugh at the poor, put-upon heiress's expense.

"Six Atlesian Spice, six Sweet Mistral?" Pops repeated, writing on a small paper pad.

"Yes please." Weiss nodded, looking down at the menu one more time. Her eyes caught something in particular, and she looked to Yang with a girlish gasp, making the Blonde nearly jump in alarm. "They have _onion rings!"_ She whispered in excitement, her disguised voice temporarily forgotten.

"Y-yeah man, they do." Yang tried to nudge Weiss's voice back to normal.

"Onion rings, please!" Weiss looked up to Pops excitedly. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then a little smile crossed his face.

"Of course, missy." Pops simply nodded, and Yang slowly rubbed her face. "We'll have your order out real soon. Y'all grab yourself some mugs, refills are free. Kramer!" Pops suddenly barked. "If you're payin', get up here!" He waved, and the big bear Faunus strode up to the two girls.

"You know I'm good for it, Pops, don't get testy!" He joked, pulling out a small stack of lien cards. Kramer nodded to the two girls, pointing down the counter. "Go get your drinks, I got this handled."

Yang guided Weiss by the arm to the end of the counter, where clean, plastic bar mugs were placed upside down on a white towel. Yang grabbed the closest one, while Weiss took a minute to carefully inspect the inside of each one, before settling on one that seemed the most spotless.

After inspecting the soda machine and juice dispensers, Yang took a seat at a table furthest from the door with a sugar cane soda, while Weiss settled down uncomfortably with a sparkling grapefruit juice. "Ugh, this jacket is so _hot."_ Weiss adjusted her clothing with a small grumble, sipping at her drink as she repeatedly glanced around at the other patrons.

"You can probably take it off, unless people can tell who you are by your shoulders." A quirky smile crossed Yang's face as Weiss considered for a moment.

"I'll handle it." She finally sighed. "Lack of class aside, this place isn't as grimy as I thought it would be." Weiss hummed as she ran a finger along the smooth tabletop, then rubbed her fingertips together, noting the lack of dust.

Yang snorted. "Just because it's not upscale doesn't mean it's dirty. It's cheap, it's easy, it's delicious, they don't try to put on a high-class front; they know their customers."

"I _suppose."_ Weiss rolled her eyes, staring into her drink thoughtfully. "It's just very different from what I'm used to."

"So what _are_ you used to?" Yang asked, knowing a good conversation starter when she heard one.

"You ever see a movie with a bunch of upjumped rich sorts sitting around chewing on caviar with every meal?" Weiss asked in an annoyed tone. "Caviar's been vogue in Atlas for as long as I could remember. Caviar caviar _caviar,_ every event I went to had _caviar._ Caviar on _chips,_ caviar on _toast,_ caviar on _pâté,_ caviar on _sushi,_ and do you know what _every host asked me_ after the greeting?"

"' _Have you tried the caviar?'"_ Yang imitated dryly, and Weiss threw her hands up.

"'Have I _tried_ the caviar?!' Yes! _Yes,_ I tried the caviar! I've tried every kind of caviar there has ever been! Did you know it's impolite to turn down caviar in Atlas?!" Weiss asked in a low growl, making Yang purse her lips in confusion.

"... Really?"

"Because it's _expensive!"_ Weiss buried her head in her hands. "It's _fish eggs,_ Yang! It should be easier to catch than a fish, yet, _somehow,_ it's more expensive than Atlesian pike! It's _all_ awful!"

"Really?" Yang perked up, watching Weiss gripe in amusement. "They actually had caviar at Signal's graduation banquet, and it was actually pretty good on pita chips. I mean, I was more into the pizza, but my plate always had some caviar on it."

"Then I would have gladly traded my taste buds with yours at birth." Weiss pursed her lips and blew a rude noise, drawing a giggle from Yang. "I actually ordered my chefs to _not_ prepare caviar for my seventeenth birthday. I had to convince my father that I wasn't ' _insulting our guests' expectations'_ by telling him I was throwing a themed party."

"I tried to do the same with my dad until he figured out that a 'Mistral-themed birthday party' would give me an excuse to get liquored up on sake at sixteen." Yang snickered, and Weiss thought about it for a second, then joined in. "So what was your theme then?"

"Valean Bayou." Weiss spoke with a hint of pride in her voice, drawing a curious widening of Yang's eyes. "While on tour in Vale, I got to try some supposedly-authentic etouffee and gumbo." Weiss covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I ate there before I had any handle on spiciness, so it felt like I was eating _fire_ at one point."

"You have _got_ to be careful with Bayou food." Yang groaned, rubbing her stomach just thinking about it. "When they ask 'how spicy do you want it?', my dad told me to tell them 'I want to be able to taste my food.'"

"It was delicious in a way I did not expect. It was so rich and _bold_ on the tongue, between the burning. I asked my chefs to prepare it for my birthday, just... party-friendly. I wouldn't call it a _hit,_ but the attendees we have from Vale loved it, as did my peers and I, _we_ at least cleaned all the plates. Oh! But guess what?" Weiss's face fell, and Yang took a moment to study the annoyance, and smirked.

"Somebody brought caviar?" Yang asked. Weiss groaned deeply, and Yang laughed loudly at her friend's annoyance. "Did you try it?"

"I buried it in enough roux that I didn't _have_ to taste it!" Weiss snapped, making Yang laugh _louder._

"Okay! Okay okay, so no caviar for Weiss, gotcha." Yang leaned her cheek on one hand, calming Weiss with one of her sunny smiles. "We should definitely plan for a Bayou place next week. My dad brought me to probably the best one in northern Vale for one of _my_ birthdays, and I keep wanting an excuse to go back. Man, it was so good that Ruby ate the leftovers through _tears_ from the heat."

"The one I went to during my tour was this big place called—tell me if I get this wrong—' _Murmuring Bosk'_ , somewhere in the market district by the Hotel Grand." Weiss perked up, and deflated as Yang let out a loud snort.

"Sorry Weiss." Yang waved her hand, dismissing the rude noise. "Anything around the Hotel Grand is a tourist trap, big and fancy for guests but all watered-down, Murmuring Bosk included. Nah, there's this little shack on Vale's Northwestern tip called 'Bayou Bros.', it's run by the real deal. Two sisters with the thickest accents in the world, always arguing with each other while serving up crawdads by the bucketload and gumbo that'll burn your sinuses out with one sniff." Yang's stomach audibly gurgled, but she looked nonplussed by it. "Crap, I kinda wanna give up wings and drag you up there, but we already ordered."

"Yes, that would be obscenely rude." Weiss agreed.

At this point, Kramer walked by the table carrying a bubbling mug and put a hand in front of the girls to draw attention. "Food's paid for, as thanks for helping out the White Fang." He winked, drawing a smile from Yang, and a small, dismissive nod from Weiss.

"Thanks Kramer. Wanna take a seat?" Yang offered, making Weiss tense up. She was not interested in sharing space with the man, though considering he was paying for their meal, she didn't have the rudeness within her to say so.

"Sure thing!" Kramer slid into the spot by Weiss's side, making her tense up further. "Y'all talking about that place that sent some political suit to the hospital because of spice shock?" He asked curiously, making Weiss's eyebrows raise way up.

"Hah! I forgot about that story!" Yang slapped the table, turning to Weiss with a toothy grin. "Like, five years back, a mayor from some southern Vale town was visiting and stopped by Bayou Bros. He wasn't prepared for the spice, and the first bite gave him some sort of seizure."

"Um, _w-wow._ Cool." Weiss nodded her head, her voice lowered once again. "S-sounds like a rad time, yo."

"This is why you can't trust suits to connect with the common man. What milk-drinking idiot goes to a restaurant known for its spiciness and orders the hottest thing on the menu? Guys like that run our _countries_ and we trust them." Kramer growled in an amused fashion, but it made Weiss's shoulders hunch in nervousness. A slap to her back made her shoot up, and stare at Kramer with wide eyes. "Chill out, man, just some jaw-jackin'." He guffawed.

Weiss remained tense, looking to Yang for help, but the blonde just chuckled. "Yeah, calm down White. Loosen up."

Weiss sighed, sinking down to the table. She wanted her onion rings…

* * *

It was only with the greatest of dignity did Sun manage to land directly on his ass with hardly a yelp of pain.

He stared up in mute terror as a thick, sausage-like finger nearly pressed to his nose, its middle-aged, balding owner glaring down at him with red-faced rage. "If I catch _you_ or _any one_ of your _animal buddies_ stealing food here, or trying to lay your bare-chested mitts on my daughter again, I don't care _what_ the mayor says, I'm booting all you petshop pests out!"

"Dude!" Sun held his hands up, rising to his feet carefully as his long, limber tail stuck straight up to indicate harmlessness. "I said I was good to pay for it! Can you blame a guy for being hungry?! Or for looking, 'cuz your girl's a total–"

Two hands seized his collar, lifting him a foot off the ground as the man tried to shake him to pieces. "A total _what?!_ A total _what you shirtless ape?!_ You got something to say about my daughter?!"

" _WAS-JUST-SAYIN'-SHE'S-A-BABE-"_ Sun flailed in the shopkeeper's iron grip.

"You come in here baring your chest like you got something to prove!" The man continued unheeded. "You swipe some banana bread and leave crumbs all over the floor! She spends _all day_ baking that stuff and you walk in _assuming_ it's for you!"

" _It said take one and pay at the counter!"_ Sun waved his arms in annoyance, and then squeaked as he was shaken harder.

" _That's for our hardworking customers, not you tick-infested layabouts!"_ Sun was unceremoniously dropped again, but he landed on his feet with just a bounce and a boyish pout, while the man shook his fist at him. "Get outta here before I call the cops you little thief! I'd better not see you–"

"You won't, you won't, chill out, man!"

"–'cuz if I do…" The man made a slapping motion with one hand, and stormed inside, slamming the door behind him. Sun planted his hands in his pockets, letting out a deeply annoyed sigh… where was Neptune when he needed him? Nobody schmoozed their way out of trouble like that asshole.

Sun glanced to his left down the street, where a couple of humans were hurrying away from the scene, then to his right. Leaning against the building's wall, staring in mild surprise, was some guy in jeans and a gray hoodie with no drawstrings. Their eyes met, and the guy popped a curious eyebrow. "Dude," he spoke up first, "that was fucked up."

"Yeah, well," Sun idly moved the guy's way, reaching into his unbuttoned white shirt to pull out a balled-up napkin, "you get used to it." Sun's long, hairy tail whipped idly behind him as he unfurled the ball, revealing a bite of banana bread left over. "Dude screwed himself though," Sun popped it into his mouth, and let out a groan of delight, "I woulda paid mint for more of this stuff."

"Well hey, if you still got the lien and are looking for a good time…" The alleyway kid smirked knowing, and Sun's chewing slowed down.

"... Uh, no offense, but even if I was into guys, I don't really like to _pay_ for that sorta–"

"Aww, c'mon, I don't mean it like that!" The kid huffed. "What I mean is that I might know a couple of particular individuals who can hook you up for a night you'll never forget." He whipped out a business card, with some addresses hastily scrawled across them as Sun stared. "Drugs, girls—you said you like girls right?"

"I said I wasn't into guys."

"Same diff! We got whatever you want, just tell them that Kevin sent ya!" The kid looked damn proud of himself, and Sun thought it would have been rude to ruin whatever pride he had in his business.

"Sure man, tell you what, next time I'm around–" Sun looked at the sign posts at each corner of the road as he set a comforting hand on Kevin's shoulder, "– _this_ street, this very important and memorable street, I'll be sure to do just _that."_ Sun stepped past the kid, and fired a wink and a finger gun. "I'll catch ya around, Kevin!"

"Sure thing, dude." Kevin waved as Sun slid away with a sigh.

Vale was definitely the melting pot it claimed to be, for better or for worse, though _everyone_ seemed convinced Sun was up to no good. It wasn't _his_ fault they just left bananas hanging out in the open like that! How was he supposed to know those weren't free gimmes?! Not that it would have stopped him, but still…

The weather was certainly nicer across the sea too. He was already a fan of going as shirtless as possible, but the heat was just a better excuse to show off what years of hard work had given him!

The question was now: what to do now? Scarlet was off being nautical or something, Sage wanted to check out the various hairdressers, Neptune was _probably_ preening in front of a mirror rather than doing something constructive, like actual flirting, so Sun was left to wander the streets in bored exploration until something piqued his nose's interest.

Or his eyes'...

 _Babes alert._

Walking down the sidewalk straight towards him was a tall, dark drink of water with a girly black bow on top of womanly black hair. She had that semi-lazy, disinterested expression that always made a girl, like, six-thousand times hotter, and a figure that made him want to pucker his lips and whistle.

By her side was an adorable little thing with hair that would have made Scarlet jealous: dark fading to light, so tenderly styled to give an air of youthful energy without screaming for attention. She was adorably tiny too, and the big brown messenger bag hanging over one shoulder made her look all the tinier. While miss tall, dark, and delicious had the curves, little miss short, sweet, and… goggles seemed far more approachable.

It was time to initiate plan: 'Girl Magnet!'

"You'll rot your teeth if you keep eating like that." Blake pointed out with a small, tired smile as Ruby greedily nibbled on an oversized, novelty chocolate chip cookie.

"Nuh uh!" Ruby countered brattily, tugging her cookie closer to her chin, as if Blake might try to swipe it. She took a bite, and between gnashing it into swallowable paste, spoke up in self-defense, "I- mmph- I-I bruff my teef!"

"Well…" Blake's eyes traced Ruby's form, lingering on her goggles for a long time, before moving to her intended target: Ruby's backside. "Still might give you a big butt. Is that what you want Ruby? A big butt?"

"No!" Ruby gasped, staring down at her cookie in sudden worry, making Blake's smile grow. "I-I'll run extra laps when we get back! I promise!" Ruby began to more hastily chow down on her dessert in nervousness, and Blake hid a giggle.

"You'll get the butt no matter how fast you eat it. Also, most girls your age would _kill_ for a big butt. There are plenty of men out there who'll ignore your flaws if you've got a booty." She hardly looked up as she and Ruby passed by a shirtless boy leaning against a wall.

"No!" Ruby answered huffily, glaring ahead now that her hands were empty. "Big butts _aren't cute._ If I'm going to be a great leader, I need a _cute_ butt, like _Jaune's."_ Ruby slowed her walk to peek over her back as best she could, wiggling her tightly clad tush.

"You…" Blake pulled her eyes off of Ruby's rump so they could keep walking. "You think _Jaune's butt_ makes him a great leader?"

"I-I don't know!" Ruby huffed, watching the sidewalk as they stepped by a bench where a blonde guy with a tail lounged like a girl in a portrait. "H-he's a good leader, right? Everyone on his team likes him, and follows him, and they talk about how cute his butt is…"

"... We follow you, and like you." Blake pointed out, and Ruby looked up to Blake, then wiggled her hips.

"And Jaune said I have a c-cute butt, s-so my cute butt theory is two-for-two now!"

"It doesn't work like that." Blake sighed in amusement, wiggling her nose as she smelled baking banana bread.

"You can't _prove_ it doesn't work like that!"

"I can, but not on a sidewalk." Blake snorted, smacking Ruby's butt to get her off her soapbox. "Little pain…"

"... Sorry…" Ruby murmured despondently, and Blake frowned. It was _almost_ as if nothing had happened between the two of them the night before, but every now and then the mood fell into a strange melancholy as one or both of them remembered the argument, and why they were out.

Weiss and Yang were both right, Ruby didn't act much different, all things considered. There was an apprehension between them, but… Ruby wasn't holding that over her head, or acting standoffish. If anything… Ruby wanted things to be exactly the same, but without that constant worry or fear.

Blake could sympathize, but how could she _pretend_ she no longer wanted to know? She shook her head and set a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, making the smaller girl let out a sigh. "... Is it just me, or have we passed by that blonde boy before?" Blake murmured to Ruby as they stepped past a bus stop sign, where a familiar looking blonde boy quirked an eyebrow, smiled at them, and gave them both an interested wink.

"Yeah, three times now." Ruby turned to look at him curiously, then leaned into Blake to whisper. " _I recognize his yummy abs."_

The two girls stopped in front of the boy, and he clicked his teeth, pointing at them confidently, and his long, furry tail waved in coy interest. Blake popped her tongue, glanced down to Ruby, then up to the boy. "Hm. Seven-out-of-ten." She bobbed her head confidently. The boy's smile drooped a bit as Blake dragged Ruby away, while the shorter girl continued to stare.

"I like your tummy!" Ruby called to the blonde as they continued on their way.

Blake pet Ruby's shoulder and chuckled. "Don't give men a reason to think you're interested until you are. Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile." Blake cocked her hips, while Ruby pouted.

"But his tummy _is_ cute. Kinda reminds me of my dad but, like… skinnier? I mean, dad's not _fat_ , but…"

"But he _is_ the tastiest thing I've seen at the school outside the girl's locker rooms." Blake felt her cheeks redden just imagining that Adonis of a _man_ again.

"Ugh…" Ruby stuck her tongue out. "That's my _dad_ you're talking about, Blake."

"Mm~hmm…"

"He's a _huge_ weirdo, like even weirder than Yang! He eats his mac and cheese with _ketchup!"_

"Not exactly what I'd all a deal-breaker, Ruby."

"Besides that, he's… not the dating sort." Ruby's voice slowed, and Blake glanced her way.

"Oh? It took him two daughters to realize he's 'that way?'"

"... What way?"

"Gay."

"Wha– _No!_ Ugh, you and Yang are the _perfect partners,_ I swear…" Ruby rubbed her cheeks, making Blake titter at the younger girl's annoyance. "Dad's lost two wives." Ruby stated, making Blake's giggling stop.

"Lost as in…?"

"Um…" Ruby squirmed uncomfortably, but looking up to Blake, she was hesitant to keep secrets. Only the big one… "Yang's mom left a little while after she was born, before Yang got to know her. I don't know much about my aunt, but she's a very sore subject for dad, Yang, my uncle…" Ruby huffed, as if she herself was annoyed with the lack of information. "B-but, my mom stepped in. I-I think it was only supposed to be for a little while, but dad always said my mom found her calling in raising Yang. She loved playing parent, like doing the cooking, and reading to Yang when she wasn't fighting the good fight. Not too much longer after my mom moved in, she and dad hit it off in, like… the mommy-daddy way, and now here I am. But, well… mom disappeared one day on a mission. I barely remember her, but she was everything to dad and Yang."

Their walk had slowed to a crawl, and Ruby's shoulders drooped recalling her family's incomplete state. Blake quietly looked down at Ruby. She was no stranger to difficult family situations, but it wasn't her parents who had walked out, or who had left everyone behind on a mission… she drew Ruby closer, using one arm to hug her leader tenderly. "So… he's still hurting." Blake asked, causing to Ruby to nod. Blake gently stroked her arm, squeezing comfortingly. "I'm just teasing, you know that, right? I doubt he'd have much interest in me even if I was serious, I'm sorry if I made things uncomfortable."

"It's not your fault." Ruby looked up at her with earnesty, or so Blake assumed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore her growing annoyance at Ruby's obscured expression. "That's just-… just our _situation,_ I guess. We have each other, and we love each other, and-and now we have you!" Ruby brightened up, making Blake pause. "You and Weiss are sorta like honorary-Beacon-hunter-family now! I mean, we live together, eat together, work together, so it's like I now have _three_ sisters!"

"But two of them you kinda wanna bang, right?" Blake asked. Ruby made a loud gasp, and a series of inarticulate noises that left Blake doubled over, holding her mouth so she wouldn't embarrass Ruby further with her laughter. Ruby's wailing reached a new pitch as she rapidly slapped Blake's arm in an increasingly flustered rage.

As the levity died down, the two of them took note of yet another odd boy leaning against a shop wall, wearing a peculiar smile. He had one arm over his stomach, the other idly tapping his breast. Blake shot him a dirty look. "Mind your own business." She ordered tersely.

"Blake, you don't have to be mean…" Ruby pouted, gently tugging at her sleeve to calm her. Blake spared no mercy in giving the guy a pointed look, and he sat up off the wall with both hands raised, offering a defensive posture.

"Hey, hey, I'm not trying to be weird, I'm just keeping my ears open for any interesting stories." He insisted, walking a step closer. Blake stepped in front of Ruby, one hand subtly touching Ruby's wrist to make sure she stayed. "Here, lemme make things a bit more even. My name's Kevin." He offered a hand. Blake eyed it warily, and Ruby made a move to take it, but was gently pushed back.

"Blake…" Ruby whispered in gentle worry, and Blake turned her head just an inch to give her a quick look, silently ordering Ruby to trust her, and then the taller girl looked back.

"No handshake then." Kevin put his arm across his belly, the other arm's elbow hanging down casually while his fingers rested on his chest again. Blake's nostrils flared, but he made no moves to pull a weapon of any sort. "I'll try again, alright? I'm not trying to make things worse, I promise! I just have a bit of a business offer, y'know?"

"Not interested." Blake tugged Ruby's hand to try and lead him around Kevin, but he stepped in their way, making Blake sneer, and Ruby frown in confusion.

"Maybe it's a hunting job?" Ruby asked, and Blake shook her head.

"Hunting, eh? You wouldn't happen to be _Beacon_ students, would you?" Kevin asked, and Blake huffed.

"Doesn't matter. Let us pass, or we'll make you." She narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Kevin raised the hand on his chest defensively.

"No no no, don't misunderstand me! I just wanted to know if you girls wanted to party!" He reached into his hoodie's front pocket, and tugged out a little baggie full of vials, each packed with some white powder. Blake's glare grew stronger. "Real cheap! Seventy lien gets you three, ninety lien gets you five. 'Course, I could be persuaded to give a discount…"

"Party?" Ruby glanced up to Blake, even more confused and distressed than before as Blake grew tense. Ruby settled a hand on her large bag, feeling the weight of Crescent Rose inside, wondering if they'd need to get physical.

" _Heeeeey_ Keviiin, my _man!"_ A new voice sprang up. Kevin looked past Ruby and Blake in surprise, and Blake quickly turned Ruby away from the blonde, shirtless boy from before. Sun rubbed his hands together in a thoughtful way, as he walked past Ruby and Blake with a big grin. "How ya doin', my dude? Still got that deal going on? I was thinking you and I could maybe duck aside and talk about the sugar you got."

"I- uh." Kevin blinked, looking slightly flustered as he found an arm thrown over his shoulder. He leaned away from Sun, eyes still on the two girls, but Sun proved to be a surprisingly coercive with one strong arm pulling the dealer away. "S-sure man, uh, seventy for three, ninety for five-" He finally looked away from Ruby and Blake, and Sun tossed a wink over his shoulder at the two girls, giving them the encouragement to leave. They didn't need much more than that to hurry down the sidewalk.

Kevin did not look happy as he pulled the baggie of vials out in the darkened alleyway, and Sun put a hand up, making the boy's expression tighten further. "Sorry man. I know you're trying to run a business, but you _really_ gotta learn how to talk to the ladies. They don't like when you get in their faces, y'know?"

"Uh, yeah, sure…" Kevin grunted, giving Sun a very dark look. "If you're just gonna ruin my business, you might as well fuck off." He jabbed a thumb towards the street.

"Just some advice, Kev! Later!" Sun sprinted back towards the street, with the perfect opening to talk to the two babes in his pocket!

As the monkey boy sprinted away, Kevin watched coldly, until the boy was out of sight. Kevin turned heel and trudged down the alleyway, unzipping his hoodie to slip his fingers into a custom pocket. With the drawstring gone, he had the perfect hole for the picture-taking lens of his hidden scroll.

He shot off a text to a scroll number he'd been ordered to memorize in case of a special emergency.

 _-Hey boss, I think you owe me a raise.-_

 _-Bit busy, kid, and one bag of snow isn't getting you crap.-_

 _-Not the bag, boss. There's a particular little girl you're after.-_

 _-Quit beating around the damn bush then! What do you got?-_

A dozen and a half pictures were transferred from scroll to scroll, perfectly crisp, clear-as-day pictures of an odd little brunette girl, pale as can be, in a hoodie, with goggles. Kevin smiled to himself as he waited for the next response, checking the picture of the boss's little shapeshifter. A few details were off, but the gradient in the hair was perfect, the model of goggles was perfect, the body type was perfect…

 _-Where?-_

 _-Very Important and Memorable Street, heading east.-_

 _-That all you got?-_

 _-I think she might be a Beacon student. Black-haired girl's probably her partner.-_

 _-Good work, kid. Finish your rounds and come back to base.-_

 _-Got it boss.-_

* * *

With the stench of apprehension and sleaze drifting away with every step, Ruby and Blake finally slowed down once they'd rounded the corner and made it across two city blocks. Blake looked over her shoulder every two steps, and it was only when they finally found themselves amidst a thick crowd of shoppers waiting at a crosswalk did Blake finally let Ruby go.

The little team leader had a firm grip on her messenger bag, and worried eyes on her teammate. Blake's shoulders finally relaxed once they had crossed the street, and the crowd around them began to disperse in different directions, Blake lagging a step to let Ruby take the lead. Even still, she tossed one final look over her shoulder to ensure they weren't being followed, and she let out a sigh.

"B-Blake?" Ruby tenderly asked, getting an acknowledging grunt from the older girl. "Wh-what was that? D-did you kn-know that guy?" Ruby quivered. Blake could be prickly sometimes, sparingly enough that she was scarier than Weiss when she was, but she had never showed such outward animosity before.

Blake remained silent for a second, reflexively checking their tail at Ruby's mention of the odd boy, then answered. "No." She set a hand on Ruby's shoulder, her grip a little too tight, but otherwise comfortable. "He was a nobody, but he was also trouble."

"H-how could you tell?" Ruby asked in honest confusion, tinged with a fear that something could have happened.

Blake's lips pursed. Ruby was young and optimistic. She didn't have any experience with the unsavory sorts, and likely didn't see the signs of somebody with predatory intentions. "It's just a feeling you develop after dealing with enough people on both sides of the train tracks. It's kind of a sixth sense, you can just tell when somebody's up to no good."

"Like…" Ruby chewed her knuckle nervously, and Blake pet her shoulder, encouraging her to talk. "Like he was trying to hurt us?" She hefted her bag, the weight of Crescent Rose calming her. She wasn't far from her weapon, which brought her more comfort than Blake's cuddliness.

"Probably not." Blake gently pulled Ruby's shoulder, trying to increase their speed. The further they were from him, the better… "I'm ninety-nine percent sure he was just trying to sell us drugs."

The word made Ruby tense up, her jaw dropped, and she made the most offended sound Blake had ever heard, nearly sending the taller girl into hysterics as Ruby grabbed the zipper of her bag. "We have to go back and _arrest him!"_ Ruby spoke with a righteous authority that made Blake grasp her mouth to stop from laughing out loud.

" _Y-you-you couldn't tell?!"_ Blake asked between her fingers, causing Ruby to shuffle in embarrassment, her cheeks a burning red.

"I…" Ruby cleared her throat. "I-I thought he was trying to s-sell us ice Dust…" Ruby's shy innocence drew a loud snort from Blake, whose eyes squeezed shut. "Sh-shut up, I-I haven't g-gotten that s-sixth sense yet!" Ruby pouted.

"S-sorry Ruby." Blake tensed her belly to try and stop herself from laughing, and after a few seconds of squeaking giggles, she finally calmed down enough to take a breath. "You'll get it in no time. Until then, stick with me or Yang. We'll make sure you steer clear of dangerous people." Blake smiled gently.

"... Like Mr. Yummy Tummy?" Ruby tilted her head, leaning to look past Blake.

Blake twisted on her heels at the sudden impulse of danger, and found herself face-to-upside-down-face with the blonde chimp boy from before, shirtless as ever, and seemingly comfortable hanging by his legs from the lightpost. A shrill, angry chirp left Blake as she shoved his shoulders in surprise.

"Wh-whoa h-he-hey _catch-me!"_ He cried out, a second before he hit the pavement. Blake stared down at the guy in surprise, her yellow eyes wide. She wanted to strangle whatever irony masked his presence from her finely tuned senses. "Ow…" The handsome boy uttered, lifting himself on his elbows to look up at Blake. After a second of dazed blinking, he put on a forcefully charming smile, and gave her a wink. "Well call me converted, 'cuz I think I found a new idol of beauty to worship!"

One of Blake's eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead, the other twitching. Her scandalized expression was not matched by the odd skip in her heartbeat as the admittedly good-looking boy admired her from below.

Thankfully, however, the moment was ruined by the sound of clicking bolt handle as a Grimm-slayer bullet was loaded into Crescent Rose's chamber. The boy's suave expression turned into wide-eyed fear as he stared down the barrel of Ruby's sniper rifle. " _On your feet, criminal!"_ Ruby enunciated like a flamboyant pastor, and Sun found himself standing, hands in the air before he knew what he was doing.

" _I-swear-I-was-going-to-pay-for-that-bread-please-don't-shoot-I'm-too-young-to-die!"_ He squealed in a single breath, while Blake recovered from the odd dizzy spell, as well as her overall surprise.

"You and your drug-pushing buddy are going straight to jail, buster!" Ruby jabbed the rifle forward, making Sun flex instinctively. Ruby's head briefly dipped to watch, then looked right back up at the taller boy's face. "I don't care how tasty your tummy looks, it's iron bars and prison stripes for the rest of your _life!"_

"I didn't actually _know_ the guy! He tried pushing on me too!" Sun insisted, folding his hands together in front of his chest beggingly. "Please, I have nothing to do with him! I-I'm a good dude! And a student at Beacon Academy starting Monday!"

"Classes started _last_ Monday, liar." Blake's eyes narrowed, and Sun waved his hands in front of himself.

"I-I'm part of a transfer program with Mistral! I just- okay, I'll admit it, I'm kind of an idiot, I may have forgotten to do the paperwork until the last minute! My team and I did Haven classes in the meantime! L-lemme grab my student ID, will that help?!" Sun stared into the goggles of the rifle-wielding girl, who glanced up to the utter babe by her side. Said babe gave a nod, and Ruby nodded back at him.

As Sun's hands reached for his back pockets, Ruby tutted. "Turn around so we know you aren't up to anything suspicious!" She ordered. As the boy complied, digging into his back pockets for his wallets, both girls took the opportunity to check out his glutes with open approval, before he turned back around to open his wallet, showing off his ID. "Hmmmmmmmmm _mmmmmmMMMMMMM…."_ Ruby growled as she read.

"Can you please put the gun down now?!" Sun whimpered.

"It seems legitimate…" The rifle lowered an inch, and Blake read aloud.

"Sun Wukong, Vacuan citizenship, Mistral education, Beacon transfer student, leader of team SSSN." She quirked an eyebrow.

"Leader?" Ruby lowered Crescent Rose, and Sun dropped his hands with a loud ' _whew!'_

"Yeah… yeah, team leader of a group of cool dudes." Sun tried to smile, though the two girls turned to look at each other.

Ruby's smile grew, and Blake's eyebrow raised. "Three-for-three." Ruby whispered. Blake took a second, then looked away with a roll of her eyes. "Apologies for the hold-up, fellow hunter! No hard feelings?" Ruby put her rifle back in her bag, blushing in embarrassment as Sun just waved a hand.

"Eeeeh, I didn't make the best first impression. I was just trying to get that jerk off your backs. Some guys can't take a hint." He put on a relieved grin, and Blake hummed thoughtfully.

"Present company excluded?" She asked dryly, earning a non-ironic nod from the well-built boy. Yet another blonde with a worrying lack of self-awareness, too much interest in her body, and a meaty, eye-catching chest. Blake would have complained louder, but…

"Anyways, lemme try this again." Sun suddenly turned around, whipping a comb out of his pocket to touch up his bushy hair. Ruby and Blake shared a similar look of confusion, and Ruby pointed to his backside excitedly. Blake lightly whapped the back of Ruby's head, earning a tiny squeak and a smack to the arm, which was returned mischievously. "So my name's Sun Wukong!" Sun whirled back around with a dazzling smile, which froze as he found Blake stuck in Ruby's headlock, the younger girl growling like an angered puppy as Blake lifted Ruby's leg, ready to drop them both to the floor before they realized they were being watched.

The two shot apart, pretending as if nothing happened. Ruby cleared her throat, and bounced on her tiptoes, her smile sweet and girly. "H-hi Sun, I'm Ruby R-rose, leader of t-team RWBY!" She turned to Blake, who was patting down her curtain of black hair.

"Blake." Blake responded, crossing her arms once more. "Blake Belladonna, the 'B' of team RWBY."

"So you two are partners?" Sun asked curiously, and Blake shook her head.

"No, just teammates. Our partners are currently on a date." Blake smirked, and Ruby tensed up, her bottom lip jutting out.

"No they _aren't!_ They're just eating together so we can try and make up." Ruby corrected, and Blake sighed, gently nudging her leader with her elbow.

"Not that it makes much of a difference, but that's also not something he needs to know. And aside from that, they're sharing a meal, they're practically on a date." Blake shrugged, making Ruby pout louder.

"I _explicitly_ forbid Yang from dating Weiss! Ooooh, if she's breaking my rules and- _hey,_ she just went on a date! She can't date two girls at once!"

" _Nice."_

"Shut up Sun." Blake pinched the bridge of her nose. "Somehow, I doubt Yang agrees, but I'm not going to assume too loudly while she can't defend herself. _Either way,_ we were on our way to a bookstore." Blake reminded Ruby, casting a quick, unwelcome glance at Sun.

Neither of them caught on. "Oh right!" Ruby nodded, then turned to face the handsome young man in front of her. "Since you're going to be new to Beacon too, you wanna come? We can fill you in, and stuff." Blake's eyes widened, and she flailed her hands in denial as Sun chuckled down at Ruby.

"Sure, why not?" Ruby looked up to Blake with an excited smile, earning a groan in return, and Blake silently walked behind her team leader, Sun walking alongside Ruby. "So, like, Weiss as in _Weiss Schnee?"_ He asked, making Ruby bob her head.

"Uh huh. She's my partner, and my bestie! She helps me study and stuff."

"Cool, the other guys on my team are fans of her stuff, so I think we have at least two of her albums each." Sun snorted, his tail waving idly behind him, while he, every now and then, glanced back at Blake with obvious interest.

"Yang, my big sister, she has a couple of her singles. Weiss is _super_ cool though, and so is Yang! I have the _best team ever."_ Ruby sounded like she meant it, and Sun couldn't help but smirk. She was definitely on the young side, but had a lot of spirit. And one helluva rifle.

"Know what? I'll believe you until we can all meet up. Nice gun by the way, any alternate forms?"

"Just a scythe."

"Neat!"

* * *

" _The train has reached a complete stop, please gather your luggage and mind the queue as you exit. This has been Vale Passenger Train #112, we hoped you enjoyed your ride, and have a good day!"_

The loading platform for the train was abuzz with travelers hurrying onto and away from the train, the low din of gossip and chatter serving as a comforting blanket of civilization for the citizens.

As one traveled further from the city of Vale, the woods became thicker, the ground became rougher, the people became folksier, and the vehicles were less shiny and sleek. The defenses of small towns, especially ones that had frequent visitors and travelers, were the groups of hunters seeking quick cash in Grimm slaying, and the border patrols that slaughtered the beasts that became a little too bold.

The buildings were primarily wood, but heartily constructed and supplemented with stone foundation, and were separated by bare, sunny alleyways and wide, cobblestone roads. The folk here dressed a little simpler, and high-fashion was enjoyed by a select few that could afford to be thrifty through mail-order catalogues, though just about every house had a refrigerator and radio. Many houses also had storefront businesses, allowing a family to live and trade under the same roof, cutting down on the space that would force them to sprawl out into the woods if restraint was not enacted.

The travel towns were also often the intermediate rest stops between the city and the villages. Villages that were born from political differences with Vale's government, or from the resource rich surroundings, numbered in the few thanks to the dangers the Grimm presented, but hunters were always on patrol, looking for jobs, places to live, money to make, and monsters to kill. The villages that survived could sell their goods in the travel towns and ship them to Vale to buyers, and turn that money back around wherever they pleased.

It was a bit of a chaotic, rudimentary, and difficult-to-manage system, with the Grimm making expansion near-impossible in certain areas where they were so entrenched, eight teams of four came back reporting exhaustion and defeat by attrition. It was why the towns themselves were so heavily defended and precautions were taken to keep moods mellow and calm.

One panicked individual wouldn't drive a town to ruin, but a squadron of them could… or, worse than a mob, the unsavory individuals looking to profit off of humanity's misery.

A loud yawn caused Emerald to fidget, and give the silvered man by her side a narrow look. "Smoother ride than an airbus, and twice as fast too. We should totally take the train more often. I haven't gotten a nap like that since becoming a city boy!" Mercury lifted the gray fedora he wore above his eyes to examine his surroundings, looking remarkably sharp in a matching gray two-piece suit.

"Just so you know, you _snore,_ city boy." Emerald rolled her red eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Like Mercury, she was dressed with a sense of business in mind, though her black jacket and red ascot were complimented by a pencil skirt, giving her long legs an interested audience.

"C'mon Emmy, you know you love the sound of my voice." Mercury bounced his eyebrows playfully, drawing a disgusted groan from her.

However, rather than pursue the topic of conversation, Emerald ran her hands along her sides and pouted. "I get we want to blend in, but couldn't I have come in anything but a skirt? You _men_ don't need an excuse." She glared at Mercury, whose eyes had not traveled above Emerald's neck since they'd gotten started for the day. Her eyes narrowed, her mind grew heavy as she focused on him, and Mercury's interested staring was quickly replaced by a squicked gag as Emerald, through his eyes, grew a thick layer of mannish hair along her calves.

"Lame." He grunted, turning away with an annoyed frown. Emerald smirked in silent victory, but it immediately turned to delight when a new figure stole the crowd's attention.

Cinder masked her displeasure for her surroundings with a red, wide-brimmed sun hat, matched by an impeccable wine red dress that left one shoulder exposed, and cut along one side that left plenty of her pale leg in view. "Do quit your squabbling and find our chauffeur." She ordered with more ease than she'd had in the past few weeks. Though she still dripped irritation with every annoyed glance and terse word, having something to do was helping override her bad mood with the state back in Vale.

"Got it, ma'am." Emerald's eyes strayed a second too long on the pale beauty she was escorting, and both she and Mercury pushed through the crowd to find their ride.

Cinder walked several steps behind them, her mind feeling sharper than normal. That little girl was still at large, leaving Cinder at the edge of her seat every night. Just _one_ little girl, and she _had_ to be in Vale while she was busy enacting her master plan to bring Ozpin to his knees _._

It merely confirmed what Cinder already knew to be true: life was cruel, and when you believed it had given you a break and let up on its cruelty, it snuck up from behind and stuck a corkscrew in your kidney. And _twisted._

Of course, this same cruelty and unfairness would come crashing down on the content and shiftless in due time. Cinder's eyes narrowed, knowing she was being stared at, being watched, but not because anybody suspected anything, no… all they saw was a sweet young debutante, probably on business for her father, going to check up on one of his investments and spread his good will through the beauty and graces of youthful, spritely womanhood…

In a way, they weren't wrong. Cinder's nostrils flared, and she eased herself. No need to get worked up in a crowd.

Once the girl had been found, subdued, and presented to Salem, there was nothing to fear. It was just a matter of trusting a small army of small-minded, idly lawless gangsters and terrorists to find one. Measly. Girl.

One measly girl that Salem had whispered about in an almost grandiose fashion… Cinder's jaw tightened, just remembering those words…

" _She would have been what you are now, Cinder: the pupil with the most promise. Eyes that could send the masses fleeing in terror, a limitless battery of Grimm at her beck and call, even the maidens, with all their power and righteous splendor, would wilt and_ die. _Should you find her, you will report back it to me immediately, and you will aid your fellow pupil in securing her for me. You will have many missions before we achieve our final goal, but this girl takes absolute priority once found. Do not disappoint me, Cinder…"_

Disappoint? No. Never. Plans within plans, deals within deals, Cinder needed a contingency for every contingency, failure was _not an option._ One misstep was death, and exposing every thread she held, not that _Salem_ ultimately mattered… as long as true power was within Cinder's grasp, everything else was simply a distraction.

"We have found your ride, my lady." Mercury stole Cinder's attention with a tip of his hat, and with a smug smile, offered an elbow to guide her. The pride turned to disappointment as Cinder brushed passed him without so much as a sneer, walking straight towards Emerald and an old black buggy.

The young, well-dressed driver with a lizard's earholes took Cinder's purse and set it the trunk. Mercury sat in the passenger seat, resting boredly as Emerald and Cinder occupied the back. The hoodless car started up, and pulled off onto the cobblestone street, driving south towards the looming, white mountain in the distance.

Cinder's eyes focused on Mt. Glenn, and hid a smile of pleasure at what lay dormant inside.

The buggy hit a dirty road, passing by other cars and wagons along the way. However, the further they got, the less vehicles that passed by, and the more difficult the road became. The rumbling ride was wearing on Cinder's already thin patience, wondering why the Fang couldn't have bothered to steal a more stable vehicle, but, eventually, the vehicle slowed. When the last car in sight disappeared over a hill behind them, the driver took the buggy off the road, into the grass, and took the three deep into an unmarked forest.

Cinder brooded, mentally going over the list of things that needed to be prepared for the first phase of their plan, and stepped out of the car once it came to a stop in a darkened clearing. The driver spoke to a pair of masked White Fang members standing around a large, black, outdated military APC, briefly trading unmarked envelopes as Mercury and Emerald unlocked the back of the heavily armored transport.

Cinder stepped up the ramp, and settled uncomfortably into one of the small, barely-cushioned seats lining the inside of it. Emerald sat by her side, Mercury sat across from them both, while five White Fang soldiers muttered and tossed dirty looks at the three humans from the other chairs, but ultimately kept to themselves, if only because Emerald and Mercury both gave them dirty looks and silent promises of a _very_ bad day.

As Cinder thought and planned, a ringing from her purse nabbed her attention. She picked up her scroll as Emerald and Mercury watched, and answered. "Roman, calling so soon? Did you think we'd run into trouble?" She asked in an almost polite tone, but her free hand was working a small, misshapen mass of black glass between her fingers.

 _-"Please, Cin, if I thought you were in actual trouble, I'd be celebrating."-_

Cinder rolled her eyes."Then you must be calling because you have information on the girl, otherwise, you'd be calling to tell me there's trouble, in which case I'm away on a business trip to survey the ruins of Mt. Glenn." Cinder's tongue clucked, expecting Roman to try and ease his way out of whatever mess he'd created while she was gone.

 _-"Actually, it's funny you mention that, because, heh, I remember you saying there'd be a whole_ lot _of trouble if somebody found our little Grimm girl before we did."-_

The glass star in Cinder's hand was crushed into dust, and her perfect, red lips parted, as if she could spit venom through the phone into Roman's ear. "What. _Happened?"_ She finally demanded in a low, threatening hiss, causing the other seven occupants to look her way in silent worry.

 _-"I'll tell you what happened, so chill home girl. So, it turns out that miss Boogeywoman is still in Vale, hooray, right?"-_

"Get us turned around _right now."_ Cinder ordered through her teeth, the air suddenly filled with the sound of crackling glass as tiny, black shards rained around Cinder. Emerald stood immediately, grabbing handholds as she made her way to the driver's cockpit.

 _-"Not only that, but my hunch_ seems _to be right. We think she might be a brand-spanking new student at Beacon Academy! Imagine that, the daughter of the demons themselves, a huntress!"-_

"Shut _up._ We're turning around and returning to Vale, we're capturing her immediately." Cinder could stop herself from standing up, grabbing a handhold in one hand, warping the steel with her grip. She was being tamed by _Ozpin?_ How fitting. How fucking _fitting._ No, this couldn't have been easy, the girl would have him breathing down her _neck._ Getting close to her would be nearly impossible. They might actually need _her…_

 _-"Now slow down Cinder, slow waaaay down, take a few deep breaths for me, alright? You do know how to do that, don't you? I've heard lizard people don't breath."-_

" _Why aren't we turning around?!"_ Cinder roared, and the APC began to slow, though still not slow enough to satisfy Cinder's anger.

 _-"Cinder."-_ Roman's voice came through as a sharp rebuke, and Cinder felt her cheek twitch furiously. -" _Listen closely. We need to get the preparations_ you set _checked, so I need you to trust me."-_

"Trust _you?"_ Cinder snapped, and Roman let out a demure chuckle through the phone's speaker.

 _-"Do you want this plan to go through on time or not? Look, finish your business at Mt. Glenn, kick your feet up even, enjoy some scotch and a cigar! You earned it! Meanwhile, I'm going to get little miss spooky-pets all swaddled up for you when you get back!"-_

Cinder could feel her temple throbbing, but that was the stress. Grab the girl, or trust these animals to get her plan right? "Am I to believe _you_ have a plan?" She asked, trying to keep her voice level. "You know nothing about this girl, hardly any of us do. Without the three of us, what do you think _you_ can accomplish?!"

 _-"Not a damn thing, except what I'm best at!"_ Cinder began to snarl… " _Chill, and listen. We only just found her, we have no other information to go off of other than she's still in Vale and_ probably _at Beacon. Actually, we have a pretty good idea of who her partner is too, but details! If you wanna come down here and raise up a storm, all we're going to do is end up like last time, but worse. We go after this girl and what's she gonna do? Summon Grimm. She summons Grimm in the middle of the city again, but rather than a couple of idiots in suits fighting her, she has the four of us_ and _the White Fang, she's gonna summon bigger. Now, you put a buttload of Grimm in the middle of Vale, you know who comes storming in? Every hunter and every police officer looking to get in the newspapers. It'll go from the four of us beating up a little girl to the four of us trying to drag her away while being chased by just about everything in Vale with a hero complex!"-_

Cinder took a deep breath. Her grip loosened on the handhold, but her eyes remained narrow as she pointed to Emerald, then nodded. "Keep us moving forward." She ordered in a lowered voice. "I'll continue my surveying in Mt. Glenn, but I want as much information as possible by _Monday_ , and you will _not_ fail me, understood?"

 _-"Give me some time, Cinder, if she's okay walking the streets on a Saturday morning this week, I will bet you ten-to-one she's fine doing it the next weekend, and the weekend after, and the weekend after_ that. _You don't want info about her_ or _us getting out, do you? Leave it to the big boss of Vale, we got time!"-_

Cinder slowly lowered herself into her seat. Infuriating beyond belief but… correct. Returning to capture the girl without any sort of information could lead to unplanned, upsetting hitches to their plan. If she was as dangerous as Salem made her out to be, then it would be impossible to confront her without an incident that would alert the city.

Or worse, alerting Ozpin and his lackeys. Cinder squeezed her eyes shut. This would only work if Ozpin's faction had no clue what was going on. Even the slightest suspicion would leave the plan in ruins. She huffed. "Fine. Do _not_ play this risky, I _need_ her, Roman, and the more people that get involved, the more complicated this will get."

 _-"I know that already, Cindy, so don't you worry your pretty little head! Enjoy your vacation!~"-_

"We'll be discussing that tone of yours when we get _back."_ Cinder snarled, glaring at the floor. "... but good work. Keep it up, and maybe I'll change my mind on you being a putrid waste of humanity."

 _-"'Tis truly a great, personal honor to be working with you, Cinder."-_

With that, he hung up. Cinder put her scroll back into her purse, and Emerald slid back into the seat by her side, looking a touch worried. They knew where the girl was. She was in Ozpin's thrall, which was complicated enough, but Ozpin wouldn't dare advertise her existence to the world, not unless he planned to court death at the hands of Salem once more.

Provided that no loose lips were permitted, that Salem remained ignorant of the girl's whereabouts, and Ozpin remained ignorant of Cinder, they could plan. They could do this subtly, send the girl to Salem, wrapped up nice and tight. Could Cinder really be in trouble if she did the job herself? It would save both her master plan and bring her greater trust from her benefactor. Cinder let out a quiet breath. She had _nothing_ to fear, provided everyone did as they were told.

They had time. They would use it wisely, and nobody would be _anybody_ the wiser.

* * *

"Order up for Kramer!" Pops's voice thundered over the numerous conversations around his restaurant. "That's an order for Kramer, and that means yours too, Yang!" Pops waved to the feisty blonde, who stood with a lick of her lips.

Kramer, however, slapped the table, and pointed a finger at Yang. "You sit! I'll go grab the food." The hairy man stood, smiling in a hungry way. He stomped up to the front counter as Weiss and Yang both idly watched, then Weiss turned to Yang, making a face the latter had never seen.

The open-eyed, toothy smile of girlish excitement that was more familiar on Ruby's face than Weiss's, so Yang couldn't hide her amusement as Weiss's joy. "Damn, girl, you are really craving those wings."

"It's been _forever_ and I've had nothing but toast for breakfast in preparation. Do _not_ mock me." Weiss ordered, though her smile barely shrank. Kramer took the tray full of wings to the utensils station, and loaded up on napkins. He seemed to fiddle with the condiments for a while as Yang snickered.

"Not mocking! Just saying, you wear excitement well. It's cute." Yang grinned, and Weiss puffed up in poorly-faked annoyance.

"Here we go, lads!" Kramer set the tray between Weiss and Yang, which was full of paper food trays, which, in turn, were loaded up with different portions of differently sauced wings, the sheer variety making Weiss's mouth form a little 'o' of intrigue, though she was instantly enamored with the crisp, brown rings crowded by the chicken. The smell of the intermingling flavors were enough to leave Yang drooling, and when Kramer sat down, he held up his mug with a big grin. "Two cheers for good food!"

He and Yang both gave an excited cheer, and Weiss at least raised a fist in kinship of the moment. With that, the different wings were sorted between the three of them, until each had their respective flavors.

Conversation stilled, worries and energy dampened, and all of it was replaced with simple satisfaction. Yang was thrilled to experiment with each new flavor, trying them in the provided dipping sauces while sipping her soda sparingly. Kramer, having ordered a massive portion of an extra-spicy sauce, wolfed down his wings, bones and all, with his tough teeth.

Weiss, meanwhile relaxed. She alternated from her onion rings, to her hot wings, to her drink in a slow, meticulous fashion, savoring each taste. It was filthy, and greasy, and absolutely perfect _._ Her perfect little piano fingers were rapidly stained by grease and sticky, sweet sauce, her thin, pale lips began to redden, inflamed by the heat and the tingle of the spice, and a comfort filled her.

Meals back home followed a similar theme night after night: something completely delicious, highly nutritious, and in small portions that would not affect her idol figure. Her father was a man obsessed with image: his own, his company's, his family's. Neither he, his wife, nor his children were fat, they were all lithe, beautiful, handsome, and desirable for their looks alone. Weiss considered her good looks to be an important part of her image, as somebody with restraint and in the market for somebody equally talented as her.

However, it meant she could be left wanting. Lean cuts of beef, the white meat of a chicken, it was delectable, but lacked a certain punch that a frier could add. It wasn't as if she wanted to dine on hot wings every night, but when she had the opportunity, there was a naughty sense of pushing the boundaries, in addition to the delectable rarity of it.

It didn't have the complexity of flavors behind a fine foie gras in a red wine sauce, it certainly wasn't as nutritious as a kale salad, but it hit a spot in Weiss's palate that wanted tasty simplicity. A guilty pleasure in lowborne _Faunus_ food. She had, with annoyance, found that some upper class Atlesian chefs attempted to make it in a 'classy' way, but it lacked the punch she enjoyed in how Faunus chefs cooked it.

This would definitely be a once-a-month meal. She would just need to keep a disguise on hand and keep to herself, though she was enjoying Yang's presence, so bringing her along for safety and company wasn't a bad idea.

Yang wiped her fingers down and popped her scroll up, stealing an onion ring to munch on as she checked her messages. "Ruby and Blake made it to the bookstore." Yang nodded, drawing a grunt of acknowledgement from Weiss. "... They ran into a drug dealer, but were saved by a guy with a ' _tasty tummy.'"_ Yang's eyes narrowed, and Weiss looked up from her wings to give her a questioning stare. "... And he's with them at the bookstore."

"Seems we're both having an adventure." Weiss muttered gruffly, mindful of the man eating by her side.

"' _Glad you made it. No funny business. Don't do drugs. If he touches you, I will hit him.'"_ Yang muttered as she typed, drawing a laugh from Kramer.

"Refills?" He offered, pointing to their mugs. Yang bobbed her head, and Weiss silently nodded, granting him permission to gather their drinks. Weiss got down to the last half of her wings. She was slowing down as her stomach began to fill. Her small diet meant she couldn't pack it away like Yang did, but she did not regret having leftovers. More for later!~

She sipped her refilled grapefruit juice and picked up a wing, but paused. Her stomach gurgled, and she felt a little off. Indigestion?... Likely. She put the wing down and diligently cleaned her fingers on a napkin as Yang pushed her bone-filled plates away with a happy groan, and a loud, unladylike burp. "Gonna finish those?" Yang asked, pointing at Weiss's onion rings. Weiss shook her head, and Yang eagerly took them as Weiss leaned against her palm. "You okay White? You look a little out of it."

Weiss waved her hand, hiccuping a bit. Her head began to feel a little heavy, and on second thought, so did the rest of her body. "Ate too much." Weiss explained with a bit of a tight throat.

"Pops' food'll do that to ya, just relax and enjoy the atmosphere." Kramer advised, working on the last couple of bites he had left. "He uses some of the best spices you can find in the city, so it's all rich. First time I ate here, I had _way_ too much without knowing."

"Oh man, me too." Yang chuckled. Weiss did not join in, distracted by an itch in her throat. "I thought I was gonna puke after everything I'd eaten."

"Ooo _ooh…_ don't say puke, please." Weiss pleaded. The itch was growing worse, and her stomach wouldn't stop growling. She was feeling ill, even though it was _just_ some indigestion. That was what she kept telling herself, being dramatic about some stomach rumbling would be childish. It was the sort of thing Ruby would do.

"There's a little corner store not too far away, they sell canned ginger ale, that usually perks me up." Kramer pushed his wings away, watching Weiss with a curious look.

"Not a bad idea…" Weiss held her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, and let out an ugly cough. Yang looked up, slightly alarmed by the sudden sound, and put on a sympathetic frown as Weiss held her stomach. The heiress hunched over the table, teeth grit in open pain, releasing another cough. Then Weiss wheezed, and her eyes filled with surprise.

"White?" Yang asked, a soft tremor in her voice as Weiss's face began to turn red, and she grasped at her throat as she gave a softer wheeze. "Weiss!" Yang stood in alarm as Weiss leaned back, moisture gathering at her eyes as she tried to breath, but each desperate attempt to open her mouth was met with nothing as her throat closed.

"Is she choking?!" Kramer stood, staring at the girl clutching her stomach and throat. The clawed man slid behind Weiss, and Yang watched, panic filling her stomach as Kramer pressed a balled fist to Weiss's stomach and lifted her to her feet. His fist pressed in, causing Weiss to make an ugly noise, while his other hand grabbed at something at his rear. "Okay, on three, I'm going to do compressions, Weiss." The name slipped through his lips casually, though it took the next three seconds for Yang to realize. "One," He held Weiss against his chest, "two," he drew his hand from behind his back, the rest of the patrons now staring at the scene, "three." He levelled a pistol at Yang's head.

"Wh-..." Yang stared at the weapon, her body frozen in place as she glanced to Weiss, silently sucking at air for a breath, her pale face turning red, then to Kramer, who was baring his teeth angrily. "Kramer?... Sh-she needs help!"

"Shut up." Kramer ordered, his fingers tightening around the pistol grip. The entire restaurant had gone completely silent, several people beginning to stand as Kramer backed up a step, dragging Weiss with him. "I owe you, because you helped the Fang. Her?" His arm wrapped around Weiss's midsection, tightening as the young woman threatened to collapse. "She needs to _die."_

In a burst of motion, Ember Celica covered Yang's fists, her foot on the table, ready to leap as she bared her teeth. The world around her grew hot, all she saw was fire as she stared the man down, but then the pistol was against Weiss's hat. Kramer snarled as Yang froze, shaking, _thinking…_

"Don't you move a muscle, Yang. Don't you move a goddamned muscle! Let the _Schnee_ suffer." He growled, the name drawing a small murmur from the watching diners, each looking between each other for an explanation. "That's right! Do you take us for idiots?! Anyone with two eyes knows who this is!" Kramer announced loudly, turning Weiss to show the crowd as he knocked the hat off her head with his pistol, revealing her silvery hair, tied in a bun at the back of her scalp. "My brothers, my sisters, today _Weiss Schnee_ dared to step into one of _our_ businesses, dine on _our_ food, using the White Fang's generosity as a _wallet!"_ Kramer shouted, the heiress in his arms tensing.

" _She was there trying to save that Faunus in the alleyway too!"_ Yang screamed, but the pistol hastily pressed to Weiss's unprotected head once more, leaving her shaking in horror and rage, her eyes red, but her teammate's suffering keeping her from launching into a full berserker state.

"Saving one life doesn't justify taking a _thousand_ _others_!" Kramer snapped, his arms bulging as he stared down at the girl in his grip. "This is a message! This is gonna send a message to the entire Schnee family! They don't own the world! They don't _own us!_ They aren't safe with the White Fang around!"

"Yeah!" A voice in the crowd cried out. A woman with curled horns stood, her face tight and red as she stared at Weiss. "My husband was killed in one of _their_ mines, but did I see any pity? Any remorse?! Any _compensation?!"_ She asked, lips peeled back to show her teeth. "My children almost _starved_ because I didn't see a lick of compassion from you!"

Another stood, a young man, staring around at the crowd with a righteous anger in his expression. "My big sister was just a messenger for the White Fang, but when those-those _hypocrites_ caught her, they stuck her in a cell with a ten year sentence! _Ten years_ for running _letters!_ My family can't even arrange to see her!"

An angry murmur grew from the crowd, several of them standing as Kramer turned to Yang with a damning smile, Weiss having gone still in his arms. "See, Yang? This is _justice._ She may be your friend because you're a _human,_ but she's _every_ Faunus's enemy." He lowered his mouth to the wilting girl's ear, and growled in a low satisfaction. "Feel that, _Schnee?_ That's the White Fang's strangling poison." Weiss suddenly tensed in his arms, her eyes going wide for a second, then narrowing. "We're gonna make this _slow."_

"I-It's not-!" Yang kicked the table, and Kramer walked backwards quickly, dragging Weiss's limp form with him, the pistol, jabbing her skull. Heat poured off of Yang, her cheeks soaked as emotion poured out from her eyes. "Sh-she didn't-!"

Weiss was rigid as a wooden beam, but all she managed with a thin flicker of her aura...

"Just shoot her!" Somebody in the crowd of Faunus shouted, and a roar of demand erupted, as Kramer looked between them and Yang. "Kill the Schnee!" Kramer's arm tightened around her, and she seized as her aura disappeared.

Weiss buckled forward and a stream of vomit poured out from her mouth, splashing Kramer's arm and feet in brightly colored acid and hot chunks of chicken. He flinched in surprise and disgust, the crowd recoiling, and her aura weakly pulsated around her. A roar erupted from Kramer's throat as Weiss's heel drove into his toes like a jackhammer. She whipped his arm off her and stumbled towards the table, reaching towards Yang.

She was dragged over the table and into Yang's near-burning grip, burying her nose into Yang's cleavage as she panted heavily, sucking in air desperately. Yang held her tightly as Kramer lifted his pistol at Yang, his expression furious, blood dripping from the tip of his boot. The Faunus jeered in anger, many of them standing to stalk towards the two human girls, when a voice caused them to pause.

"Now now, everyone, let's take a seat." Pops bellowed. A dozen and a half eyes turns towards the big fat restaurant owner as he lifted the countertop divider and squeezed through. Slung over his shoulders was a massive, heavy-looking warhammer, no decorations or bits and bobs, other than a long-dried rusty stain on one flat end of the head. "I put decades of work into this business and I'll not have any of you ruin it over one little girl's head."

"She's a killer, Pops!" Somebody shouted, but the aged chef turned to put an evil eye on the crowd. In an instant, his body was shelled in a jungle-green aura.

Kramer stared at him, favoring one foot as the bigger Faunus squeezed his shoulder. "Kramer, go have yourself a seat, call your friends and have them look at your foot." Pops ordered, his voice near-jovial, but it only took one look in his eye to ruin any sense of courtesy he was trying to convey.

"Pops- the Schnee!" Kramer insisted, looking to Weiss and Yang with a tight jaw. "She's right here!" He jabbed his pistol towards them, his finger shaking on the trigger. "Our entire race deserves her blood! Everything she's done-"

"Sit. Down." Pops ordered, his voice dropping to a low, animalistic snarl that made Kramer freeze, his eyes wide, sweat dotting his forehead.

He glanced between the two figures, then to the crowd, but they had backed away the moment Pops' aura flared to life. He gave Weiss one last, longing look of murderous intent… and his scream filled the building, the whole crowd moving away as Kramer gripped his arm, which had turned bloody and purple from Pop's swift, bone-pulping punch. The pistol hit the floor, lying still.

The massive man grabbed Kramer by the collar and flung him to the ground, where he moaned and spasmed in pain. Pops shot the crowd a dire glare, and their collective heartbeats silenced in terror. "Now y'all got a choice. You can help this old man set things right so I can be open again by tomorrow, or you can turn your tails around and walk out. If I see any of you try and lay a finger on any of my other customers again, Wurfram here's gonna be tastin' some blood. Ol' Wurf ain't had a drink in a good long while now," the hammer over his shoulders rocked threateningly, "so I'd suggest against testing ol' Pops. So, git or get on your scrolls, one of the two."

The order was heeded with great speed.

A half hour later, Kramer was loaded into the back of another unmarked van, and driven away as police and emergency workers inspected the building, taking statements from the few Faunus that remained, Pops, Weiss, and Yang.

Yang stormed up and down the open space between tables, expelling enough heat to cause the authorities to give her a wide berth. Weiss sat at a table, her expression tired and blank, an aged quilt over her shoulders, adorned with fading stitchings of the old White Fang logo. Pops settled down next to her as an EMS worker check her over.

Weiss peered down as a milk-filled mug was presented to her, and then looked up at Pops, who gave her a very gentle, concerned expression. "Might not be much, miss Schnee, but warm milk's good for ya, especially after a good toss up. Good t'see the Schnees still teach that old anti-poison aura trick."

"... Thank you." Weiss whispered, accepting the hot drink. It went down her irritated throat smoothly, bringing some much needed heat to her still-weak limbs. She rubbed her face, wiping away a few tears as Pops adjusted the blanket over her shoulders. "... 'm sorry."

"S'not your fault, miss Schnee. If every little girl was made to wear her family's sins, the world'd be a helluva lot worse." Pops undid her hair bun, his thick fingers surprisingly dextrous as he let her hair down, easing the tension on her scalp. "Couple'a dumb idiots thinkin' they can make a name for themselves in the worst ways is why I left the White Fang before leadership passed over. I may have a beef with the SDC, but I know where the line is, and I know you ain't got nothin' to do with what me, my family, or my people have gone through."

Weiss nodded, not meeting his eye as she drank again. Pops sighed as the police came to take his statement, and when the EMS worker asked if Weiss needed to go to the hospital, Weiss shook her head, turning him away. He nodded, reminded her of how to contact them, and joined his crew by the door. His spot was immediately taken by Yang, and before Weiss could say anything, her drink was put on a table, and her whole body almost swallowed by Yang's embrace.

"Y-Yang?" Weiss murmured, looking up to the agitated blonde. She was hot as hell, and not just because of her looks, and she looked ready to break every table in the restaurant and cry while doing it.

"I want to kill _so many things."_ Yang hissed, squeezing Weiss tighter, making the young heiress squeak, but relax in much needed comfort. "But I _can't_ so I'm _hugging you_ until you're _okay_ so _don't complain."_ Yang spat each word with a hard glare, and Weiss shook her head.

"I'm not." Weiss sighed, leaning against Yang, her body exhausted from fighting the toxins, as well as expending so much aura to force the poison out. She silently watched her enormous savior try to retell his events of the story, though Weiss could tell by the expression on the policeman's face that he was giving Pops no benefit of the doubt. Pops would suffer, somehow, for even daring to be in the presence of a hurt human, and a shaky anger filled Weiss's still-frail body.

Up in front of the store, several vans parked on the side of the street, their news logos prominently displayed on the sides. Vale's Channel 8, Remnant Global, The Curiosity, The Sanus Daily, and, perhaps, most tellingly, the Faunus Eyes and Ears. Of the five of them, Weiss recognized the last one based on the number of their reports that were filtered through other news cycles as exceedingly anti-human.

The woman that stepped out, a fox-eared beauty by the name of Valua Shun, looked all business in her burgundy suit and skirt, prominently displaying a White Fang pin on her lapel, while she, and the other newscasters, immediately launched into their opening stories.

Weiss took a deep breath, and looked over herself. She was pale, wearing very boyish clothes covered in her own sick, her hair a mess, her tears red and puffy, she grit her teeth and tapped Yang's arm. "Yang, I need your help."

"You need me to go scare them away?" Yang asked darkly, watching the newscasters cautiously, forming a small, angry fist as they tried getting statements from the various emergency service workers.

"No." Weiss took Yang's hand, and rest it on her long sheet of hair. "Do my hair, please. Quickly?" Weiss ordered, looking into her teammate's lavender eyes with utter seriousness.

"... You were just _poisoned,_ you can't go talk to those people!" Yang looked boggled, but then Weiss frowned and pleaded with her already watery eyes, and Yang sucked an annoyed breath through her teeth.

A few minutes later, Weiss stumbled out, minus her jacket and hat, her hair pulled back in a neat, straight ponytail by a spare scrunchie. She looked nothing like she did when she went on stage or before a magazine, she looked about as interview ready as Zwei's butt, but she sucked it up, knowing she had a debt to pay.

Yang held her shoulder, keeping her steady, and shooting warning looks as the reporters swarmed towards Weiss.

"Miss Schnee, there are multiple reports of you being _poisoned_ by the White Fang! Can you tell us what _really_ happened?"

"Miss Schnee, several anonymous tips suggested you initiated the attack with racially charged comments, and some even reported that you drew a weapon, what were you trying to accomplish here?"

"Miss Schnee, you were mistaken for a boy by several patrons when you first walked in, is there any fact behind these claims?"

Weiss raised her hands, her expression neutral, if groggy, and waited for the questions to die down. She took a deep breath, cleared her head, cleared her throat, and opened her eyes again to speak. "I entered this establishment with my friend and teammate for a simple dining experience. No weapons were drawn until after I was incapacitated, and I had no intention of trying to start any form of fight through insensitive commentary. As for my dress, I did not wish to advertise my presence here and be harassed, so I came in a disguise."

Valua suddenly pressed forward, her mic at Weiss's mouth. "Miss Schnee, this establishment is _very_ well known as a Faunus hot spot, as well as carrying a positive White Fang sentiment, for what reason would _you_ choose to come here?" The vulpine woman spoke the word 'you' with clear venom in her voice, and Weiss turned to look back at Pops' diner, and her shoulders sank as she answered.

"My friend and teammate assured me that this restaurant was the place to go for an authentic Faunus dining experience. In an attempt to bond over similar tastes in food, we came here strictly with the intent to eat."

Another reporter leaned in, "Miss Schnee, if you came here to eat, why the disguise?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed as she answered, "I am well aware of my reputation with the Faunus, I did not wish to start an incident between myself and the White Fang on my day off from school."

"And you assumed a disguise would be necessary, and would not cause any sort of issues?"

Yang answered, in the most controlled, flat voice she could manage, "She walked in with the disguise and was _still_ poisoned."

The reporter sheepishly stepped back as Valua took center again, looking like she was having none of their excuses. "Miss Schnee, what do you believe is the reason for your assault here today?"

Weiss huffed in annoyance, but answered straightly, "My family has a sordid history with the Faunus people, the White Fang especially. If I were to guess, I was to be made an example of in an attempt to scare my relations."

"And do you believe it would have been successful?"

"Of course not!" Weiss briefly lost her composure, frowning deeply, but then she regained her nerve. "The Schnee Dust Company and its associates are not easily cowed by threats. We do not actively seek to provoke violence against ourselves, but that does not mean we are defenseless, or spineless. If I had d-died-" Weiss's lips trembled, but she bit down on them and continued, "if I had died, business would have continued as usual."

"And you yourself are _okay_ with that?"

Weiss considered the question for a while suddenly finding the back of her hand interesting, but finally, a resigned sigh escaped her. "Yes." She glanced back up at the surrounding cameras, and she felt Yang shift uncomfortably behind her. "Through my lessons as a huntress, I have learned that fear is often the reason for failure. Our civilizations, both human and Faunus, have suffered out of the fear we have instilled in each other. I only wish to leave a positive change in the world, if I left behind excessive pain, fear, or sadness, then I would have failed as a huntress."

"But what about as a _business_ woman?"

"All the same." Weiss answered instantaneously, drawing a raised brow from Valua. "My grandfather started the Schnee Dust Company with the intent of making the world a better, safer place. Though we have gone through discourse since his passing, I fully believe the Schnee Dust Company's intention and goal is to provide comfort and protection at a low cost. I have every intention of maintaining this goal when I finally take my place in the Company."

The reporters touched their earpieces, murmuring softly to their cameramen, and one brave soul came forward with a very stupid question: "Miss Schnee, after today's incident, do you ever plan on returning to this establishment?"

Weiss glanced back at the building once more, watching Pops through the window. The large man settled down on a seat, looking so old, and so tired, despite his energy when she'd first walked in. Weiss turned back to the reporter, and nodded slowly. "Pops Wings and Things showed no bias in its customer base, and delivered an _extremely_ satisfactory dining experience before we had realized the food was tampered with. I have every intention of returning here, though I will be more careful about who else handles my food." She gave a small, pleased smile, and the reporters murmured some more. Weiss touched Yang's hand, and leaned back towards her. "Help me back in, please. I'm done."

"Miss Schnee, one more-"

"Back up, buster." Yang held a hand out to the mic, taking Weiss by the shoulder with her other hand. "Miss Schnee's done answering questions. Shoo! Go bug someone else." Yang abruptly turned around, making Weiss yelp in surprise as she was quickly escorted back inside.

The reporters stopped their clamoring once the door was shut, and Yang helped Weiss sit down. The tall blonde crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at Weiss with a frown as the girl shrivelled back into a tired heap. " _Why_ did you do that? You know they're going to make this into an even _bigger_ mess."

Weiss breathed deeply, enjoying being off her feet, and she looked up to Yang with a frown. "They would think I'm hiding something if I didn't. Putting _that_ aside, I am well within the public eye anyways, I would like them to know my side of the story. And to…" Weiss squirmed in place, "and to make sure Pops gets his credit. He _did_ save my life. I'd feel bad if he lost business because of me."

What good was there in arguing with that? Yang felt even more frustrated than before, she'd lost her villain and couldn't find a replacement, she needed somebody to be angry at, somebody to be seen delivered to justice! She need exactly what the Faunus before had been looking for, a scapegoat, something to vent on, and it was driving her crazy drawing the comparison. Her agitation didn't lessen when an officer approached the two of them, looking apologetic for their whole situation.

"Hello ladies, I'm Officer Midre, would you care for an escort back to Beacon? I'm sure you'll be much safer with us than taking an airbus." He offered. Weiss lifted herself up to her feet, nodding gratefully at the offer.

"That sounds perfectly fine, officer. Yang?" Weiss looked Yang's way. The blonde huntress stared down at her fists, only able to feel a simmering anger at how useless she was in protecting her friend, and she hung her head in dejected agreement.

The two slid into the back of a police car, and were carted off to Beacon on a winding road that went the long way to the school. It wasn't Yang's first time in a police car, but it was the first time she felt so defeated riding one. No bullshit excuses and lame jokes to share with the driver or her fellow passenger, just the simple stink of failure.

Pops lifted his head sullenly as the door to his business opened again. The reporters still milled about outside, except for Valua, who came in alone, no microphone in hand. The stern looking fox woman cast a glance at the aged restaurateur before walking down the counter to pick up one of the remaining mugs. Pops blinked slowly as she filled it with ice and a diet soda, and quietly settled down next to Pops with a serious expression.

"The White Fang isn't likely to turn the other cheek on this, Pops." Her voice was low, an attempt at a consoling tone, but she refused to look his way, her expression downcast.

"I know that." Pops shrugged. At his hip, he pulled a flask and twisted the top open, the smell of a sweet, Vacuan honey liquor escaping the thin neck. "You think I'm due to be 'visited?'" He asked with a sour expression, briefly glancing up to the hammer leaning against the wall.

Valua considered the question, peering into her glass, and worked her jaw in discomfort. "The Fang has a serious 'nobody leaves' policy, but you left well before the current leader came to power. They never told you about any of their operations, did they?" Valua's ear flickered, but Pops shook his head.

"I'm just an old man still stuck in the past runnin' a wing shop. Some of the youngins wanted advice, but if I heard anything, it was none'a my business. I left what feels like a hundred years ago, found better uses of my time than trying to excuse every Faunus kid's assault charges."

The woman nodded and simply drank from her mug. The future was full of uncertainty, and while it was easy to condemn traitors, old friends were a different story. The White Fang loved Pops, what with being an old man with a ton of Fang memorabilia, and serving up long-beloved meals to boot.

"You might lose business." Valua muttered, eyes narrowed angrily.

"I knew the risks I was taking, Val. I half expect to come in tomorrow and find this place trashed." Pops frown deepened, and he shook his head. "Me 'n the wife were talkin' about a move anyways. Vale's gotten too risky, what with the crimewave and now this. Might go see my old pals in Menagerie, see if they have room for another old chef there."

"That's basically retirement." Valua pointed out with a frown, and Pops chuckled.

"Yeah, but it's been a good run. 'Sides, nothing happens in Menagerie. Maybe there'll be no new stories to hear, but us old folk like to sit around and reminisce anywho, it'll be good talkin' about the 'good ol' days' with Ghira again. Wonder what that optimist is up to…"

"Hmm." Was Valua's only response. Calmly she lowered her mug, and shot Pops a curious look, her jaw working quietly. "Pops, what made you do it? You knew who she was, you knew what it would have meant to our people, this whole problem could have been avoided if you'd just-"

"—If I'd just sat back and watched my people murder two young women outta petty _revenge?_ All 'cuz them idiots ain't smart enough to understand where to put blame?!" Pops interrupted furiously, making Valua's ears flatten in worry as the man bared his sharpened teeth. "Weiss Schnee walked into my business and all I could ask myself was: 'Is she starting trouble? What does she want?' And know what I found out? She wanted onion rings." The bridge of his big, bulbous nose wrinkled, and he let out a deep sigh. "She let her voice slip 'cuz she got herself worked up over _onion rings._ She was a customer, s'all she was. She ate and I heard no complaints, she even thanked me for saving her life. I seen the evils the Schnees are capable of, I know when they're playin' at cordial to break your heart and drive you out, all Weiss Schnee wanted was onion rings and for nobody to bother her. It coulda been special, the first Schnee-Fang interaction where nobody was talkin' about our relations, just one person buyin' the service another's providin', but no, that idjit Kramer had to get involved." Pops took the first sip from his flask, and he lowered his head into his hand with a deep, tired sigh. He then shot a dirty look at Valua. "And now _you."_

Valua tensed up, looking the other way, her face turning red as she slowly worked her jaw. "The Faunus don't want to hear about how one of their own went out of control. They need to have hope in the White Fang, without it, how can we possibly demand more? Equality won't come with stirring the waters, we have to make waves!"

"Yeah, well, if it's false hope you're peddlin', count me out." Pops stood up with a beleaguered grunt, and Valua watched him with a tight frown as he trudged back to the counter, flicking light switches to turn the 'on' sign 'off' out front. "Lyin's why the Fang's got started, y'know." Pops thumped a thumb against the defaced SDCV flag. "We were promised everything under the sun, and when that was a lie, we were dug too deep to climb out. Fang started because we needed real hope, we needed progress. Now we're gonna lie about the bad shit the Fang's done, the humans're gonna lie about the bad shit the Fang's done, and it's gonna be two different lies so everyone's gonna think the wrong thing and go at each other's' throats. Fat-lotta hope that's goin' around."

"Do you think they'd _want_ to hear the truth?" Valua demanded as she stood, and Pops turned to give her a silencing look.

"Nobody _wants_ the truth, Val, but if we're gonna make any progress, somebody's gotta start being honest. I'm headin' into the back and takin' a nap." He slid behind the counter and trudged into the back room. Valua stared down at her mug, then set it aside.

She fluffed her hair, wiped some lint off her blouse, and head for the door with a stern frown. She paused as she pushed it open, glancing down at her feet, then shook her head and stepped out.

* * *

Blake could not have been more at peace.

Well, that was not quite true, there were a lot of things that would put Blake further at ease. Quietly peering over her new book at Ruby, she could list a handful of things that would make the day better, but this… this was bliss.

Madame Lovecraft's Emporium of the Beyond was an almost comically thin building that stood between two office buildings almost entirely at random. The old structure stood as a testament to a time when standardized building techniques hadn't yet been finalized and people built what suited them, not fit the city. The end result was a long, narrow path to walk between a tall, wall-dominating bookshelf and a checkout desk, where a heavily-veiled woman in moon-eyed glasses greeted them in a manner that suggested she had done business with Kevin earlier that day.

The low lighting and scent of incense gave the interior of the building an extraordinarily dreamy quality, and the sheer selection of off-the-wall, unusual books struck Blake as she found herself staring at the spines of old occult tomes that claimed its curses 'really worked!', alongside storybooks that prominently featured mythical beasts, Grimm, great heroes, brooding anti-heroes, villain-protagonists, and a single cookbook titled: ' _Cooking With Urine!'_ Blake left that one alone, and judging by the amount of dust it had accumulated, she was not the first to pass it up based on its title.

The upstairs—which was separated from the downstairs by a staircase so steep, Ruby almost had to hop up each step—was a set of lighter reading books meant to be enjoyed in the small lounge. Just a pair of tables, oversized bean bag chairs that you sank into almost immediately, and a few folding chairs decorated the far end of the second floor.

Blake had dragged one of the bean bag chairs underneath a window, and was curled up in it, warm and content as she curiously perused a book about a hunter who cured women possessed by evil spirits by shagging them. It… wasn't a thought-provoking book by any means, and the author's vocabulary was a few grades short of a highschool diploma, but Blake held onto the hopes that Jaymond the Exorcist's repeated penile struggles with the unsavory forces of the afterlife somehow gave her a deeper understanding of the world around her.

Cooly, she looked up at Ruby, sunk into a different bean bag chair, looking so tiny, so complacent, so far away from the rest of the world. All of Ruby's jittering nervousness was gone, replaced by a picture of perfect peace. She had chosen a small book titled ' _Mockery',_ and Blake could only wonder what it was about. She didn't dare break Ruby's concentration, however. There had to be _some_ honor among readers.

It was nice. They were both exactly where they wanted to be, an interesting admission considering there was still a heavy burden between the two of them. Blake look at Ruby's goggles, and imagined that ugly black vein again, and a small shudder ran through her body. How much she wanted to pluck those goggles off and _see…_

Blake silently reached for the top of her head, but put her hand down before anyone could notice. How easy it would have been to loosen her ribbon and show Ruby the truth. Casting that burden aside would ease things… but then she remembered Ruby's demand, an _order_ to stop asking about those eyes, and a bitter bile built up in her belly. She had swallowed her pride and her curiosity to entertain her team leader's innocence and secrecy, and her ears felt heavier on her head. Ruby didn't trust her, not more than Ozpin, and until they'd asked _him…_

Blake screwed her eyes shut. Surely, she was overthinking this...

"I brought snacks!" Came a self-satisfied voice. Blake only barely opened her eyes to see Sun stride towards them with a bag in one hand. Ruby sat up from her seat as the blonde boy opened a paper bag and passed out food. "Bagel, bagel, donut…" He recited, handing Blake a wheat bagel and Ruby a sugary donut, then he himself began spreading cream cheese on a poppy seed bagel.

"Thank you Sun!" Ruby spoke through a mouthful of pastry.

Blake hummed her thanks as she bit into her bagel and decided to put her book aside. It hadn't been terribly engaging, and she was in no mood for adolescent smut anyways. Sun wasn't a bad person, but he stole her voice. She needed to be talking to be Ruby, to be asking Ruby questions, to try and cultivate her relationship, and he had, without knowing, intruded.

"So," Sun started after swallowed the first bite of his food, "how tough a place is Beacon? I heard only the best of the best get in, so do you gotta stay the best, or?..."

"It's _hard…"_ Ruby whimpered, making Sun swallow loudly… though that may have been because he was still eating. "All the classes are go go _go,_ there's a big test in every class every Friday, and combat classes are supposed to pick up next week so we're going to be fighting each other…" Ruby sighed, laying back in her chair. "Don't get me wrong, we made it through them, but I feel like I'm failing if I'm not studying."

"Harsh." Sun nodded simply, but didn't look awfully concerned. "Well Sage and Neptune'll be happy, those nerds thought Haven was too easy. Anything fun to do there?"

"It has a _huge_ library!" Ruby perked up happily, and Sun snorted. "There's so much to read, and shows to rent, and they have some sorta cinema on campus during the afternoon, but we never went 'cuz we were busy. Also, clubs are allowed to start recruiting first year students during the second week, something about first years being situated, and club affairs being settled…"

"Right." Sun nodded, finishing the last of his bagel as he cast a curious glance at Blake. He was not a subtle sort, and Blake hid a sigh of annoyance as he took in her legs before looking back at Ruby. "So, big readers, huh? What else do you girls do?"

"Train. A lot. Because I don't have time for anything else." Ruby puffed her cheeks up, and Blake hid a small smirk. Their team leader wasted plenty of time reading and looking up cute animal pictures on her scroll, but she did spend an enormous amount of time with her notes and her scythe.

"And you?" Sun looked to Blake, leaning towards her in open interest. Blake hardly looked his way. He needed to read the room better and flirt with the girl who had been chattering about his 'yumminess' earlier.

"I like reading and naps." Blake answered. She also liked teasing her teammates to a frenzy, but that was none of his concern.

"Cool, so… like, power naps, or long naps or-"

"All the naps." Ruby answered, and Blake hid a smirk. " _All_ of them."

She wasn't wrong. Blake hid a chuckle as Sun scratched his head in confusion, and checked her scroll when it buzzed. Her smile fell.

 _-Don't tell Ruby because she's going to freak, but you two need to get back to Beacon. Weiss was poisoned and I'm freaking out.-_

Blake reread the message Yang had sent her.

 _-Poisoned?-_

 _-YES. I should have mentioned she's fine, she unpoisoned herself or something. Hurry?-_

The bagel in Blake's mouth turned tasteless as the sudden weight of message fell on her. Poisoned? That wasn't something that just _happened_ to people unless they mishandled cleaning products. Weiss had gone to _eat,_ so unless her food was contaminated, or somebody had-

Blake's throat went tight. A wing place full of _Faunus_?... No, no, they wouldn't have, they _couldn't_ have, Weiss was in disguise…

 _Weiss_ had been poisoned. The sweet little rich girl who had treated her to tea, and had a whole-hearted belief in the quality of a team. Of all the people Blake had issues with, Weiss had been the least troublesome thus far…

Blake felt an ache in her chest, and she tried to wrap her mind around the information… yes, she needed to go back, to confirm the story, to make sure Weiss was okay. She had to be calm, however. Their little outing had been short and eventful, but now they _needed_ to go back…

"Ruby." Blake spoke thickly, her voice sounding wrong coming out of her mouth. She stood and silently returned her borrowed book back to its place, a strange grogginess around her. "Ruby, we need to leave."

"Huh?" Ruby looked up from Sun, who looked equally confused as Blake began to put things back into place, her expression flat, other than her wide eyes. "B-but- what's wrong? We just got here? And Sun- sh-should we…?"

"Yeah, is there trouble?" Sun stood, his expression now serious as he sensed Blake's distress. Blake bridged her fingers in front of her in thought, and breathed out.

"It's a team matter, nobody else involved. Yang has asked that Ruby and I return to our dorm room so we can handle this together. I mean no offense, but it's private." Blake spoke mechanically. They were in _Vale,_ they were _Beacon students,_ they were meant to be perfectly normal and friendly, they weren't supposed to be dealing with this. Surely the Faunus wouldn't have- against somebody so important? In broad daylight?! Even the Fang wouldn't be so bold…

At least… that's what Blake wanted to believe, and she couldn't see her own expression as she took Ruby's wrist to tug her to her feet.

"Blake?" Ruby's voice was soft, full of fright as the black-haired girl pulled her leader close. "Wh-what-what's going on?"

"... I'll tell you at the dorms." Blake spoke gently, trying to reassure Ruby with her eyes, but doing a poor job masking her own fear and guilt.

"Hey." Sun walked towards them, wearing a confused but understanding frown. "At least let me escort you two to the docks, alright?" The offer went unanswered for a moment as Ruby and Blake looked to each other, and Sun pressed on. "I promise, it's just to keep you two outta trouble. Besides, it's not like I won't ever see you again! Just… lemme help."

Ruby looked up to Blake with uncertainty, more pale than usual. Blake caressed her cheek for a moment, then nodded to Sun. "As long as you don't make this weird."

Sun saluted, and took the lead out the door.

* * *

"If your sister is pulling some sort of prank, I am killing her until she's dead, and then some." Blake spoke a full sentence for what seemed like the first time since they exited the book store. Ruby followed behind her down the hallway towards their dormroom, the statement serving to both confuse and worry Ruby even more.

"U-um, wh-what happened? Did-did Yang get in trouble?" Ruby asked, feeling cold and clammy as she struggled to keep up with Blake's expedient pace. Blake shook her head, continuing forward unimpeded.

"Not _yet,_ but I swear…" Blake let the threat fall flat. Her mind was racing with possibilities, and she craved to know more. More than anything, she needed Weiss to be okay. She needed to _know_ Weiss was okay. She wanted to find whatever idiot hurt her teammate, her friend—she was friends with a _Schnee;_ the thought sent rebellious tremors through her limbs—and wrap Gambol Shroud's ribbon around their neck.

Their door was within sight, and as they closed in, it opened. Ruby and Blake both came to a halt as the tip of a cane lead the headmaster out, one hand running down his face in an open display of concern, before nudging his small spectacles back up his nose. His gray hair bounced a little as he glanced towards Ruby and Blake, his expression worryingly blank.

"Hello students." He nodded his head at them, shutting the door behind him. Ruby ran forward, her expression on the verge of tears as she shook his arm pleadingly. Blake normally would have reprimanded such disrespect, but Ozpin rest his hand on Ruby's head.

"P-pro-prof-pro-h-head-headmaster, i-is Yang o-kay? D-did-did she g-get in t-trouble?! I-I s-swear she's a g-good per-person, sh-she gets-" His finger bumped her lips, silencing her as he put on a gentle smile.

"Your sister is perfectly fine, Ruby, contrary to your fears, she is well within the law, both Vale's and my own." He answered, withdrawing his hand as he turned to face Blake.

"And Weiss?" Blake asked, moving forward to look up into his curious eyes.

"Weiss is currently exhausted, but healthy. Nurse Nightingale gave her a thorough check-up and confirmed there are no harmful toxins remaining in her body."

" _Toxins?!"_ Ruby squeaked, her hands closing around Ozpin's wrist tightly. The headmaster was very calm baring Ruby's dramatic jittering as she stared up at him, begging for an answer, and he nodded slowly.

"While enjoying a meal in Vale with your sister, a member of the White Fang slipped poison into her meal." Ruby had gone slack, waving in place until Ozpin squeezed her shoulder. "She's okay, Ruby, she needs bed rest, good food, and the comfort of good friends. The perpetrator was apprehended by the police. You, however-" Ozpin didn't finish his statement in time for Ruby to come to her senses, and push through the dorm door. The small cacophony of yelps, whimpering, shouting, and the clatter of furniture was cut short when Ozpin shut the door again. He turned to face Blake.

Blake was staring numbly at the floor, her hands cold and limp, her head hanging without the willpower to keep her posture straight. The headmaster calmly moved towards her, and the tip of his finger lifted her chin to look him in the eye. "Blake?"

"H-ha-ah?..." Was all she managed, her arms trembling in a mixture of betrayal and grief. "H-headmaster…?" She grit her teeth, unable to keep her eyes from misting over.

"... I know how it feels to accept the sins of your organization as your own, but it was not your hand nor your words that let this come to pass. You are no more responsible for this than I am." He let his hand hang by his side, and though his expression was not pitying, Blake still looked away in shame. "You and Weiss have grown together in ways that I suspect surprise you."

Blake swallowed a curse, a sob, and a growl all at once, and nodded slowly. "She's not perfect." Blake admitted, feeling her lips tremble. "She's not a monster, either. It's not simple, I was hoping it would be _simple,_ but… but I'm scared of her getting hurt, and I'm scared if she finds out-..."

Ozpin took her hesitation to speak further to interject. "There's much to be afraid of, but I somehow doubt it'll be in the ways you think. True fear comes from the unknown."

Blake didn't know what he meant. 'In the ways that she thought?' She feared this pack she was forming was built on lies, both big and small. She feared that they would reject her the moment they knew her history. She feared what might happen to them if they didn't know what her life was...

She looked up to Professor Ozpin, the calm way he evaluated her, and he gently pointed to her room. "Your team needs you, Blake. Put aside your worries for the moment so you can be there for them, and when the time is right, do what you must." His fingers lifted, and Blake felt a knot in her stomach tighten as he delicately touched the very tip of one side of her ribbon, while she resisted the urge to flick her ear.

And, like that, his hand was back by his side, while he stepped around her with a calming smile, heading for the elevator. Blake turned to watch him, and impulse screamed within her. "Headmaster!" She called out, giving him pause. "I-I wanted to- I have to ask…" She looked to her room, where Ruby waited, where Weiss lay… "I wanted… she's- Ruby…" Blake trailed off. _Ask the question._ Get his answer. It was within her reach.

 _Go to Weiss._

She wanted to scream and tear her hair out. She wanted to be selfish and demand answers, but how could she justify the timing? To demand to know her teammate's secrets while one of them barely avoided _dying?_ Was it _right?_ Was it _wrong?_ It was a simple question to a very big secret, she wanted the curtain pulled aside so they could finally end this charade and stop dancing around the issue!...

… But she was a coward. She would give priority to her own curiosity over Weiss's plight, or she would squirrel away her inquiries and remain in the dark to soothe her own guilt. How she craved the simple solution of leaving… how could she justify herself to Weiss now? She'd be in the line of fire, demands made as to why she lied…

She turned her head back towards the door. "... I'll ask later…" Blake spoke just loud enough for the headmaster to hear. He did not move from his spot immediately, but when Blake twisted the door handle, he continued toward the elevators.

Blake pushed the door open and walked in to take in the scene.

"... Let go." Weiss ordered, looking frail and pathetic in her bed, propped up by a pile of pillows and wearing some formless gray pajamas.

" _No!"_ Ruby sniffed loudly, her face buried into Weiss's shoulder, arms around her partner so tightly, Weiss couldn't move her arms.

"Let go!" Weiss ordered more sternly, and Ruby shook her head like a petulant child, before whimpering louder. "How can you expect me to rest when you're like this?!" Weiss demanded, then gave Yang a pleading look. "Help? She's _your_ sister!"

Yang chuckled softly, standing up from the chair she'd placed by Weiss's bunk to grab her sister by the shoulders. "C'mon Ruby, Weiss needs her rest."

"No! _Nooooooo!_ I wooon't!" Ruby whined as Yang, with great effort, managed to pry her arms open. "I gotta stay or somebody might hurt her again! Yaaaaang, nooooo!" Ruby was pulled off and dropped into Yang's chair. Weiss sighed in relief and quietly reached for a teacup on a nearby nightstand. Yang automatically grabbed the accompanying teapot and filled Weiss's cup, letting the girl drink with relish while Ruby squirmed and fidgeted by Weiss's side.

"... Child." Weiss flicked Ruby's forehead, drawing a pained squeak, and a pouty look. She looked to the door in slight alarm as it clicked closed, and Blake locked it behind her. She slowly walked in, looking from her pale, low-key partner to Weiss, hoping she was keeping her face as neutral as she wanted it to be. "... Tea, Blake?" Weiss offered, gesturing to the tea pot.

"I don't have the stomach for it, but thank you." Blake answered gently, her stomach still in tight knots as she walked to the bed. Awkwardly, she sat down by Weiss's feet. She looked remarkably cozy, and even had her hair down. She looked like the ill girls Blake's books constantly described: pale, long-haired, in clean, but plain bed clothes, but there was no dying light in her eyes, just a tired flame, awaiting the passing of a storm to burn brightly once more. "... I'm glad you're okay."

"Not as glad as I am, trust me." Weiss smirked.

"I know." Blake responded with a half smile. "But, more importantly, how do you feel?"

Weiss's smile faltered, and she fell somber, taking a long drink of her tea. When she answered, her voice was very calm, if confused. "I don't know." She raised a hand to touch her chest, and took a deep breath. "I mean, obviously I'm tired. Aura detoxification is incredibly strenuous, and I'm really not hungry, though I know I should be."

"You know what I mean, dummy." Blake spoke softly, both Ruby and Yang watching nearby, their eyes wide, their ears open. "How do you _feel?"_

"... Scared." Weiss admitted, twiddling her thumbs. " _Angry."_ She spoke more forcefully, making fists. "I'm supposed to be a huntress, and I was nearly murdered by some auraless grunt and a vial of foul chemicals." She sighed thickly, laying her head back, her eyes glassy and soft. "Though this _is_ the first attempt on my life, it's not like I could have expected it…"

"You say that like you expect it to happen again." Yang said gravely, and Blake bit down on her lower lip as Weiss nodded solemnly.

"Being a Schnee isn't always glamorous. It can be dangerous, even if you're from one of the branch families. The Schnee name paints a target on your back, whether or not you're involved in the SDC, whether or not you live like a celebrity or stay out of the limelight for a quiet life. Those…" Weiss hit the bed with her fist, her head hung low, her voice breaking, "Those _monsters,_ those so-called _revolutionaries_ in the White Fang, it doesn't matter to them what you did, they'll murder anyone who carries the Schnee name, even by proxy, because all they care about is revenge!"

Blake turned her head away to stare at the floor. That wasn't… _completely_ true. Weiss had every right to be angry, but the words stung…

"Why do you think I know an anti-poison technique? They don't fight fair, they want us weak, they want us to suffer. They've been threats my entire _life,_ _my_ company, and _my_ people are under a constant threat because of them. Walking into that building was stupid _stupid_ of me, trusting that man was _stupid_ of me. He outright _said_ he was a White Fang member and I _trusted_ him to play nice!" Weiss's voice rose, and she flopped back onto her pillow, taking deep breaths as she tugged at the sheets around her furiously. "Leave it to the Fang to use sacred hospitality to stab you in the back."

"I still want to _kill_ that guy." Yang suddenly growled, loud enough to make Ruby flinch away from her. The blonde's knuckles were turning white as she stood in place, shaking, leaking a potent rage that left Blake staring in quiet fear. "That goddamned _animal."_ Yang spat.

"Yang!" Blake called her out weakly, trying to give her a disapproving look, but she could feel the resistance dying in her. After everything she'd seen them do, after everything _she'd_ done…

"No, Blake! I'm not- I can't be PC right now!" Yang turned, swinging a blind hook at empty air, her shoulders shivering as Ruby quietly stood, reaching out to her older sister, only for Yang to let out a low, frustrated cry. "He told us he owed us! We _trusted_ him! I thought he was a nice guy, I thought it was going to be a good day, but _no_ , the bear turned out to be a fucking snake!" She threw another aimless punch. "I am so _done!_ I mean, how long did he even _know?!_ Did he just _use me_ to hurt Weiss?! I bet that asshole hated me too! Oooh, woe is _me,_ I don't have hairy ears so it's okay to use me _too!"_

"Yang, y-you're shouting." Ruby gently warned her sister, but Yang hunched over, another furious noise escaping her as she held her knees.

"I wanna _shout,_ damnit! I wanna scream, I wanna _kill that asshole!_ He _used me!_ He was going to _shoot me_ even though I helped that idiot getting his ass beat in the alleyway!" Yang turned towards Ruby, her face contorted in rage, her teeth grinding together in frustration, and Ruby stared silently, unable to drum up any sort of argument. "I'm not some tool to be tossed away once I'm not useful anymore, Ruby!"

Yang gasped, went tense, and went quiet as Ruby held her. Blake watched in mute guilt as the two sisters hugged, Yang trying to suck down her anger as her little sister clung to her, and Blake hung her head. "We're okay…"

"I'm _not_ okay…" Yang insisted, resting her hands on Ruby's back. "I didn't even get to _hit_ him. I was _useless_ Ruby, I just had to stand there and watch-"

"It's okay."

"It's not _fair,_ I hate this!"

"It's _okay."_

"Stop _saying_ that!"

"Yang." Weiss's voice sprang up, shutting the two up. Weiss held her teacup up demandingly, and gave the blonde a frustrated smile. "You're raising a bigger fuss than I am, and I was the one that got poisoned. Tea, please."

Yang sniffed loudly, and pushed Ruby to the side. Emitting an aura like a rampaging bull, the furious girl miraculously managed to pour Weiss a full cup of tea without spilling a single drop, and Weiss drank thankfully. "You're such a _butt_ Weiss." Yang muttered, falling back into the chair with a grieved sigh.

"A _healthy_ butt, though!" Ruby leaned over her partner with a little smile, and Weiss snorted.

The three girls looked to each other for comfort while Blake quietly walked to the closet, leaning against the doorframe for support. They'd hurt her teammate, they'd all but ridiculed her partner, and Blake could hear them muttering and whispering about how they'd failed to strike a blow, that any one of them could have finished the job…

So wrapped up in their craving for vengeance that rights and wrongs stopped mattering. All that was left were moralless soldiers, filled with a hypocritical righteousness and unreasonable anger. They wanted temporary highs over long-term solutions, and they would make things so much worse for that singular moment of feeling better…

The White Fang, her people, her home, her ideals… liars and deceptions, and she had been molded by them. She was their product, but she felt so alienated, how had they been trained the same way, taught the same ideals, but come out so disturbed? They weren't her people any longer, and these girls…

… They weren't either. This had gone too far. Blake was from a whole different world, and here she was _pretending_ to be part of theirs.

She grabbed the old duffel bag she'd brought her life to Beacon in and began to put her clothing in it. She couldn't stay. She needed to fix the problems she'd been a part of. Tonight, when everyone was asleep, she'd go. At least then they'd have nice memories of her, not turned bitter by the knowledge of who she was. She could at least share one last cup of tea, one more flirt, one more joke, one more book…

And then she'd fix the Fang herself, however she could.

* * *

The silent buzzer in Blake's scroll went off at exactly midnight. It wasn't necessary, as Blake couldn't drum up the urge to sleep. So many afternoons wasted on naps, but the one night she should have settled in to gain some energy, and she couldn't.

She sat up, not having bothered to pull over covers. She was still in her clothes from the day, having excused it as simply being too tired to change. Quietly she slid out of bed, hitting the floor on silent tip toes. She picked up her shoes from the closet and slowly and meticulously slid them onto her feet.

She stood, her duffel bag of clothes over one shoulder, and resolved that she would make it to the door without overthinking.

As she stepped out of the closet, walking with practiced stealth, her eyes immediately caught the glimmer of silver and blonde as the pale moonlight filtered through the window and struck Yang's hair in an unignorable way.

The entire rest of the day had been a haze. Blake had practiced the steps in her mind, again and again, knowing the girls would be in bed at least by midnight with the day's activities. If they did not, Blake would simply wait, but mercifully they'd each resigned themselves to their beds. They had talked, chattered, made vows of vengeance and protection, discussed how they'd avoid such scenarios in the future, related stories they'd heard of the Fang, and Blake had settled onto her bed, listening until one of them came to get her.

Staring at Yang, Blake felt a lump form in her throat. The perverted bruiser had appeared in her life as a falling star, brilliant and flashy, an unquenchable wildfire that wanted to consume Blake with affection and fun. Yang made the darkness in the back of Blake's mind retreat, and Yang shared herself so earnestly with Blake.

There was a threatening strength to Yang's charisma. It was easy to be taken by her warmth, and feel like the world was a wonderful place full of excitement and fun, where the danger could be punched away and the people were all new friends waiting in the wings. Blake hadn't met a girl like Yang before, and her sheer passion had inspired Blake. Blake had spent her life surrounded by people with righteous purpose and grim stories of their youth, but Yang's power was in her normalcy.

Blake envied it, and embraced it when she could. Spending some time before bed, talking about their day, avoiding the obvious topic of conversation, Yang was worried about a man named Pops, worried that he'd have to stop serving food, and bitching and moaning about Weiss making a mess of a T-shirt and pants. She was an everyday girl combined with a stick of dynamite, Blake loved that about her.

Yet, she could be all-consuming, hungry for attention and affection… compared to her little sister, she was unbearable at times.

Silently, Blake looked to Ruby's bunk, hidden behind curtains, and her smile slipped. The big secret… she'd never get to know. That was okay, though. It could be somebody else's problem. There was almost a relief in knowing she'd never know, but at the same time, there was a disheartening loss. Blake wanted to know, not just to sate her curiosity, but because she liked the girl.

Cute as a button and sweet as a song, a nervous little wreck who, nonetheless, carried herself with purpose. The world was big and frightening, and Ruby wanted nothing more than to fight it back. She wanted the world to be a home, safe and sound for everyone, and that very idea made her stronger than she had any right to be. Blake admired her drive and her wholesomeness, it was easy to like her for her naivety and kindness, but she radiated a weakness that drew people to protect her.

More than anything, Blake wanted to feel like she was doing the right thing, and this intelligent little girl, so frightful of her own inadequacy, but courageous enough to face it, stole Blake's heart and loyalty. Ruby would do no wrong, saving people was her life's goal, and Blake respected that. Her all-encompassing compassion, for human and Faunus, had given Blake hope that this was her place…

… but not as much as Weiss had.

Blake stared at the silent, dark shape on Weiss's mattress, and felt her heart sink. It was like finding buried treasure, getting to know Weiss. The face of evil, the heart of darkness, the tyrant-in-training herself, was, in truth, a bossy, but kind girl. Neurotic and over-assumptive, but quick to admit her own faults and try to correct them.

While Yang gave her comfort, and Ruby gave her drive, Weiss gave her insight. This one girl, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, had the intelligence and understanding to know what constituted right and wrong, but also the moral compass to use it for the world's benefit. She was a good person, one who wanted to be the absolute best so that she could use her power for the betterment of all.

She was not evil. None of these girls were, they were utterly kind, endlessly affectionate, and driven. They had made it to Beacon with a goal in mind, and even if Ruby's was childishly lofty, and Yang's cluelessly murky, they had a greater ambition than some of Blake's old associates, who were content to go with the flow, even as it spiralled into the abyss.

Blake stared at her friends in quiet grief. In her own way, she'd make sure their goals were attainable, by trying to remove at least one obstacle from their path.

The thought made Blake feel better about herself, and she went to the door. She hung her head, and breathed out unhappily. It was better this way. If they didn't know, maybe they'd still like her. She was okay being a happy memory.

She twisted the door handle and opened it to the darkened hallway, stopping dead in her tracks with wide eyes as Ruby stared up at her. Beneath her goggles, the girl's expression was blank, and in her hands were a couple of granola bars and a bag of chips.

No words were spoken, and Blake silently stepped back in shock, while Ruby shuffled inside. "R-Ruby." Blake stammered, staring down at her leader curiously, then up at her curtain-covered bunk. "I- I didn't expect you to… I mean, what are you doing up?" Blake spoke in a whisper as Ruby glanced down to the snacks in her hands with embarrassment.

"I-I thought Weiss woulda wanted something to eat when she woke up, so…" Ruby stared down at her hands. Blake blinked slowly, and nodded, gulping loudly.

"Ah, well... _good._ Don't mind me, just going for a walk." Blake said lamely. Ruby looked over Blake curiously, reading every inch of her posture, before her head turned to stare at Blake's duffle bag.

"W-what's in there, Blake?" Ruby asked, making Blake sweat.

' _Don't do this now… just trust me, okay? Just play dumb and trust me…'_

"My books." Blake lied, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. "I couldn't decide what I wanted to r-read, so I figured I'd take them all down by the fountain, enjoy the night, the sounds…" Blake trailed off, her expression a sorrowful grimace as Ruby quietly stared at the bag. Without a word, Ruby reached a hand out and flicked on the room's light.

Blake flinched, suddenly no longer protected by the still shroud of night, the room's artificial lighting making the hairs on the back of her neck crawl. She heard shifting from the other beds… "R-Ruby! What are you doing?!" Blake whispered in a low hiss.

Ruby's voice was calm, but demanding. "Your books are on the shelf, Blake. Where are you going?" Not a single stutter in her voice. That, somehow, was more damning than any of Weiss's and Yang's casual insults towards the Fang.

"What's going on?" Weiss's groggy voice rose from behind Blake. The black-haired huntress looked around in a panic, seeing Yang sit up, staring the two of them down, a frown on her face.

"J-just going for a walk!" Blake insisted. She heard Yang slide out of her bed, and move to stand behind her, and Blake could feel those lavender eyes on the back of her head.

Ruby shook her head, and pointed to Blake's bag with a frown. "You spent an hour in the closet messing with your clothes. I-I'm not dumb, Blake! D-don't lie to me!" Ruby ordered, her cheeks turning red as she became more upset. Blake glanced between the two sisters, while Yang slid past Blake to poke Ruby's forehead.

"Calm down sis, you're over-emotional." Yang glanced Blake's way curiously as Ruby gave a small whine. "What's up? Li'l late to go camping." Yang looked like she was choosing to trust Blake, especially as she drew a struggling Ruby out of the way.

"I-it's nothing, just…" Blake shrugged. The door was clear, she could _leave._ She watched Weiss slip out of bed, standing on firm legs to come hold Ruby back. "Y'know…"

"We _don't."_ Weiss pointed out. "Ruby, quit struggling."

"But she's _leaving!_ She's trying to leave us!" Ruby insisted in a sharp voice, making Blake cringe when Weiss shot her a hurt look.

"No she's- I mean, _are_ you? But you wouldn't, right? We're a team."

"Ruby, why are you making such a big deal out of this? Let her be mysterious!"

"No!" Ruby fixed Blake with a deep, pained frown, and Blake felt a stone settle into her gullet. "No, she was like this yesterday too!" Ruby whimpered, making tight, stressed fists in front of her chest as Blake swallowed thickly. "Sh-she just felt _off._ All night I had bad dreams and stuff where she left! Blake, you don't gotta leave, if you're hurt, we can help you!"

"I-I'm not-" Blake sputtered, backing away from Ruby.

"It's just a _nightmare."_ Yang insisted, though her eyes lingered on Blake's bag again, then Blake's face, clearly wanting an explanation. "Ruby, you're too old to be acting like this! She's not running away!"

"Yes she _is!"_ Ruby stomped. She grit her teeth, and Blake's eyes fell to the floor as an odd shadow formed beneath her leader. "You don't hear them, but _I do._ They're trying to eat her because–" Ruby's voice broke, "–because she's hurt! Blake, _please,_ we're your team!"

"Who… who's _they?"_ Blake asked, looking from Weiss, to Yang, then back to the puddle under Ruby's feet. Ruby sniffled loudly, and Weiss and Yang looked to each other in silent worry.

"Blake, are you really trying to leave?" Weiss asked, leaving Blake agitated that they'd ignored her question.

"I-I told you I wasn't!" Blake's voice rose, though her panic only grew as Yang stomped over to her. "Yang, wait-" But it was too late. The blonde had snatched her bag, opening it, even as Blake pulled the strap. Her clothing, day, night, and under, fell to the floor in a heap. "S-stop! You're being ridiculous, I can explain!"

Yang snatched a bra off the ground and held it in front of Blake's face, looking painfully angry as she shook the garment. "Explain _what?_ Who packs their underwear to go for a walk?! You- I can't believe this! _Why?!"_ Yang's voice rose, and Blake found her back to the wall. "What did we _do,_ Blake?!" Yang's voice was cracking, her anger turning to worry. "No, what are _you_ trying to do?! No bullshit, damnit, and none of your cutesy little half answers! You're _caught!"_

Blake glanced to each of the three girls, certainly _feeling_ caught. This had unravelled faster than she could have expected, and despite her attempt to be strong and brave, she just felt small, and awfully guilty. "I-I was- you're not- I can't- I-"

Weiss stepped forward, her face pale, her eyes wide, her mouth tight. "Blake, please answer. This is clearly just a misunderstanding. Is a relative sick?" Weiss offered.

 _Yes._ The perfect way out! Weiss was a godsend when the time was right. Blake swallowed thickly, looking from face to face, the idiotic excuse on the tip of her tongue. "I-"

"Bullshit!" Yang stomped, making Blake freeze up. "If your family's sick, why wouldn't you tell us?! Why sneak out?! You think I'd be pissed if you went to go help your grandma or whatever?! _Why_ are you trying to leave in the middle of the night without _telling us?!"_ Yang demanded, her teeth grit as Blake slumped against the wall.

That was it. There was no good excuse. There could only be escape or giving in… her eyes felt hot and moist, and she had to suck up her guilt to even manage a single word. "I-... I was going… I was going after the White Fang…" She admitted, her chest throbbing.

Yang groaned thickly, stomping in place in outrage. "That's _stupid,_ even if that was _true,_ you don't think I wouldn't want in on that?!" Yang shot Blake a furious look, and Blake felt a twinge of offense. "Put your shit away and get back to bed!"

" _No!"_ Blake insisted, straightening up, her yellow eyes narrowing as she grew angrier. "I am going after the White Fang and that's final. None of you need to get involved. Stay at Beacon, do what's important to _you!"_

" _Hell_ no!" Yang snapped. "You're my partner, I'm not going through the whole bonding process with somebody who's nowhere near as sexy as your dumb ass is."

"Y-you're our fr-friend, Blake, we can't j-jus-just _f-forget_ you!" Ruby insisted, shimmying in worry, the shadow beneath her feet shrinking away as she sniffled and stole control back.

"And besides," Weiss added, giving Blake a disappointed frown, "the White Fang aren't worth your time. You have much better things to do here as Beacon, _not_ go after a bunch of idiotic, violent criminals who-"

" _They're not criminals!"_ Blake suddenly shouted, silencing Weiss in a heartbeat. Blake bit down on her lower lip, and wiped away the moisture gathering in her eyes.

"B-Blake, I-I didn't- okay, this isn't the time for that discussion." Weiss breathed out, trying to bring peace, but Blake had none of it.

"It _isn't?!_ I've had to sit by _all day_ and listen to you and Yang talk shit about them!" Blake shot a sharp glare at Yang, who, still tense, could only blink in confusion as her aggression grew disconcerted. "They aren't a bunch of thugs! They aren't criminals! They were a bunch of kids whose families suffered because of humanity! They were a bunch of destitute, run-down second-class citizens looking for a way to make all the snide remarks and bullying _stop!_ They tried, damnit, they tried _forever_ to do things the right way, and the only thing that's getting results is _violence,_ it's _you_ who backed them into the corner, _you_ who caged them up, and now _you're_ afraid because _they_ don't see _any other way out!"_ Blake's voice reached a peak. Whether or not the neighbors heard and were concerned went ignored as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang just stared in shock at Blake. Their teammate knelt down, stuffing her clothing back into the bag as Weiss worriedly took a step forward.

"Blake…" The heiress spoke delicately, staring at Blake like a rabid animal. "What… what do you care? I mean, I get you're pro-Faunus, but isn't this too far? It's just words. We're frustrated, we're angry, I-I-I mean, I'm sorry we said those things, but… but what's it to _you?"_ She asked with a helpless shrug.

Blake stared down at her bag. Everything about her ached, and she could barely see as her vision went blurry. She wanted nothing more than to pull a Yang and rip down the nearby wall. She wanted to _fight,_ she wanted to _hurt,_ she wanted all of this to be over with. She stood, slowly, and looked up to Weiss, her anguished glare sending Weiss back a step.

"You want to know?" Blake started, her voice warbling in an uncontrolled mixture of negativity, all the anger, sorrow, guilt, and fright, for once, empowering her. Her hands reached up to her scalp, and she froze for a single second, knowing there was no way backing out of this as she pinched her ribbon… and she pulled.

Ruby and Weiss's jaws fell as one, Weiss stumbling back a few steps, while Yang simply stopped moving, stunned as Blake's cat ears flicked and twitched, then laid flat on her head in anger as she relaxed her control. "B-Blake-" Weiss started, but Blake cut her off.

"I am _Blake Belladonna,_ my father came from the Kyumagama Tribe of Mistral, my mother from the Kuroneko Tribe of Mistral." Blake tugged at an ear, forcing them to stare at the clearly alive and frustrated organ. "I was born _into_ the White Fang! I marched in parades, I held signs, I signed waivers, I sent letters, I did everything under my power to try and _make a difference._ When my parents accepted defeat and retired to Menagerie, I kept going! I joined the Vale chapter, believing we could change the world without a drop of blood, and in return, we were beaten, starved, and driven out! We spent _years_ in the woods, hunting and pillaging because we had no _choice!_ I trained new recruits, I stole information, I spied on Schnee officials, all because we couldn't figure out how to _make_ you _racist cunts listen!"_ Blake wheezed ragged breaths, storming forward to push a finger into Weiss's chest, shrugging off Yang when she tried to grab her arm. "For _every_ bad thing we ever did, it was because somebody associated with _your_ family decided we were a _problem_ to be _eradicated._ Every single peace talk ended with a sudden ambush or a _hilariously_ one-sided agreement! I tried, and tried, and _tried_ to believe there was some good in humanity, and it was only by _hiding_ as a human did I start getting treated as a person!"

Weiss stepped back, her expression one of utter terror as Blake panted in her face, only for the black-haired girl to draw back, clutching her face, gritting her teeth in pain. "B-Blake… you're-" Weiss swallowed thickly, "you're _White Fang?"_

"Was. _Was."_ Blake hissed, glaring at Weiss through her fingers. "You're right… you're fucking right, okay? They turned into a bunch of killers!" Blake threw her hands out in a rage. "Not out of self-defense, but for _fun,_ for _profit,_ we're everything people _say we are!_ I can't even blame the _Schnees!_ I'm not happy they have to learn how to _not die_ day-to-day! People started joining for revenge, and they think it's solving something! All they're doing is making themselves look _evil,_ and I couldn't do _anything about it!_ So I ran." Blake suddenly calmed, taking deep breaths as her fury turned to wide-eyed self-loathing, and she clutched her forehead. "I ran! I _ran_ because I couldn't say enough, or do enough to fix them! All my life I've been _fucking useless!_ Standing around and watching people get hurt, watching everything I stood for get trampled and bloodied! So here I am, as far away as I can be, pretending to be a normal girl…" Blake sniffed loudly, staring at the girls around her.

The fear on their faces, the slack-jawed shock, the subtle anger and wonder and worry and _everything_ was written on their face. The guilt tore at Blake. She didn't want to hurt them, she didn't want them involved, why couldn't they just be blissfully unaware?

The first person to make a move was Ruby. Silently, still shellshocked from the sudden revelation, she touched Blake's shoulder. The older teammate twisted to face Ruby, her face streaked with tears, her eyes all but bulging as adrenaline poured through her veins. Ruby touched her cheeks, and Blake's breathing slowed. "... I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered, though she didn't seem to know what she was sorry for. "I-I didn't know, but if I did… you're still Blake." Ruby whispered, trying to give Blake a strong look, even with her headgear in the way. "I-I d-don't know i-if th-this changes a-anything o-or eve-everything, b-but… but you're s-still B-Blake, th-the g-girl I r-read with and t-train-train with! I t-trust you."

The words hit Blake's heart like a knife. "Trust?" Blake whispered heatedly, her lips peeling back to show her teeth as Ruby's hand pulled back an inch. " _Trust?!_ You don't- how _dare you?!"_ Blake roared, turning on Ruby, angrier than ever, the fire in her chest consuming her mind as Weiss backed away, and Yang was still frozen, her heart screaming to act, but her body too bogged down to obey. " _You_ of _all people_ talking about _trusting me?!_ When I still can't see your _fucking eyes?!"_

Blake's hand shot out, and a pained shriek escaped from Ruby. Weiss and Yang both straightened as Blake's arm pulled back, a pair of large, black goggles in her hand. Blake stared Ruby in the eye, and continued to roar.

"Was that so _hard,_ Ruby?! What the hell do you have to hide?! You're just an idiot girl! You don't have-" Like a hand snatching the wick of a candle, something quenched the flames fueling Blake, "Y-you're not- just a dumb…" Blake stumbled back a step, the goggles dropping from her hand. "H-huh…?" Blake's throat grew tight, breath barely able to enter her body.

She felt every nerve in her body squeeze, and a silent scream building up in her lungs, only to die of strangulation before it could escape. Those eyes clawed at her mind, a gnawing dread that grew, and chewed, and gnashed, and ripped into her mind, heart, and soul. The inexplicable terror began to weigh down on her and her senses began to darken as it grew unheeded.

Ruby stared back, her monstrous eyes wide in stupefied fright. She was not diseased, she was not Faunus, Blake had no _idea_ what she was as she threw her back against the wall, panicked breaths escaping her as her hands searched for something, _anything_ to defend herself with.

"B-Blake…" Ruby reached out after her, tears dripping to her chin. "W-wait… no, no please…" Ruby covered her eyes, and finally wailed, "I c-can explain! _I can explain!"_

She wasn't safe here. That's all there was to it. She would be cast to the darkness, ground under heel, broken by the hordes, and devoured alive and screaming. She had to escape. She had to escape _now._ Blake's hand found the door handle and she pulled violently.

Weiss reached a hand out as the door flew open. "W-wait, Blake!" Weiss walked forward on stiff legs, but Blake was already out the door.

Finally, in a burst of motion, Yang threw herself after her partner. Weiss stood still, her hand uselessly outstretched towards empty air, the last spot she'd seen Blake in. Her arm lowered, her mind confused, her conscious reeling, trying to parse the mountain of events that had just happened.

She looked down to Ruby, who had crumpled to the floor to grab her goggles and desperately pull them on, then back to the door.

Yang, meanwhile, slowed, whipping her head around in Beacon's courtyard, trying to catch even a _hint_ of her fleeing partner. Down the road, through the trees, all around the building, nothing. She took a step in one direction, then looked the other, and found herself frozen.

There was no sign of Blake, and Yang stood alone in the courtyard. With a single, defeated breath, Yang sank to her knees.

* * *

 **AN:** Through Her Eyes now has a TV Tropes page, which the creators of have asked for help in completing, for those interested!


	15. Separation Anxiety

The steady 'tock' of the tower's swinging pendulum filled the otherwise oppressive silence that had settled over the headmaster's office in the wee hours before daybreak. Unlike the daytime, when natural light filtered into the open, cozy office, the room was exceptionally sterile, even bleak as artificial lighting combated the shadows. The world beyond the high windows was dark, except for the distant stars.

Even this early, neither Ozpin nor Goodwitch seemed especially tired, though the latter's expression was certainly foreboding without the headmaster's signature quirkiness.

The gray-haired man sat silently, staring down the three hastily-dressed girls in front of him, and finally released a very small, though pained, breath. "Please understand, girls, I wish there was more I could do, but the only thing I have the authority to do in this circumstance is to file a missing person's report and hope beyond hope that Blake is found."

"If she left of her own accord then we can only maintain faith that she comes to her senses and returns, or wish her success and happiness as she goes her own path." Professor Goodwitch added, her usual authoritarian presence downplayed, either by tiredness or the news, the girls couldn't tell.

Neither of these things calmed Ruby, whose frustration was palpable the moment the elevator doors had opened. "That's not _good enough!"_ Ruby flailed her arms in impotent anger, causing both her teammates to back away a step. "B-Blake's out there s-sad and s- _stupid_ and sh-she's-she's all _Blakey_ right n-now! W-we need to f-find and h-help her, o-or she'll get hers-herself k-killed!"

The little leader, youngest of the team, was red-faced and scared beyond belief, but still held her composure together to demand audience with the headmaster. Ozpin rarely granted audience to students before sunrise, but this was a special case. Any message sent to his desk marked 'urgent', in turn, contacted his scroll, and in this case, Ozpin would readily agree that it was urgent.

Students fleeing from Beacon wasn't unheard of. The stress of the grueling physical training combined with the demands of its more cerebral classes could easily overtax the unprepared, and rather than face the reality of their situation, some students opted to simply flee, leaving their team at a disadvantage that was not easily recouped. Many went home, some fled to other schools, and a few simply disappeared, finding new lives away from everything they once knew.

It was not a problem Ozpin liked, not in the slightest, not the least because it was one he didn't have the power to fix. He had facilities and faculty for students feeling overwhelmed, he had a direct connection to the Vale police to give and get information regarding his students, he had cameras throughout Beacon's most common pathways, but if a student made the conscious decision to disappear and he didn't have the foreknowledge to stop it, he was at a loss.

It was especially difficult with somebody like Blake, who was already off of Vale's radar as a former extremist, but also well-trained in the art of subterfuge. Even going over camera footage, he could hardly guess which exit she used. Securing passage to Vale by foot, road, or boat wasn't hard. Ozpin made sure they were each well-staffed, but she could have been long gone by the time he got the records of which cab or which boat she'd taken, if she hadn't gone by foot and made things even harder.

"Ruby, believe me, I wish there was more I could do." Professor Ozpin closed his eyes, and breath deep, giving Ruby a sympathetic look. "I will permit you, however, to search as you see fit. You may enlist any number of students that are willing to join your cause, and may, of course, use school facilities to make posters and put out notices. We will keep you in the loop as we get information from the Vale police."

Yang walked forward in a tired slouch and planted her hands on Ozpin's desk. The constant, low heat Yang was putting out would cause most people to grow uneasy, but Ozpin didn't so much as flinch as murky purple eyes glanced up at him. "This is a school full of _hunters,_ can't you send people? Isn't Professor Port some sort of amazing tracker?!"

"Professor Port also has a full schedule, and while I am sure he would be more than willing to lend his skills in hunting down Blake, he also has pressing conferences in Vytal to attend later this afternoon. If you would like, you may _ask_ him, but unless it's a city emergency in Vale, I cannot order him to find a runaway on his day off." He closed his eyes, hiding his own pain at the situation, but then steadied his emotions and sat up. "I know you're afraid for your teammate, but you need to trust her. Blake just might choose to return, hopefully in time for classes at that, so please, don't do anything too hasty. Fortune favors the prepared."

Yang looked back to Ruby and Weiss, and sluggishly, they bowed their heads in defeat. The Headmaster tried to lift their spirits once more as he guided them to the elevator, but the three girls were despondent. As the elevator descended, Professor Goodwitch frowned, moving to the headmaster worriedly. "I'm sure it's as you say, miss Belladonna is bound to return."

"I certainly hope so. Losing a student is never easy." Ozpin hummed, heading to the coffee machine. Children weren't meant to fight in wars. It was why he prefered to give his students a normal life in a relatively normal school when they weren't training against the creatures of Grimm. It gave them a chance to be normal, to be young. Instilling them with a duty and purpose was important, but ensuring they weren't mindless tin soldiers took precedence.

Humanity, Faunus included, thrived on their differences and clashing personalities. Inspiration came from the wonderfully unexpected and the unknown. It was where creativity, empathy, and new understandings were born. Humanity needed its millions of different viewpoints to grow, to fight the Grimm, and ignore the darkness that sought weakness in its chosen prey.

Blake needed to see how good humans could be, but they would need to know she was a Faunus, a fighter, and a criminal. Young Ruby wanted her friend back, Yang's worry was born of both anger and sorrow, so that left Weiss, who would have the most reason to hate Blake, to accept the truth.

* * *

The elevator ride down to the ground floor was not an easy one. The gentle, mechanical shakes and shivers were negligible compared to the stirring storm from the three girls riding it.

Weiss pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders, despite spring's warmth. Yang had pressed her fist to the wall, still as a statue, eyes closed as cold, useless anger was overwhelmed by sorrow. Ruby, before them, stared down at her scroll without a word.

Team RWBY was down to three. In a week's time, the three of them had bonded together, as well as with their missing quarter, in a most unexpected way. Weiss could only muse that they would hardly be as brazen and honest as they were with each other if it weren't for Ruby and Yang's earnesty. Girls their age were rarely so open with strangers, and Weiss was used to the catty sniping and gossip that filled her circle of associates in Atlas.

Ruby and Yang all but swamped her in unbidden affection, and it had opened something bright within her, a craving she had never felt before. She had reached out to Blake with the same brashness with the hopes her third teammate would open up, but the truth…

How could Weiss excuse her? How could she blame her? A feeling worse than the poison filled her belly, bitter betrayal and venomous anger, leaving her feeling full of ice. It was an anger she wanted to fix by sleeping, not by action, and those angers were dangerous indeed.

Worst of all, Yang was still. Yang was not somebody who reacted like prey. She was quick to whip herself up into a frenzy and pursue the target of her lowered mood with fists and fire.

That, more than anything else, made Weiss's hatred grow. Blake's absence made their blonde heartthrob seem less alive, and if Weiss had come to rely on anything from Yang, it was that liveliness. That bitterness became a burning, and Weiss grit her teeth. She wanted Blake to be found, made to answer for the hurt she caused.

But… how? Where?

In contrast to Weiss and Yang, Ruby stood at their front, not tense, not relaxed, but shaped for danger, for action. When the doors to the lift opened, Ruby stepped out first, Weiss behind her, her mind a haze, and Yang reluctantly pushing herself off the wall to trudge after her sister.

Ruby did not hang a right to go to the dorms, instead heading straight for the doors leading outside. Weiss pursed her lips in a silent question, but did not dare speak out loud, knowing they were a powder keg ready to go off at a single wrong word. Out in the crisp night, Ruby strode towards the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, where Yang found herself bitterly recalling where she'd given up the chase.

The gentle night, bereft of clouds, full of stars, and with the whine of distant insects, seemed strangling. A reminder of loneliness. It was pathetically poetic, and Weiss desperately wanted some comfort in the form of her bed, but Ruby stood quiet and still before the fountain.

"... Girls." Ruby finally spoke up, turning her head to look at them. Weiss and Yang watched her with wide, worried eyes as their leader continued. "I-I want to know what you're going to d-do."

Weiss looked to Yang, Yang looked to Weiss, neither looking like they had any clue what their young leader meant. When Weiss looked back, it was with tight lips and a quivering jaw. "Go to bed and wait for Blake."

"Go to the gym and hit things until I feel better." Yang replied flatly, looking away from Ruby with a barely audible sniffle.

"That's not what I meant!" Ruby threw her hands out, her expression an unimpressed pout. "We have to get started now. The longer we wait, the further Blake gets, so let's h-head to Vale–"

" _NO!"_ Yang suddenly interrupted with a shout, glaring at her sister with violent red eyes, hot tears brewing at the suggestion. "She ran away, Ruby! She doesn't _want_ to be found! Let the stupid bitch be mysterious! We'll go on without her, we don't need need that _liar_ if all she's going to do is keep to herself!"

"And besides…" Weiss spoke up, her eyes downcast, her face flat with hidden pain. "You heard her, she said she was _White Fang._ A criminal, a thief…"

"Yeah, _yeah!"_ Yang agreed hotly, making fists as steam vented from her blonde hair, "How do we know she's not feeding information back to her buddies in the Fang?! Maybe _she's_ why Weiss got poisoned!"

" _Shut your damn mouth, Yang."_ Weiss suddenly snapped, the curse briefly causing Yang's eyes to turn a frightened lavender as Weiss trembled, glaring at the floor. "Th-there's no way. Sh-she had so many opportunities, that was o-one _idiot,_ Blake w-wouldn't have tried to k-kill me!" Weiss wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, unable to believe she was getting so emotional over a girl she'd barely met a week ago. "Wh-why would she have waited? Why would she have tried to g-get to know me? She was angry, and _s-stupid,_ but she wouldn't have- I _refuse_ to believe she wanted me _dead."_

"Sh-she was White Fang…" Yang pointed out weakly.

" _Was."_ Weiss corrected angrily. "A-all that aside, she ran away. She _left._ She made her decision. It's like the headmaster said, we let her make her own decisions, and trust her." Weiss closed her eyes, and Yang turned away from Weiss in shame.

Ruby, meanwhile, felt hyper. That inexplicable energy was in her again, but rather than waste it, she wanted to use it. She knew exactly how she wanted to spend all her energy, and with a small sigh, she began to pace. "W-well, I don't trust her." Ruby stated, drawing the idle attention of both her remaining teammates. "You s-said it yourself, she's s-stupid. I bet she's out there, f-feeling all sad and stuff, we're her _friends,_ th-this can't be easy for her!"

"And she still left." Yang grunted, glaring a hole through the ground. "We're not _that_ good'a friends."

"I think we are." Ruby whispered, and took a deep breath to clear out the doubt creeping in. "B-but she has her heart set on something stupid. She's willing to r-ruin her own life to solve it, and we can't let that h-happen. Yang, do you re-remember Otaran's Folly?" Ruby pleaded, and Yang shot her a dark look.

" _That_ is a _book,_ Ruby, a _story,_ made up by some asshole looking to make a quick buck!" Yang snarled, her voice dropping in volume. "Even if we somehow found her before she got herself killed, what makes you think we can talk her out of it?"

"Because we're her _friends_." Ruby answered, making Yang growl.

"No we're _not! S_ he used us to feel _better_ about herself, she-" Yang found herself staring into the black lenses of Ruby's goggles as Ruby stuck her face into Yang's, the younger sister's frustrations clearly written across her face. "-she just—you _heard_ her…"

"So did _you!"_ Ruby's voice hit a yell, and Yang shrank back. "Sh-she was in so much pain and all you care about is how much it hurt _you!_ Blake is out there, o-our _friend_ is _out there,_ and she's _hurt!_ Did none of that time you spent with her mean _anything_ to you?!"

"It didn't mean anything to _her!"_ Yang shouted back, but her shoulders sank, her eyes elsewhere in the yard. "She threw it all away because… _because…"_

"Because she's hurt." Ruby pressed on, and Yang turned her head away to avoid betraying her expression. Ruby took her sister's burning-hot fist and squeezed it gently, trying to cool her. "Sh-she didn't want to show us she was hurt. We can find her, and bandage her!" Ruby spoke optimistically.

Weiss stirred by Yang, frowning at Ruby. "Blake's decisions are not our business. Why bother?" Weiss didn't sound as if she had given up, but rather, was pleading for an answer.

Ruby quietly hooked an arm around Yang's shoulder, the other around Weiss's, and pulled them close. The two girls awkwardly pressed together with Ruby, looking to their little leader for some spark of hope, and Ruby answered. "We-we've lost people, right? To Grimm, to people, t-to all sortsa bad things. I-I don't want to lose another. I don't c-care if I have to put Blake in the hospital to do it, I just- I- I want her to know sh-she's not alone. None of us are. We have each other."

Silently, Yang tugged Ruby closer, the older sister's expression full of grief over memories and loss in her life, and she rubbed Ruby's back consolingly. Weiss considered the two girls offering to draw her in. The easiest way to avoid betrayal and loss was to never let anyone get close, and though Weiss had long ago promised herself that she would stand on top of the world alone if she had to. The two girls in front of her, and the one lost to them, made the climb seem so much taller, yet that much more tolerable.

She slid into the arms of the two sisters with a sigh. A weekend lost to betrayals and search parties, fantastic. She was a three-act play in the making, but she wanted to believe that, somehow, this would work out for the best.

"So how do we start?" Weiss asked the obvious question when they parted, looking to each other for answers.

"E-easy! I texted the best tracker I know!" Ruby smiled hopefully. Weiss blinked curiously, and turned her head as she heard the click of small nails along the pavement.

Coach Tai stood at the far end of the path, sloppily dressed and offering a tired smile. At his feet, Zwei barked excitedly, racing to Ruby's feet for ear scratches. The little leader looked up to her two surprised teammates with a smile as she pet the corgi. "Weiss, Yang, w-we'll cover more ground if we split up. I-I'll follow Zwei." Ruby slid Blake's ribbon out of her pocket, the scent still fresh.

Weiss looked down at the dog, and up to Ruby, quietly wondering where her partner's drive came from, then silently nodded. "I know of at least one Faunus hotspot. Did the idiot in question happen to let either of you take a picture?" Two shaking heads, and Weiss sighed thickly. "I'll see if I can't draw Blake from memory and get answers there." Weiss glanced to Yang, who flinched at the suggestion. "I'll bring a weapon this time, don't worry about me."

Yang stared Weiss down, then slowly turned to Ruby. Her little sister was never one to give up, not in training, not in combat, and, it would appear, not in chasing down somebody Yang had written off as hopeless. The blonde swallowed. Blake had left her, ranting and raving about humanity, breaking the one rule with Ruby they had… all in pain.

Yang's hand slid under her breast to touch her heart. She hurt too, all the things Blake had said, revealed, and done, it had hurt… Yang wanted to slug the idiot, but there was also a gentle kindling of compassion, wanting to find her and make sure she was okay. She breathed out through her nostrils and nodded slowly.

"I'll check out Junior's Club, he's bound to have _something_ on the White Fang. If I can find them before Blake does, maybe I can catch her before she does something stupid. Don't be surprised if she comes home with a bruise though." Yang worked up a smile, and Ruby bobbed her head confidently.

"Okay team RWBY," Ruby held out a hand, "let's get our B back!" Weiss and Yang placed their hands on Ruby's with hopeful, but frightened smiles, and they cheered with everything they could.

* * *

What had even happened?

How had it been possible? It had turned around so quickly, but Blake could still remember the few seconds she had peered into death. Every time she closed her eyes Ruby was there, right in front of her, staring with those… those _eyes…_

Blake had to force her eyes open and swerved with a shriek as she found herself barreling towards a car in the oncoming lane with a blaring horn, and she gripped the wheel tightly as she made herself _focus._

She had run. She did it. She was gone, she was a non-person at Beacon now, fantastic, _wonderful even,_ she had successfully run away from a place she could call home to go pursue her former friends-turned-terrorists and probably die in the process. She was free to try and pursue her true goals, not held back by Weiss, or Yang, or… or Ruby…

That sweet, round face, pale and gentle, with those little reddish locks, and the eyes of… she was no mere girl. Was that her semblance? Was _that_ why she hid? All Blake could recall was pools of blood floating in ink, and the sudden terror that had bit down on her psyche. Snapping teeth and snarling beasts had filled her head, and even now, just thinking about them made her throat tighten in panic.

They had drilled a feeling into her she'd sought to escape: the fear of a loved one. It was a feeling she had escaped by fleeing from Adam, the man she once loved and believed in, who had turned his hand on her, who bared his teeth whenever she dared show dissent, who convinced her that she was betraying their cause and their vision…

Blake's foot hammered on the brake pedal as Adam's red hair, olive-skinned face, and smoldering frown filled her mind's eye, but his mask, his _eyes…_ red on black, hungering for the blood in her throat, his fingers replaced by animalistic claws reaching for her breasts…

Blake breathed panicked breaths, her limbs trembling as she pulled the car over to the side of the road. She stumbled out of the driver's seat, lurching for the forests surrounding the dark road. She bent over a shrub, eyes wide, sweat dripping off her pearly skin, staring at the innocent bush in a cold fear.

She had never felt this way before… not when the anti-Faunus squads were closing in on her position, calling out slurs and promising violence she could never imagine. Not when Adam was tearing his own tent apart, screaming about the faults of humanity and the incompetence of his own people. Not when faced down by a horde of ravenous Grimm, attracted by the bloodthirsted anger of her fellow revolutionaries and her own dread…

No, she _had_ felt this way: hopeless, bleak, frightened of the smallest noise or sight, but never to this degree. Before, she at least had an inkling that she could run away, but every time her mind wandered, all she could think of was those eyes. Those were _Ruby's_ eyes, the eyes she hid from her out of fear, she hadn't trusted Blake to see or even know about them…

Of course, the first thing Blake had done upon seeing them was run, and here she was, unable to forget them, still fleeing, still thinking… it was evil incarnate. A sadistic, cloying fear that was giving her waking nightmares just trying to _forget._

And they were on _Ruby._ A thought tore at Blake, one that made her momentarily forget those eyes: ' _What is she_ really?' Blake had never heard of a semblance like that, at least not a fear inducer that could somehow tear a dog _apart_. Those eyes were inhuman, more so than any Faunus could _ever_ claim to be. At least the Faunus were grounded by the various creatures that still lived and breathed across Remnant. But Ruby had the eyes of… of…

Not _Grimm,_ but something worse, something smarter, more terrifying, more maddened. So many things _clicked._ Ruby's nervousness and secrecy, her desperation for affection and relationships, was she some little _creature_ sent to examine humanity?... No, no, Ruby was too genuine. She was too _human_ to be some outside presence. She had an affliction and… and Blake had run…

She had run and confirmed that no, she was not ready to handle Ruby's secret. Blake's secret had a grounding point, one everyone understood immediately, but there was no context for Ruby's eyes. Rather than try and listen, in the heat of the moment, at the height of her anger, Blake had run.

She had run. She had _run…_ _Again…_ Again and again and _again._ She ran from her family, she ran from the Fang, she ran from her friends, she ran from _Ruby._ Over and over again she had _run._ The emerging pattern was proving itself true, Blake was still a coward.

Blake couldn't sum up the words to express herself. The most she could manage was an inarticulate scream in the middle of the night, to pull her long, black hair and see those eyes behind her eyelids as pure anguish overwhelmed her. Her fight for her people ended in cowardice, her attempt to be forgotten by her friends ended the same.

 _Nothing went right._ Her life was fuck-up after fuck-up, always capped by the decision to run away and try again, only for her to tear herself apart and ruin it _further._ If she had been more cruel, she could have stayed in the Fang; if she had been more forgetful, she could have stayed at Beacon; if she had just been more _brave,_ then maybe… maybe she could have fixed all of this.

Silently, Blake stumbled her way back to the old blue truck she'd somehow procured in her flight. A quick check under the dashboard confirmed her suspicions: in her own mindless desperation, she'd hotwired it, just as she'd hotwired dozens of other cars and trucks before. It was probably one of the professor's cars, thinking about it, but she didn't dwell on it for long. She sat in the driver's seat, turned up the heat, turned on the radio, and sat back, eyes half-lidded as exhaustion, pain, fear, and fury simmered in her.

What a perfect hell she'd made for herself.

Quietly, she tried to find a happy place. Walking in an open flower field, enjoying the sights, the scents, and the sounds, a smile crossing her face as a flash of blonde shot by her side, a fiery, womanly grin taunting her to try and keep up, and the rush of colors as she chased the laughing figure… no, no, s-sitting on a balcony somewhere, under the cover of a large canopy, watching the rain, listening to the pitter-patter of wet drops as she tasted the buttery sweetness of some freshly baked cake, a steaming cup of tea by it, and the gentle presence of a noble and kind girl sitting across from her, offering a teasing remark on Blake's lack of focus before pushing the honey closer to-

 _No… no no…_ Why couldn't she stop _them_ from showing up? She'd been alone for so long, she'd done this before, why couldn't she stop herself from picturing those friendly smiles. Did she really crave her pack that much?... One last time, a place she'd pictured a thousand times before, whenever she needed to to just leave reality for a while and continue on.

She closed her eyes and found herself in a nest of blankets and pillows, in a dark room, lit only by a nearby desk lamp. The smell of paper and ink filling her nose as she cracked open a book to read, one filled with romance and sex between two star-crossed lovers from different walks of life, fighting a system that dared to keep them apart. She heard a sound, a voice, her _own_ voice reading the words of this imagined story, perfectly comfortable and content. It was a series of buzzwords, phrases, and beats she was all too familiar with, ideas of her own story she may want to write. She loved to hear herself read, imagining dropping an octave to play the males, or putting on a squeaky voice for the little fairy. She'd want a story to read to her children, to her friends, to her lovers… she always loved an audience. The thought caught her off guard, and she found she'd stopped imaginary reading, instead, adjusting her shoulder as a weight pressed down on it. A young girl, so full of life and goodness, her eyes closed as she nestled up to Blake's side.

Wiping soft, dark bangs from the girl's brow, the younger girl would look up to her with a brilliant and happy smile, her eyes opening to swallow her in blood and shadow, her lips parting to show rows of needle-like teeth, and then they sunk into her neck, the eyes wide with madness, blood pouring into the girl's mouth-

Blake came to, the wheel of the truck in a tightened deathgrip. Her heart hammered in her chest, her skin felt so itchy and cold, and sweat poured down her face and arms.

No… no time for comfort, she… she needed to go. Far away. To Vale. She needed to stop the White Fang. Somehow, someway, all by herself. Just as soon as her heart slowed, and she could keep her hands from trembling…

* * *

In the few hours past midnight, the club had come to a quiet still. With the guests ushered out and the doors closed to the public, the late-night cleaners got to work scrubbing every surface to make it sparkling clean. Hei 'Junior' Xiong _hated_ coming back to a dirty business, so even near the end of his rope in exhaustion, he stuck around to ensure a smooth end to the night.

Other than the legitimate staff of Junior's club, several well-dressed goons in three-piece suits sat back, waiting for word from their boss to leave, counting stacks of lien or enjoying one final drink before they were sent home. The dance floor was quiet, no flashing lights or booming bass to bring it to life, making it feel lonely and empty, only highlighted by the twin Malachite girls tiredly slow-dancing while quietly discussing what to do the next day in the vast, empty floor.

It was the club's most peaceful hour. The chatter was low, but generally happy, and the club was restocked to handle the next day's activities, both legal and illegal. The only exception was Junior himself, who stood at the bar with a throbbing vein.

"I told you that this was _strictly_ for 'special guests!'" Junior gestured to the tall, half-empty, impressively-expensive bottle of honey-brown liquor, with a label describing its exquisite taste, age, and Vacuan origin. "I'm not wasting a two-hundred and fifty lien bottle of oasis cognac on a pair of nobodies on their honeymoon!"

"Oh don't be so prudish, Hei," the aged bartender spoke through a harsh, gravelly voice, only punctuated by her deep wrinkles, heavy makeup, and the lit cigarette in her hand, "it's a special time for them, you can spare two shots of good booze to let a happy couple celebrate."

"One happy couple, fine, but why not _every_ happy couple?!" Junior threw his arms out, waving them angrily. "If I'm giving free shots to every 'just married' pair of moochers that walks in here, I'm not exactly making back that two-fifty, Yolanda!"

"Oh _please,_ Hei, you make more than four times that when midnight hits and your boys start passing ice out like it's Halloween." Yolanda rolled her eyes, smacking her protruding, red-caked lips together before taking a drag from her cigarette.

"And I'm _losing_ money with freebies!" Junior smacked the bar with a stern growl, though Yolanda didn't so much as blink at the display of aggression. "No freebies, no discounts, not unless it's somebody who _actually matters!"_

"You're being hysterical, Hei." Yolanda waved the cigarette dismissively, earning a snarl from her boss. "Look, it's a nice night. Just pack it all in and head home, sleep on it. Have the girls keep ya outta trouble." She waved a hand over to Melanie and Miltia, the twins still occupying the dance floor.

"I _don't_ need babysitters." Junior grunted. "I need a bartender who understands how business works! I don't want to have to assign someone to stand watch over here so they can squeeze the money out of honeymooners!"

"You threatening me, Junior?" Yolanda asked with an unimpressed glare, leaving Junior to huff, puff, and finally relent, raising his arms in frustration.

" _No._ Just… forget it, we'll pick this up another time. I _don't_ want to have this discussion again, so unless I say otherwise, _no freebies."_ Junior groaned tiredly, leaning over the bar. It was about that time to head home anyways, and he was developing a frustrated headache.

Behind him, from the doors, he heard the sharp ' _bang'_ of an explosion, and the throbbing vein in his temple turned red. The locked doors of the club sailed through the air, tumbling across the dance floor as Melanie and Miltia leapt over the wreckage. The clean-up crew dove aside, shrieking as the legitimate employees went for cover. The suited mooks shot to their feet, fumbling for batons and baseball bats.

"Keep them busy!" Junior shouted, racing up the steps to his private office, where he kept his weapon. The dozen men, along with the Malachite twins, surged towards the door, only to freeze in place.

It wasn't the sudden heat wave that poured through the entrance that made the men pause, nor was it the near-lethal intent that poured out in hot, rapid waves. The boys knew full well who was marching towards them, and it would have been customary at this point to try a futile charge and end up as scenery drapes. No, what made them freeze was that the girl storming in _wasn't smiling._

Yang, the epitome of a good time, looked furious. When Yang was happy, the beatings were almost a jovial greeting between associates, but anger… the boys hadn't dealt with an angry Yang. The men looked to each other, legitimately worried over their health as they inched back.

Melanie, and Malachite, however...

" _Where's Junior?!"_ Yang's shout broke the silence. Without another word, Ember Celica covered her fist, and she let loose a dangerous snarl as she held back a pair of vibrant red and black claws.

"You know we can't let you in that easily, Yang." Miltia spoke with a surprisingly calm voice, even as her other hand arced towards Yang's face, only to be deflected by Yang's other fist. "You look nice by the way, digging the sorta rough rider style."

Yang bellowed furiously, charging forward to force Miltia back, their weaponry grinding together as Melanie flew overhead. The cyan-tinged twin's heels planted into the wall, and launched herself at Yang, flipping to try and cleave Yang's head off her shoulders with the blades on her boots.

Miltia jumped, Yang ducked, and Melanie flew between them, sliding across the floor with a darker scowl than her sister. "Don't _compliment her,_ Miltia! You got a _lot_ of nerve showing up here _again,_ Xiao Long!"

Miltia danced backwards to stand by her sister's side, claws at the ready. "I dunno, it's kinda sweet, she makes this place less boring."

"Don't be such a sap!" Melanie ordered tersely. The two arced away from each other, closing in on Yang in what would have been a phenomenal pincer against anyone else. Two quick hits, and Melanie was, in the loosest terms, caught by the crowd of black-suited goons, the whole lot of them thrown onto their backs, while Yolanda raised a hand and caught Miltia before the girl could crash into the wall of alcohol behind her.

"Well hey there, Yang." Yolanda's tone brightened as she tossed Miltia over the bar, the red-dressed girl landing unceremoniously on her butt. "Was wondering when you'd visit again. Why don't you come sit, have a quick drink? Ya look like ya need it, and Junior should be just a minute anyways."

Yang's red eyes focused on the aged barkeeper. She wanted to be a maelstrom of trouble, she wanted to break anything and everything in reach, she wanted to punch that fond, toothy grin off the bartender's face, but with a harsh grunt, she lowered her fists and slowly walked over to the bar. She thrust a fist out, catching Melanie in midair, sending her back across the room before the blonde took a seat in a barstool. "... Hey Mrs. Malachite. Can't drink tonight." Yang managed in a controlled tone, looking at the woman's cigarette almost hungrily.

Yolanda reached into her pocket and popped out a small small box. She offered Yang an unlit stick, and Yang snatched it, pressing a white-hot, aura-tinged finger tip to the fag. Yang popped the brown filter between her lips, and took a deep drag, blowing the acrid smoke out with a tired, embittered expression on her face. Then, she let out a loud, disgusted cough, and glared at the cigarette in her hands.

Yang's face sunk deeper in frustration as a presence leaned on her back, and Miltia cooed comfortingly as she snuggled up to the blonde's back. "You shouldn't smoke, it's bad for you." The more demure Malachite warned. She didn't look bothered when Yang shrugged her off and waved the lit stick angrily.

"Don't be so _friendly,_ _she's_ the one who dropped us like we're a bad habit." Melanie's sneer made Yang's eyebrow twitch, and she shot the greener girl a deadly look.

" _I'm_ not the one pulling the twin-switcheroo so you could _both_ get in my pants! _I don't do sisters."_ Yang jabbed the cigarette at Melanie's midsection, making the girl flinch and swiftly wipe the ashes off her dress.

"Aww, we just wanted to share…" Miltia pouted, looking genuinely sorry as she laid gentle hands on Yang's back, only to earn an annoyed sniff from the blonde.

"And all those sweet nothings you told us both flew out the window the moment we came clean, like everything we did together didn't _matter."_ Melanie grit her teeth as Yang took another drag, trying heavily to control her temper around the older Malachite.

"And I keep telling you two, ya can't share every damn thing." Yolanda reprimanded, shooting the twins a sharp look that left them looking in other directions. "It's one thing to share a meal, but a person? What'd ya think was gonna happen?"

"Sexy twin fantasy." Melanie and Miltia both spoke as one.

"Which is _way_ creepier in reality." Yang added on, making Melanie growl, and Miltia wilt.

"Well, if you tried again, maybe with just _me?"_ Miltia wiggled in place, looking hopeful as could be as Melanie gasped.

"I saw her first, I've got dibs!"

"You made _me_ ask her out for you."

"I would have messed it up! You're _better_ about that sorta thing!"

"Maybe because I don't act like I'm the gods' gift to the world…"

"Well you _should._ Have you _looked_ at us?!"

"Only every day when I look into your eyes, Melanie…"

Melanie blushed. Miltia smiled. Yang gagged. Yolanda rubbed her temples.

Junior took one look at what was happening, tossed his weaponized bat aside angrily, and collapsed into a seat next to Yang. Yang turned to face him, and Junior almost went boneless as he face planted the bar. "What do you want, Blondie?" He asked, voice muffled.

"Same thing I _always_ want." Yang said darkly, pulling a puff from the cigarette in between her fingers, letting the cloud of smoke out with an annoyed sigh, her eyes closing as she considered how all her life's choices lead her here. "Information."

Junior lifted his head to give Yang a narrow look. "Always wanting to _know_ crap, I didn't start this business to kowtow to some punk blonde who can't use a library." He met her glare with one of his own, idly looking to the cigarette in her hand. He had never seen her smoke before during the handful of times she'd broke in to look for answers. "Those things'll kill you, y'know."

Yang waved the cigarette threateningly, rolling her eyes. " _Jeez,_ I didn't think I'd be getting a health lecture from a _drug dealer._ I _know."_ She pointed the fag at the club owner. "I got the full breakdown _and_ got grounded by my _dad_ over it years ago, and seriously, I am like _three wrong words_ away from crying my brains out and beating your ass while I do so, is _that_ what you want?!"

" _No!_ No no, _no."_ Junior reared back, hands in from of his face, just in case, while Yolanda laughed. "The hell's got your hair in a twist, Blondie? You usually have _fun_ humiliating me and my employees."

Yang stared Junior down, then turned to look at the bar in front of her. She twiddled the stick between her fingers, then unceremoniously flicked it into a nearby ashtray, waving the smell out of her face. Ruby would be pissed at her later, but Yang needed something to take the edge off. "I'm looking for someone."

Junior groaned, "And I told you everything I knew! What more could-"

"Someone _else."_ Yang cut him off sharply, her fingertips drumming the bartop with a growl. She was still heated, but it was fading embers. She was ready to ignite, but she had a job to do, something to focus on, and it kept her from letting loose and causing more damage. "Somebody hunting for the White Fang. Where are they?"

"The Fang?" Junior's eyebrows shot up his forehead, his lips delicately parting with the dozens of questions on the tip of his tongue. "You're going to hunt down the _White Fang_ to find this person?"

Yang side-eyed Junior as if he was the most tedious obstacle she'd handled all week, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am, and I figured I'd start out by asking you, since your thugs tend to get hired out to everyone."

"Well I hate to be the one to point this out, Blondie, but the White Fang aren't exactly partial towards humans, even hiring 'em. The couple of mutts I have around here haven't gotten any offers either." Junior tapped the bartop, drawing Yolanda's attention. A shot glass was put in front of both him and Yang, and Junior gestured to the big bottle of cognac still on the counter. They both had a glass of amber alcohol in front of them, and Yang didn't hesitate to take a quick sip, her eyes closing as the burn hit her tongue, then ran down the back of her throat. "The Fang's been busy as hell lately. They've got plans, or _something,_ and getting involved with them ain't a good idea. Whoever they have in their sights is gonna get a helluva wake-up call if they aren't prepared."

"So you _do_ know something." Yang surmised, swirling the booze in the glass.

Melanie watched Yang scornfully, and leaned over the counter to smile at the aged barkeep. "Auntie, could Miltia and I have a drink?" She asked with a smile sweet as sugar and sharp as her heels. Yolanda snorted.

"You 'n Miltia are too young to drink. I'll grab you some water."

" _She's our age!"_ Melanie snapped at her elder aunt, while pointing at Yang, who was ignoring the outrage with every ounce of her willpower.

"And, unlike a pair of screw-ups who got dumped outta school in their last year 'cuz they were too busy preening and wasting their time with drugs, _she's_ earned her drink." Yolanda grunted, putting two tall glasses of water in front of the twins. Melanie and Miltia both pouted as they sipped at their perfectly healthy, not-at-all-adult drinks.

Junior polished off his drink, setting the empty glass in front of him with a sour expression. "Pity to waste good alcohol talking about _this._ Yeah, I know a thing or two." Junior waved dismissively, and Yang turned more fully to face him, her eyes narrowed. "They're moving Dust, _lots_ of Dust. Lots of it stolen. They're tossing it into big shipping containers down at the Duermoor Docks every night. They're rushing like they got some sort of quota they're trying to keep up with. Load it all up onto small ships and send 'em out when dawn breaks."

"And nobody says anything?" Yang cocked an eyebrow. "The police don't know?"

Junior scoffed. "It's the _Duermoor_ police division, Blondie. You could buy them off with half a sandwich and a wink, assuming their heads aren't buried in the sand trying to route out the ' _internal corruption'_ they've been self-investigating for the past year. I wouldn't be surprised if the White Fang have them looking the other way."

Yang breathed out of her nostrils, closing her eyes. She chugged the rest of the drink, not bothering to savor the taste, instead sliding the shot glass away, her body language decompressing as the loss of adrenaline let a pensive mood take over. "It's a start, I guess."

Junior addressed the number of bottles lining the back of the bar's shelves, his leg jittering in a tired energy as Yang rested against the bar somberly. He tugged a pocket watch out of his pants and checked the time, then groaned. "I know you're in a state, Blondie, but it's closing time. You wanna sit in the dark and feel sorry for yourself, go ahead, but nobody's made a fortune off sitting on their butt playing pretend." Junior stood, clapping his hands for attention. "Grab your crap and get out everybody, and _no,_ you don't have time to scrape a little snow off the top! Get out!"

The handful of workers and dozen or so goons tiredly made their way out the ruined doors as Junior called and left a message for his building's contractor. Yang sat at the bar as Yolanda cleaned the two dirtied glasses and let out a thick, tired sigh. "He's right, Yang." The aged woman put the glasses to the side and whipped off her apron. "If you wanna find this person, you should be on the move."

"Kinda hard when your heart wants to jump out your throat and strangle that person." Yang grumbled, slipping out her seat despite her words. "Thanks for the drink, Mrs. Malachite."

"Anytime, Yang." The woman put on a cracked smile, and Yang turned to face the well-dressed twins staring her down.

"I hope you find whoever you're looking for, Yang." Miltia put on an optimistic smile, whereas Melanie scowled.

"I hope they're dead in a ditch." The cyan twin spat, but both stepped aside when Yang trudged towards the door.

* * *

As the sun first began to peek over the distant horizon, a man and a woman in dark blue suits, displaying city badges proudly on the fronts of their police jackets, scratched their heads as they searched the still warm truck, parked at the far, more private end of Vale's biggest park.

Just as the call had said, the car was unlocked and still running, allowing the two officers to dig through it for information on its owner.

From afar, within the trees lining the outer edge of the park, Blake watched the two policemen tiredly, crouched on the base of a sturdy branch, but leaning heavily against the trunk. An 'anonymous' call alerted the police to a stolen vehicle, ensuring it would be returned to its owner, and Blake was satisfied knowing that she didn't totally ruin somebody else's day.

Before the police could look her way, she dropped to the base of the tree, plodding deeper into the park. She weaved around stretching beams of sunlight, sticking to the shadows as she'd long trained herself to do.

In front of her, the world blurred and tilted, the morning oranges and greens muddying together to form indistinct, contrasting shapes that loomed and reached out towards her, pools of red and black forming between the lines, causing her to blink, her mind to clear for a single second, before tiredness took ahold once more.

Everything was a haze. Blake's head hurt from stress, her heart hurt from the ceaseless _feelings_ she couldn't get rid of, and her body hurt from exhaustion. She was ready to slip into a coma for a few days to just heal, but she had a mission.

To fibe da Whib Fun-...

Blake's eyes shot open as her shoulder throbbed. She'd stumbled directly into one of the park's hardy trees, the past minute or so of walking wiped clean from her memory. She held her arm with a frown, trying to will her aura into healing the small bruise, but she barely got a dark flicker. She was simply too far removed from normalcy and comfort. There was no fire in her, just ashes. She needed to take a minute to herself.

An hour even. Maybe a whole day.

Blake frowned at her own pathetic state, sulking forward until she broke through the treeline to the park's centerpiece: a large, man-made rock structure, as tall as a two-story building, overgrown with ivy and moss. It half-embraced a large lake, where swans and ducks mingled with brightly colored fish and frogs, the beautiful blue water regularly cleaned of refuse and pollutants by the dutiful park attendants. From the small man-made mountain, an artificial waterfall spat into the lake, forming a small grotto behind the blue cascade.

The park's numerous, weaving walkways all eventually tangled up around the startlingly pretty structure, and judging by the tables and concession stands, it was a popular place for visiting families.

Blake was briefly entranced as she stared, her mind trying to latch onto descriptive words to better explain to herself what she was looking at, but sensible language slipped out of her grasp. She simply took in the beauty, and quietly held a hand over her chest. It was the first time in the past couple of hours she felt anything other than guilt, shame, humiliation, and fear. It was a little getaway from the events that had dissolved her little pack.

She walked around the edge of the lake before breaking into a sprint, leaping onto the stones forming the little mountain. She heard the gurgle of water pouring into water, she smelled the spray and mist, she felt back in nature, isolated from the woes of the world and people, not constrained by her packs' feelings.

She grabbed ahold of the green-coated rocks and pulled herself up the mountain. She was pretty sure this would get her shouted at by the park rangers if they noticed, but she didn't care. She was a lawbreaker, and more than that, she needed privacy.

She climbed and swung her way into the small cave the waterfall poured out of, the steady hum of the electrical pump drawing up lake water to shoot back out providing a comforting blanket of noise. Sure, it was loud and constant, but it banished the cold, harsh thoughts that kept threatening to pop up into her head. It also kept her from seeing those _eyes…_

 _Ruby's_ eyes.

Blake paused, leaning against the machinery tiredly. As she slid to her rump, she found herself imagining she was in her bunk at Beacon again, a small, dark-haired little girl curled up against her side, reading with her. Her lip trembled, and she silently bit it to quell the resentment rising in her chest. The little secret-keeper… how dare she be somebody so… so _likable._

This wasn't how the story was supposed to go. Once the big, ugly secret was out, Blake was supposed to be hated, and hate Ruby in return. In some way they were both monsters, but Blake still ached to feel Ruby's approval and affection. Why did she have to hide it?

Blake's ears flattened on her head, and tiredly, she contemplated what would have happened if she'd been more honest herself. Blake wouldn't have been trying to excuse herself from their lives at the same time, maybe it would have gone over better.

"... Idiot." Blake whispered to herself after a low sigh. Once again, too wrapped up in her own thoughts, not speaking up, not stepping forward, obeying commands until it was time to leave… she didn't want to think about how things could have gone differently. If all four of them had gone to that wing place together, maybe Weiss wouldn't have gotten poisoned, but no, Blake had pushed, Ruby had pushed back, and they were sent on a bonding trip. How many things could she have solved by just opening up? By being less curious? Or being _more_ curious?

She rubbed her watery eyes, trying to dismiss the longing for her warm bed again. She could have still been asleep, waking up to a fine Sunday morning, grabbing some fresh fish from the cafeteria. She could have joined her team, her friends, her pack in a trip down to Vale, and come to this very park together. That would have been lovely. Reading with Ruby on a blanket, tea with Weiss at one of the picnic tables, getting chased by Yang around the water, maybe bending the rules and climbing up to this cave where they'd have privacy…

Blake had nodded off a few minutes ago, dreaming about a better time. Friends, family, a world of peace and clouds and good literature, shared with a handful of people she sorely missed. Blake drifted off to a better world, unaware of the figure stretching and yawning on the other side of the pumps.

* * *

" _Following the failed assassination attempt on Weiss Schnee, Kramer Umbasa is facing charges for attempted murder, tampering with food, and inciting a riot in the Pop's Wings & Things diner. There are mixed reports on what incited the attack: some claim that Weiss Schnee used racially charged insults against Umbasa, but several others, including Terravore 'Pops' McClallen, claim that Weiss Schnee had done nothing to provoke an attack."_

" _Very interesting Valua, you did an on-the-field interview with Weiss Schnee herself, what is your perspective?"_

" _Weiss Schnee claimed to be wearing a disguise strictly to avoid suspicion, as absurd as that sounds. However, Pops was a long-standing member of the White Fang before his departure, and though he has been vocal about his criticisms of the current state of the White Fang, he has never attempted to sabotage their efforts before. If he is willing to both protect and back Weiss Schnee up, there is a very good possibility that the negative press and counterattack would overwhelmingly do more harm than good."_

" _A pity, the Schnees haven't had a solid blow levied against them since the Miner's Veteran Union harshly fined them for their poor mining conditions until improvements were enforced."_

" _Indeed, though I question whether or not assassination is our best step moving forward. The Schnees have proven to be vindictive, but also self-conscious, the media could play a large factor in exposing their dark side, and presented by the right lawyers to the right judges, we could hit them where it hurts the most: their wallets."_

" _Normally I'd agree Valua, but the Schnees have curried the favors of lots of judges with known anti-Faunus sentiments."_

The handful of Faunus sitting at the tables in the diner listened intently to the radio, while Pops chopped onions and chicken to prepare for what he expected to be a very tense, not to mention sparse, rush hour. Pops had stayed the night in his shop to keep an eye on the storefront in case any opportunists with a brick, a can of spray paint, or worse decided to make an example of his shop.

In the morning, his gray-haired wife, sporting sharp, slit-pupiled eyes stalked in, scaring some ruffians out of the alleyway with a snap and a wave of rock-solid cane. Soon after came the delivery boys, bringing Pops the week's worth of chicken, and finally, some of Pop's most loyal customers and closest friends.

One, a bulky, weighty girl with ibex horns glanced over the counter, watching Pops mix the sauces he'd be using for the day in a bowl and put on a little grin. "Terravore?" She asked, drawing a dirty look from the old restaurateur.

"You call me _Pops,_ I ain't standin' my own name in my own business, ya hear?" He ordered grouchily. He wasn't sure what was worse, the disagreements over how the situation had been handled, or that they chose to reveal his full name…

"Terry, honey, I'ma gonna open the doors now." His little wife spoke. In sharp contrast to Pops, Michonne 'Ma'am' McClallen was an itty bitty thing. Walking with a slight hunch, barely breaching the five-foot line, and with tightly contained gray curls on her head, the wrinkled little thing somehow outsped the youngsters helping keep security while on a cane.

"Alright mama, don't strain yer shoulder." Pops called over to his wife, who tutted, then unlocked the doors, opening them testingly before shooting back behind the counter. Pops let some sauce drip off his stirring spoon onto his thumb, and held it out to Ma'am, who licked it off, smacked her lips, and sneered.

"Needs more red pepper." She grabbed a shaker of pepper flakes, and Pops put a hand on his hip as she shook a healthy amount of spice into the bowl.

"You always say the red sauce needs more pepper, but not everybody's gotcher devil's tongue, mama." Pops shook his head as Ma'am took his spoon and began stirring in long, slow, relaxing strokes.

"They'll earn it, Terry, they'll earn it! I swears they will, if they just quit overreactin'." The two squabbled over how to properly treat their customers while the rest of the Faunus in the room leered out the windows and sat about, impatient and anxious. There were already protests being planned in front of various Faunus organizations over the perceived mistreatment of a high-class celebrity (not to mention a young, teenage, _human_ girl).

The morning news had been full of condemnation and speculation, with several anti-Faunus groups using the opportunity to get on their soapboxes about the White Fang. One of the larger Faunus watched the Channel 8 news report, his lips turning white as a middle-aged, furious human ranted about how humanity was being taken advantage of, while the news reporter simply looked worried to share a room with the man.

They, of course, did not know how the retaliation would play out. Retaliation was inevitable, it was just a matter of when and how. Graffiti, broken windows, destroyed equipment, it had all been avoided overnight, but now that the story was circulating at lightning speed across the city, it was simply a matter of time before the first punch was thrown.

An hour passed. Pops glanced out the window repeatedly as he saw a group of humans congregating across the street. An hour ago, it had only been three humans, watching and taking pictures of the storefront. They were joined by two more ten minutes later, and five more arrived in almost half an hour. They were starting to reach twenty strong by the top of the hour, and Pops couldn't help the nervousness welling within him.

The rest of the store could feel it. He figured he didn't have much of an afternoon rush to look forward to, so he dipped into his stock to get an early breakfast started for everyone, to give him something to focus on, but he was growing frustrated. He didn't see signs or weapons on them. He wondered what the heck they planned to do. He didn't _want_ to get physical, but if there was another incident in his store…

He breathed deeply, looking at his fellow Faunus. His friends, his customers, people he'd grown accustomed to over the years. There were six of them in the early morning hours, and three more had just arrived. The whole eleven of them in the store could probably fight off the humans if they needed to, but Pops didn't want to see his store trashed. If it did, well… Menagerie would be his next step.

He'd almost resigned himself to the move, and spoke under his breath to Ma'am about his plans if they were given the motivation to leave. Ma'am spoke lightly, gently trying to dissuade him, but also spitballed some possible locations they could take over. Pops wanted a place on the main avenue, Ma'am wanted a place by the ocean. They argued incessantly, until the first tingle of the door's bell got their attention.

Pops turned around, tense, but trying to keep a welcoming look on his face. "Mornin' stranger, how can I–" He paused mid-sentence, his big eyes blinking slowly as the rest of the Faunus in the room got their feet, staring warily, some in surprise, some in anger, "W-why, miss Schnee, I wasn't expectin' you anytime soon." Pops tried to keep a calm tone, his large nose flaring as he took a calming breath.

"Something urgent came up." The heiress spoke tersely. Weiss's eyes went to the Faunus standing up, watching her suspiciously, some gripping their weaponry in preparation for an attack, and then she looked back to Pops. In startling contrast to yesterday, the young Schnee was instantly recognizable. The white dress and jacket combination that she wore for her last photoshoot and musical performance stood out in the dim lighting of the building, and her all-too-familiar white hair was pulled through a small, decorative crown to create her rebellious sidetail. However, hanging at her side was unmistakably a weapon: a long, thick foil, with a cylinder made for dust cartridges.

She held herself up as tall as she could, trying to look in control as she stepped forward. Everyone stared her down, and with nobody making a noise, her footsteps were as loud as gunshots.

Weiss was here again, the princess of the Schnees, the family with one of the worst reputations among Faunus. From her beauty, to her stride, to her sense of fashion, she was every bit the royalty the Schnees presented themselves as. She stood out among the more simply dressed Faunus; even at her most exhausted, not even a full day after her assault, she looked silvered and pristine—her very presence was suffocating.

The White Fang had dealt a frightful blow against her, and here she was once more, at the place it had happened. She came to stand before Pops, looking over her shoulder at the Faunus watching her closely.

"Now, I ain't one to be tellin' you how ta live your life, but you'd gone through a heckuva ordeal yesterday, shouldn't you be relaxin'?" Pops asked tenderly. Their eyes met. Her expression was so much stronger than it was before, she no longer looked beleaguered and ill; even with weighty bags under her eyes she seemed powerful, a girl with a mission, whatever it may be.

Weiss reached past her left hip, avoiding Myrtenaster to not display aggression, and pulled her scroll out of her rear pouch. "Believe me when I say that I wish that I could, but I unfortunately don't have that luxury. I'm trying to find somebody, and was hoping she might have come here." She set the scroll before Pops, who shot a sharp look over her shoulder. Weiss glanced back, watching a man with scaled cheeks look away, putting something back into his pocket.

Pops delicately handled the scroll put into his large hands. He adjusted his glasses and peered at the holographic screen. It portrayed a pencil drawing of a girl's face on a piece of sketch paper. It was not the best drawing in the world; one eye was a little off-center, the other more rounded than almond shaped, and it took Pops a minute to realize the triangles on her head were ears.

"Who's this, miss Schnee?" He asked, noting the long, wavy black hair with curiosity. He licked his lips in thought as Weiss crossed her hands in front of her stomach, her expression falling noticeably, leaving Pops working his jaw in worry.

"She is…" She trailed off right as she began, and shook her head. "She _was_ my teammate at Beacon. Her name is Blake Belladonna, and she's a Faunus."

Ghira's kid?... Pops didn't know of too many Belladonnas, but Ghira and Kali were both black-haired, and the ears… maybe it was too coincidental, but Pops wasn't about to discount the similarities. He looked down at Weiss once more. He barely knew the girl in person, and he was fully on edge for something to happen today, but the memory of her pale and sickly was still burned into his mind.

He was in an 'every man for himself' mindset, he wanted to defend himself and his homestead, but the young woman before him had been harmed under his watch and came looking for help.

Somebody behind Weiss spoke up, "A Faunus? Teamed up with _you?"_ A donkey-eared blonde boy asked in disbelief, and Weiss shot him a quiet, tired glare as Pops took it into consideration.

"Now, miss Schnee," Pops began slowly, handing her scroll back to her while giving her a very gentle, but pleading look, "I can't say I recognize her, but I'm also wonderin' why you came here to ask. Things're lookin' grim today, people're already makin' up their own stories about what happened 'n why, I don't mean to cast shade on your intentions, but I can't help but feel this is the start a-somethin'..."

Weiss looked at the picture of Blake quietly, her face dipping as her emotions threatened to bubble to the surface. It was there, only barely noticeable, but Pops could see the guilt on the young woman's face, then a flash of anger as her lips tightened. She pursed her lips and put her scroll away, quietly, yet bitterly, looking down as she squeezed her hands together. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just came looking for answers. If you hadn't protected me yesterday, I would have avoided this entirely, but…" She trailed off, fixating him with a pair of misted over eyes, and Pops deflated with a sigh.

"C'mere miss Schnee, let's take a seat." The large Faunus nodded. The two of them sat across from each other at one of the tables, the other Faunus restlessly milling about, watching curiously and with the intent to counterattack if things went poorly. The bell jingled as one Faunus raced outside to chase somebody off, but Weiss quietly sipped her grapefruit juice as she considered what to say.

"I've only known her for around a week now." Weiss didn't meet Pop's eyes as she grew lost in thought. "At first, she wasn't anything terribly special. She hid her ears so we'd think she was human, and was sort of distant. She was part of the team, we worked together, but she guarded herself. We barely knew anything about her, but she warmed up after a couple of days. She told us she trained in a camp, she told us her name, but that's all we knew about her. I didn't see anything suspicious at first, we had only _just_ met, you don't divulge your whole life story in a week of meeting somebody…"

"Take your time, miss Schnee." Pops spoke consolingly. Ma'am scooted up to the table carrying a tray in her hands, and Weiss sat up straight in surprise, both by the sudden appearance of the sharp-eyed Faunus woman, and by the sudden smell of hot, freshly-fried food. "Now ain't the best time, mama." Pops squeezed his wife's shoulder, and the little thing huffed.

"Two o' you are jabberjawin' like the world's endin', I won't hear none of it. Eat!" She ordered. Pops only meekly complied, popping a fry in his mouth as Weiss stared at the food, a sickly feeling entering her stomach, her throat itching in phantom pains… there was no Yang here to protect her now, but looking up at the big, round proprietor of the store, Weiss swallowed down her illness.

"Thank you, ma'am." Weiss picked up a wing coated in red sauce between her dainty, perfect fingers. Before she could think too hard on it, she took a bite, the explosion of meat and tangy heat filling her mouth, and her tongue curled at the burn of the sauce. She chewed slowly, instinctively trying to taste for some sort of foreign entity. The White Fang's strangulation poison apparently carried a faint taste of walnuts, but Weiss found none in the flavor. Well, she was either dead or fed, a distinction that annoyed her since her stomach immediately let out a hideous gurgle. She really should have eaten before she'd left. "Thing is, I may have said some unkind things about the White Fang while we were in our dorm room."

"As to be expected." Pops nodded simply, watching as Weiss polished off a wing and set it aside, delicately wiping her fingertips with a napkin. The young heiress considered the food before her, then took an onion ring. She bit into it hungrily, chewing slowly to savor the taste, then quickly stuffed her mouth with the rest. "Shoulda had a meal 'fore ya wondered in, miss, body can't heal without food."

"I was distracted." Weiss grunted, swallowing as she reached out for another wing, paused, and took her hand back. She focused on Pops in front of her, but her eyes drifted away. He watched them, they refused to focus on him, he could sense something amiss as she lost whatever energy she'd had in eating. "It… it turned out she was a member of the White Fang. A _former_ member, who had nothing to do with yesterday's events… I believe." She added on after a pause, making Pops wince. "She apparently had some issues with how the White Fang was conducting itself and left, but I'd said too much. She decided to slip out at night, but we'd caught her before she could."

Weiss took a napkin to twist in her hands, her eyes downcast, but then she pulled the little cloth taut, her expression turning hard. "She yelled, she told us everything, she showed us her ears, and she- she fled. She left the three of us behind and is who-knows-where, doing who-knows- _what,_ and we're trying to find her."

It seemed a more common story these days than it used to be. A White Fang member escaping to try and live a normal life away from the violence and oppression, only to find themselves unable to adapt. Pops had been lucky enough to have an idea of what he wanted when he'd left. Some people weren't so lucky. "And what're ya gonna do when you find her, miss Schnee?" He asked calmly.

Weiss quietly picked up a wing, and rather than answer, bit into it. It took Pops a minute to realize she had no clue what she was going to do. Weiss ate slowly, calmly, sniffling as the spices tickled her sinuses, the conflicting emotions plain on her face. Slack disbelief, drooping grief, tight anger, simmering guilt, Weiss's eyes were easier to read than a child's book, and Pops understood her all too well.

"How much do you care about Blake, Weiss?" He spoke her name boldly, almost testingly. He knew a thing or two about boundaries, especially with the Schnees, but Weiss was far more personable. She was not the cold, calculating machines her family seemed to employ in business dealings. However, she did not look offended, she simply glanced up at him, her expression confused and hurt.

"I don't _know."_ She answered meekly, her feet kicking out in an annoyed spasm. "How am I supposed to feel about her? I've only known her for so long, I barely know anything about her, and out of nowhere she ups and leaves while giving me every reason to distrust her. But I _don't."_ Weiss drummed the table with her fingers, sucking a breath through her teeth. "She's made me angry, she's made me scared, but I don't believe she wants me hurt. She told us that she's going after the White Fang, whatever that means."

"What it means," a Faunus spoke up from nearby, a powerfully-built brown woman who, despite the layer of sheep's wool growing along her exposed calves and forearms, managed to look equal parts intimidating and serious, "is that your friend is looking to get herself killed."

"I _think_ she was serious, ma'am." Weiss spoke harshly, and the tall woman snorted.

"I am too. I've been in the Fang for sixteen years, whenever somebody ups and leaves saying 'I'm going after this' or 'I'm going after that', it means they either succeed or they die. And they _never_ succeed." The woman stood up off the wall and approached the table, making Weiss flinch as she drew closer, and though Pops gave her a warning look, the woman took a wing and bit into it. "Just left the Fang, went to Beacon, made nice with a Schnee who is then almost killed, and decides to go after her old organization? Probably scared to crap and sees no way out. She's putting _her life_ on the line because of you, you realize that? You're why she's ri-riding the- na-haa- _aah_ these are _hot!"_ The woman coughed, making Weiss roll her eyes.

"Mild at best." Weiss huffed.

The woman slammed a fist down on the table, holding her mouth while her nose wrinkled in pain. "Don't you - _hack! -_ don't you tell me what ain't hot! Faunus or human, _taste buds_ are equal!" She coughed.

Weiss cocked an eyebrow, and pushed her mug of juice closer. The woman quickly downed it, and Weiss shook her head. " _Clearly."_ She picked up a wing and nibbled it almost triumphantly as the sheep woman glared in embarrassment. After a moment of silence, Weiss sighed, "I care enough that I don't want her dead. I want answers, I want to tell her _my_ side of the story, I want to know _everything._ I mean, of all people, I was friends with a girl from the Fang." Weiss lowered her food, and stared at the tabletop in open confusion. "All my life I've been raised to hate the White Fang, but we shared tea, we shared stories, we talked about life and philosophy and she's… a good person."

"Hard to hate somebody you share so much with, huh?" Pops asked teasingly, and Weiss, for the first time, wore a small, if sad smile. "I hardly know ya, Weiss, butcha ain't a bad girl, and trust me, I been dealing with bad people all my life. I think you're doin' the right thing, but I also think ya shouldn't hang yerself up over it. Do watcha need ta do for yourself, playing a hero with the White Fang involved isn't the best idea for a Schnee."

Weiss silently nodded, but paused, examining her fingernails as she thought. "Probably not, but…" She looked up at the ceiling, eyes closed as she spoke her thoughts. "I'm a huntress. I'm a _Schnee._ My grandfather wouldn't have given up looking for somebody in his caravans, I could never live up to him if I gave up on somebody I tentatively call a _friend._ I'll do what I have to, not just for me, but Blake too."

Pops regarded the Schnee girl in front of him calmly. Nicholas Schnee was an odd subject among the Faunus. His reign as the Schnee patriarch had gone by without so much as a cry of rage. There were few reports of him having direct interaction with the Faunus, and one of the reports had him privately disparaging the tribes' at-large lack of hygiene. However, he never reneged on compensating their cooperation, and unlike his heir, ignored Faunus tribal lands in favor of unclaimed territory.

There was always a question of whether or not it was pragmatism based on keeping a good image and healthy relationships, or pragmatism based on survival. Even modern Faunus tribes had an inclination towards violence when it came to trespassers, and Nicholas had little to no Faunus blood on his hands.

"I'll keep an eye and an ear out for this Blake girl, missy." Pops offered, earning an appreciative look from the young girl. "But in the meantime, ya need ta keep an eye out for yerself."

"I plan to. Yesterday taught me much." Weiss nibbled and ate, then felt her scroll vibrate. After a quick clean-up, she checked her message, her nostrils flaring. "No information anywhere. The search continues." She stood, her eyes lowering towards all the food. "Thank you for feeding me, sir. And thank you for hearing me out. I would like to come back sometime, once this mess is sorted."

Hearing the admittance made Pops smile, and the larger man stood to extend a hand towards the girl. Her slender fingers embraced his, and they both calmly shook. "We'd be happy ta have ya, Weiss. Good luck."

"Luck's for the hopeless." Weiss answered sternly, but when their hands released, she inclined her head, "But thank you. You as well."

"Miss Schnee, miss Schnee, don'tchoo leave just yet! Nuh uh!" A small voice rang out. Weiss turned as the itty-bitty Ma'am sped up to her, holding out a plastic bag with a box in it. "When ya find 'er, feed 'er this. Stupid decisions make ya hungry, she'll probably be starvin' when ya catch up to 'er."

Weiss stared at the small matron with curious surprise, taking the bag as the little lady bobbed her head and zipped away, leaving Pops chuckling. "Just enjoy the free take-out, it'll make mama feel better knowin' yer fed."

"Of course." Weiss tried to sound knowing, and gave him a small, but respectful bow before walking towards the door. "Thank you." She whispered, just loud enough to be heard on her way out. Pops watched with a small, curious smile as she stepped out into the crowd of humans that had migrated across the street. Pops fixated on the group with worry, as did the Faunus gathered at the windows, but Weiss's piercing voice made him smirk. " _Why in the world are you crowding around me?! Of course I'm fine! What are you hooligans doing; don't you have_ anything _better to do?! Get out of here!"_ She roared, waving a threatening arm at the crowd.

They quickly moved back across the street, watching Weiss storm away in an annoyed huff.

The situation at Pop's Wings & Things had only slightly improved, with one incident deflected by an unexpected guest, but the dwellers were prepared to handle the rest.

* * *

Blake awoke to fresh sunlight pouring into the cave she had taken up residence. Blake _also_ awoke to a full-body ache that made her regret having such petty things as muscles.

Was it Pierothorp that wrote ' _To be alive is to suffer?'_ Blake couldn't recall exactly, but ol' Perry wasn't far off the mark. She licked her dry lips and groggily stared at the opposite cave wall. She couldn't recall her dreams, a sure sign she was stressed, and she took a shaky breath.

It all hurt, even worse when she remembered where she was, why she was here, what had happened…

Blake quietly burrowed her nose into the shirt draped over her torso like a blanket. Yes… there was no turning back now. No home to return to. She'd outed herself, there was no choice.

She closed her eyes and let her heavy head rest, her senses tuning out as she turned inwards. She needed to find the White Fang to stop them, that's all she knew at the moment. She'd stayed silent for so long, and turned tail once the silence threatened to burst. Whenever she raised a hand in protest, the merest assertion that she was growing soft and hurting the Fang caused her to slip back into line, even with the guilt weighing heavily on her head.

She was tired of being a coward.

Finding them couldn't have been too hard, and she'd scream herself hoarse if it would make them listen. They had to be stopped.

Blake's eyes opened a bit. Then people like Ruby, Weiss, and Yang would have less to worry about. She buried her nose under the white shirt and tried to stop her thoughts from taking over. Blake bat her eyes, her vision foggy. Fresh tears threatened to spill. She didn't know why her heart hurt as much as it did thinking about those girls, she hated how _easily_ she let them wriggle in and make themselves important.

What a weak girl she was… she was meant to be a powerful enforcer of her people, a hunter of the Grimm, and here she was, shedding tears over a trio of people she barely knew. One of whom had kept a secret from her, true, but looking back on it… she shuddered.

This whole situation was idiotic, and Blake only saw one way out. She needed to repair her old life. She couldn't settle down in a new one just because it was easy, comfortable, and fun… oh god, it was a good life she could have had at Beacon.

Blake sniffled, and finally noted the distinct scent of musk. She opened her eyes wider, finally allowing herself to take in exactly the state she was in, and lifted the strange, white button-up shirt laid over her. Had she stolen it? She couldn't remember stealing it, but she also couldn't remember driving all the way to Vale. Quietly, she inspected the shirt, sniffing the masculine scent on it curiously, and looked around the cave.

Sitting at the entrance was a boy with a tail. Shimmering blonde hair, powerful back muscles, a banana in hand, Blake recognized him with a twitch of her eye. How the hell…? No, there was no time for this. She didn't have time to deal with a stalker.

Sun quietly stretched in the morning sun, enjoying the warmth, as well as the sights and sounds below. His day was already starting out interesting, which he was thoroughly pleased with. He heard the click of a stray pebble behind him, and he hopped to his feet. "Well well, sleeping beauty's finally woken up! So what brings you here?" Sun asked as he turned around, only to immediately go blind as a white yet refreshingly breathable cloth wrapped around his face.

Blake slid behind the yelping monkey boy and grabbed the sleeves of the shirt currently pressed to his face, quickly tying a double knot as he grasped at the restraint frantically. Blake sprinted to the edge of the cave, glanced over her shoulder at the boy, giving him a tired glare, and skipped out.

She sprinted down the uneven, rocky mountainside, watching for footholds instinctively as she descended. Her foot hit the wet grass, and she waved her arms as she briefly slid, nearly losing her footing in the process, but managed to catch herself a second later. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the blonde-haired Faunus boy hopping out of the cave's mouth, and she was off like a shot.

Calling up her aura was taking up more effort than usual, as her soul was in a flux: her emotions in argument with each other and her mind hazy and unable to latch onto a single, solid idea other than one, vague goal. She raced through the tree trunks of the park's forest, trying to stay out of sight of Sun. The tip of a thin branch cut a thin line of red across her cheek, and with a wince of pain, her foot caught a stray root.

She tumbled, quickly ducking into a roll to maintain some momentum, but when she rose to her feet, she pitched forward too far, and she threw her hands out to catch herself on a tree. She panted heavily, her mind heavy and hazy, her lungs already burning with exhaustion. She must have been a sight for sore eyes; such a maddened escape attempt only to end with such a humiliating flourish of poor timing and even worse observation.

She dug her fingernails into the tree bark, and turned sharply to stare as she heard the shifting of brush behind her. "Yeesh, you bailed faster than my prom date." Sun muttered as he emerged, holding his still tied up shirt in one hand. Blake tensed, her shoulders rising like a cornered animal, her ears straightening, and his eyes went over her scalp. "Oh dude, you're a Faunus too, cool." Sun smiled.

Compared to Blake, Sun looked positively magnificent. His chipper, blue eyes flitted about with a curious energy, his face baring no tired lines or dark bags. Without a shirt on, the full breadth of his musculature was on plain display, and he was a handsome boy indeed. He was almost a shorter Taiyang, Blake noted, but without the scars or the ruggedness that made Taiyang so masculine.

He also seemed thoroughly nonplussed that Blake had made such a grand attempt at escaping. Blake breathed deeply, clearing her lungs as she dug her fingers into the tree. "Go _away_ Sun." She ordered in a venomous growl, while Sun untangled his shirt to put it on.

"Ma'am, you're in obvious distress, just let me help you." Sun said calmingly, taking careful steps towards Blake, never losing that dumb smile.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Blake demanded, twisted around to press her back against the tree. She could feel her legs recovering. She just needed another few seconds. "Get the hell away from me! Are you stalking me?!"

"No no no…" Sun held his hands out, slowly taking another step closer. "I woke up in that waterfall place and found you there. Look, you seem pretty freaked out, why not-" Blake burst into motion, leaping to the left, but Sun, wreathed in his aura, snagged her upper arm to stop her. "What's— _rrrgh!—_ what's _with you?_ It's not like I pissed in your breakfas-" An elbow to the nose cut him short, the flash of pain and momentary surprise allowing Blake to get loose.

The cat-eared Faunus broke into a sprint, staring over her shoulder at Sun as the boy recovered and stared at her in surprise, and then looked ahead in time to eat a faceful of low-hanging branch. When she opened her eyes again she was staring up at the sky through the sunny boughs above, her nose throbbing, blood pouring out of her nostrils, and her back not-so-subtly telling her to stay still for a minute.

Almost in resignation, she let loose a quiet, perturbed breath, and refused to meet Sun's eyes when he bent over her. His smile had slipped into an awkward cringe, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Mmmmaaaaaybe now's not the time, but, uh, I get the feeling things aren't swell in your neck of the woods. Wanna talk about it?"

Every urge to punch the handsome boy in his perfect, boyband nose was weakened by by the pulsations of pain coursing through Blake's body. She quietly, tiredly stared at the sky, and answered in a surrendering voice, "Yeah. Sure."

* * *

Ruby found her mind drifting along, far and away from the present as she stared down at the black ribbon in her palm.

They could claim they'd only known each other for a week, but a week with Blake was just as long as Ruby had known Weiss, and both were her friends.

Ruby felt a tug on her hand as Zwei tried to pull her along by his leash, sniffing at trees in the park and trying to guide his young master along the trail. She was being difficult, but she moved with each pull, so he kept going.

She had not grown up with a lot of people to lean on. Ruby had her father, her sister, her uncle, and her dog, but they had a world outside of her – except maybe Zwei. Vast ones, full of people, professions, and activities, while Ruby had her room, in her house, in their isolated neck of Patch, far away from many of the world's greater problems.

Ruby could hunt, she could chop wood, she could exercise and train, day in and day out; she could read to herself and imagine entirely different continents by looking up pictures and movies, she could pick up long-tired games for a nostalgic trip through Cookieland or the digital world of Yang's game system. After fifteen years, Ruby had retread the same paths, the same words, the same routines, and the same entertainment again and again.

Every now and then there'd be a new face and voice in the house as her family brought home friends or associates. Ruby had shaken a few hands, introduced herself as the little sister, and found herself watching from beyond door frames as Yang and her study group goofed off and built a project for Signal, or she watched her father relive memories of old missions while sharing a beer on the couch with some hunter who had swung by for a visit.

These were people her family knew, had grown to care for, had relationships and experiences with. Ruby had none of that.

Ruby had made friends with the people in her books, and aspired to be big and powerful as they were, and every push-up, every swing of Crescent Rose, every factoid of information regarding the Grimm she picked up, they were all steps closer, but no matter how good she got, or how much praise her family had given her, she still felt small and frustratingly blank whenever they brought somebody new.

She'd often sneak away to her room to avoid questions about her life and hobbies, she knew she was terribly boring. What entertainment could she provide without stories or hobbies to share?

But in the course of a single night, everything had changed.

She squeezed the ribbon in her hand tightly, her lips thin and tight as emotion threatened to overwhelm her thoughts. She had met Jaune, then Weiss – though Weiss didn't really count at the time – Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, and Blake. Ruby didn't know a lot about Blake, but having fought with her, studied with her, read with her, Ruby felt a gentle bond.

She had helped make the girl laugh and smile, she had accidentally hurt her and made her mad, and now she had scared her. The leg-a-licious beauty that presented herself with the downplayed flair of a smoky female lead from a noir story, fleeing from Ruby over a simple misunderstanding.

Though… it was awfully complicated too.

A mistake had been made. One that needed to be corrected. Ruby needed to make sure Blake was okay, and try to take her back home; at the very least, give one final goodbye, even if the thought made Ruby's eyelids slam shut to keep the idea from letting her cry. Her friend was in pain, and Ruby couldn't help her, and that hurt Ruby more than the frightened face Blake had made.

Ruby didn't care if she knew Blake for only a week, it could have been just a single night where Blake had humored Ruby with a conversation, or even a lifetime of hunting together, she wanted Blake back. It wouldn't be enough to just hear her voice again, Ruby needed to see her, to feel her, to _know_ she was okay.

They were friends, and Ruby wasn't about to give up on that.

As she and Yang had done a dozen times in their youth, Ruby climbed the park's mini-mountain and slipped into the open cave. Zwei toddled ahead of her and sniffed all around, and Ruby swallowed thickly as a bubble of hope formed in her stomach. "You smell her boy? Was she here?" Ruby asked, and Zwei wiggled his rump as he lead the way back to the cave's entrance, then down the mountain once more.

"Can't say I've seen anyone like that." A park ranger told her as he put a fresh trash bag into a receptacle, and Ruby pouted as she took her scroll back, hiding Weiss's sketch of Blake. "She only went missing last night, right? I'm sure she'll be back."

"Y-yeah…" Ruby nodded solemnly as Zwei tried to pull her into the woods again. A full hour of sniffing and following later, Ruby found herself out the exit on the other side of the park, looking around frantically for a hint of black hair.

"Sorry miss, haven't seen anybody like that." A police officer shook his head, leaving Ruby to pout.

"Why the hell wouldja wanna find her? You keep filth like her around, and you end up with a whole zoo clawing at the door." A woman grunted furiously, wheeling away before Ruby could argue.

"If she wants t'be free, you gotta let her go, sister; don't you worry none, the world has a way of taking care of its children." A rabbit-eared man spoke in a dreamy tone, smelling heavily of something that made Ruby's mind fuzzy.

Ruby stared down at Blake's picture sadly. Her friend was out there, in pain, lonely, trying to do something right, but in all the wrong ways. Ruby dug a finger under her goggles to wipe her eye clear of gathering moisture, but paused. She turned to stare at her reflection in a store window, and quietly frowned. "This is all _your_ fault…" She muttered, passively scratching at her goggle strap. "I-if you were just… b _-br-braver…_ if you we-weren't born a f-freak…" Ruby whispered.

A low whine grabbed her attention, and she glanced at Zwei as the little corgi padded over to her and flopped onto her feet, exposing his belly while giving her a dim, happy look. Ruby sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve, and knelt down to scratch the pup's belly, kneeling to rub him all over. A little giggle escaped her as Zwei licked and nipped her fingers, chasing them playfully.

Zwei leaned into her hand as she dug her thin nails behind his ear, panting loudly in dim joy as his master shed her poor mood, and Ruby stood up, frowning at the pavement. "Okay, back to searching." Zwei put his nose to the pavement again after a quick sniff of Blake's ribbon.

The dog latched onto traces of the scent wherever he went, but as they neared the more populated areas of Vale, he began to lose focus. Whether the smell of food overrided Blake's scent or he was just hungry, Ruby couldn't tell to her frustration, but they weaved between the dozens of market stalls and pushed through the massive crowd of shoppers, trying to find some trace of her once more. Something, however, caught her eye.

"Excuse me miss, can I interest you in some fried squid?!" A man shouted over the clamor of the Sunday crowd. Ruby slapped a lien card down and reached for the side of his stall, plucking a long black hair wrapped around a splinter in the wood.

"Two please! Do you remember somebody who had hair like this?!" Ruby yelled back, her heart pounding hopefully as the man handed her a pair of sticks with the toasted brown seafood. Ruby held one by her waist, and Zwei's head popped up to snag it with an excited growl.

"I've served a hundred people already, sweetheart, can't tell ya!" The man called back. He jerked back as Ruby thrust her scroll into his face with a desperate look.

"Pl-please try and remember! She looked like this!" Ruby held the scroll to the man's face, and he delicately scratched a floppy brown ear on his scalp, then shook his head with a frown.

"Sorry hon, wish I could help you out! Next! You sir, interested–" His voice drowned out as Ruby walked into the crowd, chewing in frustration as Zwei carried the bare stick the squid had come on like a twig for fetch.

She glanced up as she passed by a large, whirring booth, and stared curiously at the sharp-dressed occupants, each surrounded by pieces of advanced, Atlesian technology. What truly made Ruby slow, however, were the cameras stringing the stall.

"– and I'm telling you, it can't be done on site. It's reviewed by our parent company, we don't keep the playback nearby for security reasons!" A woman with a platinum blonde bob cut and snazzy glasses leaned over the table for Ruby to hear her.

"C-can't you contact them?! It's r-really important I f-find this person!" Ruby waved her scroll, but the woman shook her head.

"We get too many customers passing by, we'd need a specific timeframe and we've been open since ten! That's assuming she didn't just walk by without a look. There's thousands of people that filter through the marketplace each day, trying to find one person in the crowd from five different cameras would just be an exercise in frustration!" The woman's clear blue glasses flashed, and a small alert notice appeared on the edge of her left lens. "Sorry miss, I wish I could do more! I got a call to take!"

She and Ruby parted ways, with Ruby gruffly kicking a loose piece of concrete in frustration. How was it that nobody had seen Blake?! She was only the stupidly prettiest person Ruby knew! That alone should have been a solid qualifier for identification…

Ruby sat on a bench as Zwei investigated – and marked – a tree growing on a small mound of well-groomed grass just outside the market square. Ruby stared at Blake's picture. Why didn't she get an actual photograph of the girl before she left?... Stupid short-sightedness…

She'd give anything for more than a memory of Blake right now, but all she had was this hastily done sketch. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down to think, to try and use what she knew of her friend to figure out what her next move would be. She was going after the White Fang, so she would probably go straight to wherever they were… but Ruby didn't know where that was, and Yang had said the Duermoor Docks were clear when she'd gone to investigate.

Weiss hadn't found any info at the wing place either, so their best bet was probably pinning down where the White Fang were operating and try to intercept Blake. How did one go asking where the White Fang were stationed, however? Ruby was pretty sure just walking into the nearest Faunus bar would get her booted for being underage, and she didn't have Yang's feminine wiles to gain trust and conversation from people who really should have known better.

Ruby let out a small sigh. She couldn't claim defeat here, her friend was out there. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and calmed her heart.

"What a magnificent dog!" An almost exultent girl's voice broke her trance, and Ruby whipped her head to find the source. Zwei was laying on his back, panting loudly, pink tongue lolled out of his mouth as a girl excitedly scratched his belly. "You are the cutiest _and_ the wutiest! Yes you are!"

Ruby watched for a second, unsure of what to do as the girl bathed Zwei in affection. She stood, the leash waving at the motion, and walked closer to hopefully extricate them both from this situation and continue the search, but the girl looked up to her immediate, precise movements. "H-hi." Ruby waved awkwardly.

The girl hopped to her feet, and turned to present herself to Ruby. She was a little off in a way Ruby didn't really understand, but her smile was as bright and cheerful as the cloudless, sunny day, and Ruby couldn't help but return a small one. Her short, curled orange hair waved and bobbed as she tilted her head, revealing a huge, cute pink bow on the back of her head.

Her gray, girl's overalls and formal shirt stood in stark contrast with the black and neon green necklace and thigh-high boots she wore. She was as pale as Ruby, with a smattering of freckles across her cheeks, and the brightest green eyes Ruby had ever seen. Also much like Ruby, her curves were terribly subtle, her tight clothing unable to highlight her feminine structure and leaving her looking awkwardly youthful.

"Sal-u-tations! Is this your dog?" The girl asked, her body twisting to point to Zwei, but her head not following. Ruby nodded, rubbing her arm as the girl immediately returned to a neutral pose, while Zwei sniffed her foot. "Your dog is both cute and delightful! May I have your permission to take pictures of him or her to upload to the internet?" Her head tilted to the right in an undecidedly non-Zwei-like fashion.

"I– uh." Ruby looked down at Zwei, who was using the girl's foot as a seat. The girl did not seem to mind, or even notice as she stared a hole through Ruby's head. "S-sure, b-but I'm in a hurry, so just a few."

"I can do that! Though for the sake of your time, how do you define 'a few?' Is it two? Is it three? Is it four? Is it greater than five?" The girl asked in an oddly exacting tone as she lifted a sleek, top-of-the-line scroll out of her skirt pocket, opening it to focus on Zwei as the pup stared up at her happily.

"O-oh, um, I-I guess maybe between five and ten?" Ruby tilted her head quizzically as the girl reached down to pet Zwei, retook control of her foot from Zwei's butt, and retreated several steps backwards to kneel down like a photographer.

"Then I shall take exactly nine!" The girl exclaimed. Zwei stared at the girl curiously. Then he flopped onto his side. Then onto his back. Then he got back up and sat, turned away from the girl, then he looked over his shoulder. Then he laid down, giving the scroll a big, lovey-eyed look. "Excellent! Extraordinary! Most wonderful! You are a natural! Amazing!" The girl exclaimed with each photograph, and Ruby couldn't help but grin a little as Zwei hammed it up.

Zwei was always a photogenic little beast, but he really sold himself to strangers looking for glamour shots. When the girl stood to cycle through the photos she took, Zwei hopped up with a happy yap and trotted to Ruby's side, ever obedient.

"Thank you for allowing me to take pictures of your dog! It was a pleasure to meet you miss-" The girl literally stopped in place, her expression frozen, mouth open, eyes glimmering, hand extended… and then she backed up with a horrified gasp, causing Ruby to step back in growing worry. "I have made a most repellant gaffe! I meant you no offense! My name is Penny Polendina!"

"I-it's okay, we all–" Ruby flinched as Penny strode forward and put a hand out, wearing an almost obnoxiously wide smile, "–make mistakes…" Ruby blushed a little as she quietly took the hand, and the girl moved her hand up and down stiffly. In contrast to the rest of her oddities, Penny's hands were surprisingly milquetoast. She had incredibly soft palms, but she was neither warm nor cold, it almost felt like Ruby was shaking the girl's hand with a blanket between their palms. "H-hi Penny, I'm Ruby Rose."

"Ruby Rose!" Penny repeated, her head popping forward in a very quick nod. "That is a beautiful name! Thank you for allowing me to take pictures of your dog! It was a pleasure to meet you miss Ruby Rose!" Penny took her hand back, standing straight in a perfect posture.

"S-sure, no problem, Penny." Ruby smiled gently, quietly wondering what Yang would do in this situation. Probably try to reassure the girl and make an excuse to leave. "W-well, m-my dad always s-said you have to b-be a little chancy to make friends. I'm sure Zwei loved it. A-anyways-"

"Friends?" Penny asked, her smile shrinking into a small, curious line as those green eyes blinked. Or Ruby assumed they blinked, her eyelids had moved so quickly, Ruby thought it may have been a trick. "We are friends?" Penny asked in a much more calm voice.

"W-well…" Ruby tensed up. She had to go find Blake, but _politely…_ and though this girl was weird, she wasn't malicious. "Sure… we can be friends." She quietly hoped she wasn't about to regret that.

Penny's pupils seemed to shrink a half-centimeter as she stared at Ruby, and that curious look immediately broke out into a brilliant, massive smile. She took Ruby's hand, and stared the regretful girl in the eye with pure joy on her face. "Yes! We _can_ be friends! You cannot comprehend how happy that makes me, I can only hope that you are happy that I am your friend too!" Penny happily kneaded Ruby's thin fingers, and Ruby made an awkward cough, and quickly looked around for help from a non-present Yang.

"Y-yeah! I-I'm sorry th-though Penny, I r-really have to go! I-I'm trying to find another friend–"

" _Another_ friend?" Penny asked, her expression turning serious as she closed in, making Ruby go pale as their noses nearly touched. "If she is lost, then she must be found! For the sake of friendship, I shall help my friend find her friend!"

 _Oh boy…_ "I… I guess it couldn't hurt?" Ruby squeaked.

"I will do everything within my power to not harm you or your friend!" Penny assured with a rapid nod, leaving Ruby to sweat. "How shall we begin? Do we have pictures? A location? A smell? A dog such as yours has a brilliant sense of smell!"

Ruby stared at the very strange girl, but quietly lowered her eyes. Having another person to help couldn't hurt, even an odd one like Penny. Ruby quietly took her scroll out of her hip pouch to show Penny Weiss's drawing. "This is Blake Belladonna, she has yellow eyes, black hair, and cat ears. Sh-she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met, an-and I just want her to come back to Beacon." Ruby's shoulders shrank as she stared at the picture, and Penny took her scroll out once more.

"I shall take a picture so that it will increase my chances of identifying her!" Penny explained, only for Ruby to give her an odd look.

"How about I just t-text you it?" Ruby offered.

"You wish to text me?" Penny asked in surprise. Ruby felt she might regret it… but she got Penny's number, and sent her the picture in a text.

Penny stared down at her scroll screen, the open chat window displaying Blake's picture and a number that did not belong to either herself or her father. Quick as a shot, she was making Ruby a scroll contact, and smiling brightly as she did so.

Ruby sighed… today was going to be difficult _and_ strange.

* * *

"Have you ever met somebody who made you believe that you can change the world?"

The question caught Sun off guard, and he politely lowered his fork to answer. "I mean, sorta? My teachers always talked about how the future is in our hands, so…" He trailed off, then stuffed his mouth with half a hard-boiled egg drowned in Vacuan spices. The two had long moved away from the well-kept treeline of the park, having found a small, Faunus run breakfast nook with a balcony overlooking the street below. Sun sat on one side of the table, Blake on the other, both with small plates of food in front of them.

Blake wasn't looking at him, or the small pile of hash browns she'd ordered to try and appease her gurgling stomach. She leaned her cheek on one hand, her eyes downcast and staring through the table they sat at, her nose still red, but her nosebleed fixed. She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "No. Not like that. Somebody who speaks out towards the injustices of the world, or talks with so much purpose in their cause, you can't help but think, ' _this person will change the world!'"_

Sun sipped at his coffee thoughtfully, examining Blake's face. She was still somewhat delirious from her poor state, but the coffee seemed to have brought some sense and life back to her. "Well, I've heard some pretty rockin' speeches about saving the world, doing the right thing, being a better person than who I was yesterday—"

" _Not like that."_ Blake shot the boy a glare, causing him to awkwardly sip at his own coffee as Blake shook her head. "I'm not talking about those self-help speeches about doing better every day, I'm talking about somebody who fills you with _purpose,_ somebody who makes your enemies seem small and weak when they talk."

"Mmm nope." Sun shook his head, watching the dark-haired beauty brood across the table. "I mean, people have _inspired_ me, but it doesn't sound like they've inspired me like they've inspired you."

Blake stirred quietly, seemingly not wanting to acknowledge that, but then she let out a defeated sigh. "You're right." Her frown deepened. "I'm a follower, I always have been. I'm not good at making plans or leading other people, I'm good at making them feel comfortable, or helping them get smarter, or providing 'camp morale.' I'm a walking, talking cocktease, if nothing else." Blake's stare hardened, and Sun guiltily looked up at her eyes, hoping she didn't notice.

"Well there's nothing wrong with being attractive, right? I mean, look at me!" Sun smiled jokingly, smacking his prominent abs, but Blake didn't so much as blink in his direction as she nibbled the end of a hashbrown.

"The first person I met to ever make the world seem… _small,_ and changeable, ended up losing his mind." Blake spoke in a slow, careful melancholy, clearly struggling to keep her composure slack and neutral as painful memories began to dredge up. "I gave everything to him. We were best friends, lovers, and partners. He wanted to make the world a safe place for the Faunus, he wanted to make humanity realize we weren't to be ignored or cast aside when it was convenient. He could be aggressive and cold at times, but he was often smiling, and _driven._ Every day he woke up, no matter how sick or hurt he was, to further our cause…" Blake let out a heated breath, and she stared blankly down at her food. "But the longer it went on, the less he smiled. We weren't moving fast enough, these things take _time_ but we were all feeling hopeless. Then, one day–and I swear I don't know when, I just saw it happen–he was angrier than he was happy. Shouting and threatening his own followers, too powerful to be questioned, and still just as dedicated to a cause, just not our old cause. Suddenly, the only thing he cared about was revenge. If humanity wouldn't listen… it was going to pay."

Sun swallowed thickly, rubbing his scruffy blonde hair with an unsure expression. "Kinda sounds like those warmongering idiots in the White Fang." He tried to joke.

"We _were_ White Fang." Blake said pointedly, making Sun open his mouth, then slam it shut with an apologetic squeak. "Or, _I_ was White Fang. He still is, and he's leading the Vale chapter down a violent spiral that makes Sienna Khan look positively saintlike. So I left. I felt like I had no voice, he told me all I was doing was hurting the cause, he _threatened me_ when I brought up my concerns in private… and I left." She sank, her eyes closed. "I didn't try to gather followers, I didn't fight back, I let myself be cowed and did more and more violent things until I couldn't take it anymore. I don't _hate_ humanity, and after meeting Weiss, I find it harder to hate the Schnees, but _that man_ found a new drive and new hope in _hate._ I didn't try to fix anything, I just… _left."_

"Well…" Sun tried to interject before Blake could turn into a puddle of depression, quietly offering her an egg. "If you were feeling threatened, what else could you do? Better to run and fight another day than die, right?"

Blake sniffled, and Sun inwardly groaned. Probably not what she was looking for… "I came to Beacon hiding my ears so people would think I'm human, and it worked the whole week. I thought if I could hide long enough, grow strong enough to return and take control, that would be good enough, but… then I met _them…"_ Blake's eyes began to water, even as a sad smile grew across her face. "Weiss was abrasive, but a good person. And _Yang…"_ Blake's smile grew, even as the tears really began to pour. "She made me remember what it was like to just… be a _girl,_ she was such a pain, but she had a way of making you feel good no matter what, and helping you forget the sort of troubles you have. And-and you _met_ Ruby…"

"Yeah. Yeah, she's a good girl." Sun nodded slowly, remembering the adorable little thing with a fond smile.

"She was just _brimming_ with potential. She didn't care if you were human or Faunus, she wanted to protect anyone and everyone." Blake scratched her scalp as something began to irritate the back of her mind. "She needed direction, but her _purpose_ was clear. She was meant to be a hero… except those _eyes…"_ Blake paused mid-speech.

Sun waited and watched quietly for Blake to continue, but began to grow worried when Blake began to very nervously drum the tabletop, then suddenly sat up in agitation. "What about her eyes?" Sun asked, feeling his toes curl when Blake's face went placid.

"It's… nothing." Blake whispered softly. "She just- it seemed like everyone knew but me, you get curious, you start to feel like you aren't trusted, but the truth…" Blake shuddered in revulsion, and Sun squirmed in discomfort, now burning to know. "A-all three of them…" Blake began again, regaining some of her lost composure. "They made me feel… at home, like I belonged again, but only because they didn't know who or what I truly was. My entire life, up to Beacon, was the White Fang… I didn't belong in a school surrounded by humans, how could I stay with the guilt that my team had been attacked by my own people?... So… I left. Again. I told them everything to wipe my conscious clean, and I ran so that I could go back and try and fix my mistakes, to give my team the peace of mind they need to live their lives."

The monkey boy quietly tugged the stem of a banana, peeling it down half way. He looked Blake in the eye, trying to judge how intense he wanted to be right now. "Okay, so… what makes you think they aren't trying to hunt you down and bring you back right now?"

"Why would they?" Blake's face tensed as the question left her lips. Her heart plummeted at the thought they'd so readily abandon her, but the possibility was there, she just didn't want it to be true. "They know I'm a terrorist, a liar, and a coward. They saw me… they saw me hurt Ruby. Oh god I _hurt Ruby…"_ Blake pressed her fingers to her temples, letting loose a shuddering breath.

She returned her attention to Sun when the tip of his banana prodded her forehead, and she gave him an annoyed glare. "Hey, I _met_ Ruby yesterday. Did you break her leg or something?"

"No!" Blake's stare hardened at the implication.

"Stab her in the back and leave her to die?"

" _No!_ I forced her goggles off her, it–!... It probably pulled her hair."

"Okaaaaay, so you pulled her hair by accident. Cool. Now she hates you?" Sun raised a blonde brow, and Blake glowered.

"I forced her to show me her _eyes,_ Sun. That was the _one thing_ I was told not to do! I broke her rule, I _exposed her."_ Blake spat furiously, squeezing her wrist tightly as she recalled the moment for the hundredth time that day. She shuddered, and bit back some bile in her throat as she remembered the way Ruby looked.

"And you think she hates you now?" Sun cocked his head, drawing Blake back out of her head.

Blake stared hard at the tabletop, her mind's ignition turning, but failing to fire as she tried her damndest to find the negative. "... She'd have every reason to. I… I stole her secret. I mean, maybe it's not much, but I know why she has to wear those goggles now, I-I should have waited." Blake buried her face into her palms, letting out a shaky moan. "God- _goddamnit,_ I should have waited…"

Sun frowned. He'd been curious as to why Ruby bothered walked around in shaded goggles, but he was too busy laying on the charm to ask about it. "How bad could it be? Is it some sorta semblance thing?" He asked, tapping his temple, and almost immediately Blake shot him a defensive look.

"It's not _your business._ It's not my business either…" Blake acknowledged with a cringe, "But… I owe it to her. I mean, she _should have told me,_ but I can see why she wouldn't want to, and- _and_ _ugh!"_ Blake threw her arms up, a headache forming from the swirling confusion, stress, and frustration.

Sun looked to her in confusion as she collapsed on the table headfirst, hiding her face. "Maybe you coulda told her about your ears first? Just traded secrets, get her trust-"

" _Shut the hell up Sun."_ Blake snarled.

Sun stuffed his mouth, and shook his head. He wasn't one to offer an unwarranted opinion out of nowhere–well, who was he kidding? He stuck his nose everywhere he possibly could, but this was far more serious than some relationship troubles and a costuming malfunction. "So… what's the plan then?"

Blake lay still and silent for a long while. She curled her fingers into tight little balls, then let them go, relaxing once more as her large ears twitched. She slowly gathered herself back up, a frown on her face, and she breathed out. "I need to go after the White Fang."

" _Do you?"_ Sun asked, his voice like a bullet, causing Blake to flinch as he stared her in the eye and ate around a mouthful of banana. "White Fang'sh alotta people," he swallowed loudly, and pointed the lower half of his banana at Blake, "you're one person. You're not a legendary hunter, you're a student, like me. You ran away from them, do you really want to go back after them?"

Blake met his eye. His gaze did not waver, and his expression remained firm as he waited for her answer. He was right of course, but… that didn't mean she herself was wrong. She examined his face carefully before she dared answer. She'd made a dozen reckless decisions since last night, the last thing she needed was disappointing yet another person. "... Yes." She answered softly.

"Why?" Sun asked, his voice equally soft.

"They are my people." Blake rubbed her hands together nervously. "I contributed to their cause, and I turned the other way when they began to change for the worse. I have a responsibility towards them, towards the Faunus, and towards humanity to try and fix my mistakes. I know more about how the White Fang operate than probably anybody else in this city, even if I'm just one stupid school girl, somebody has to do… _something…"_

"And what is that something?" Sun persisted, and Blake's brow knit in frustration.

"... I need to find out what they're doing in the city. The White Fang's always had a couple of operatives in Vale, but never to steal anything. There's been dozens of reports in the last few months about Dust theft, and there's too much evidence that it's the White Fang behind it. They've never needed this much Dust before… they're up to something big, and damnit, I have to know what they're doing."

She fell silent, expecting another 'why?', another 'you're just one person,' but it never came. She looked up to Sun as he tossed he dropped the empty banana peel on his plate and quietly nodded. "Well, my team's not expecting me until tomorrow. Where do we get started?"

"... We?" Blake asked, confused and a little dismayed.

"You haven't touched your breakfast, barely slept, and can't even call your aura up." Sun pointed out with a smirk, his tail flicking behind him in an obnoxiously lackadaisical fashion. "It would be against my code as a man and a hunter to let you go alone! So… where do we get started?"

Blake glared, though it lacked true animosity. She didn't want other people involved, but at the same time, he wasn't entirely wrong. She could barely bring her black aura to bare, so she simply let loose an annoyed sigh. "We'll start where _all_ the White Fang start: at the corners."

* * *

The familiar buzz and whine of a sporty motorcycle outside perked Ruby's ears up, and she immediately turned in her seat to stare out the little coffee shop's window. Yang slid off her motorcycle, after finding a parking space, and released her hair from a ponytail, running her fingers through the long, blonde mane to fluff it up. Sliding off the back seat, Weiss stood on unsteady legs as she pulled Ruby's helmet off of her head, a slight blush and surprised, wide eyes gracing her face.

The two girls walked into the coffee shop, Yang looking uncomfortably dour, Weiss twiddling her fingers in some unknown energy. The pair made their way towards Ruby's table. "I hope you have some good news about our dumb bitch of a teammate, 'cuz I sure as hell don't." Yang griped as Ruby stood up from her seat.

Weiss remained quiet as the two sisters embraced, but, judging by Ruby's tight grip and somber sigh, she was empty-handed as well. "'m sorry Yang, I couldn't find her…" Ruby murmured, and Yang released the tension in her shoulders as she fell slack against her little sister.

"Not your fault, she's the idiot who left." Yang rubbed Ruby's back and loosened her grip to stare down into Ruby's goggles. "Look, I've been in too crap of a mood to tell you this, but I'm gonna now: it's not your fault."

"I-I coulda t-told her…" Ruby whispered, and Yang shook her head.

"No you couldn't, those were the rules. Listen sis, we both know what those eyes of yours do to people, Blake jumped the gun, we hadn't had a chance to figure out what to do." Yang assured Ruby, comfortingly drawing the younger girl's hair away from her brow, as she always did.

"It was a tragedy of errors, that's all to be said about that." Weiss spoke up in a quiet voice, arms crossed until Ruby glanced her way. Weiss looked the other way, her thoughts a low, groggy simmer. "There's no telling what wouldn't have lit the powder keg, other than if we had all been honest from the beginning. I'm sure Blake has her reasons for hiding from us, even if I believe they are going to be _terribly_ unsatisfactory. We had no way to know what would happen."

"Yeah." Yang nodded, brushing Ruby's cheek with the back of her thumb. "So don't sweat yourself. We'll try again. Maybe not today, I think we're all still tired and freaked out from last night, but we can try again and again until we know what happened."

"And… _you're_ okay?" Ruby gently squeezed Yang's wrist. The blonde remained quiet for a long time as she toyed with Ruby's hair, then glanced to the table.

"Which cup's mine?" She asked, staring at the three cups of steaming coffee. Ruby frowned, and gestured to the far end. Yang nodded and made a move to slide into the seat, but paused. She stared silently, while Ruby put on a nervous smile. Weiss peeked past her teammate, and her brow tightened. "... Ruby." Yang spoke slowly. "Who the hell is that?"

Ruby coughed loudly, and whispered in a low voice, "U-um… this is… my new friend, Penny…"

The orange-haired, smiling girl's head twisted curiously to face Yang with a quick, precise jerk, her hands not leaving Zwei's belly for a second, the blissed-out dog laying across her lap lazily. "Hello Ruby's sister! My name is Penny Polendina! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Weiss turned to give Ruby a flat, temperamental look, and Ruby tugged her hood over her head. "Ruby…"

"It was an accident, I swear!" Ruby whimpered, trying to look as sorry as possible as Yang looked between her sister and Penny, who tilted her head in a curious way.

"How–" Yang pressed a palm to her forehead, "How do you _accidentally_ get somebody involved in a missing person's case?!"

"I-it's a bit of a long story…" Ruby whispered. Penny did one of her too-quick-to-see blinks as she turned towards her new friend curiously.

"Whatever do you mean, Ruby? I took pictures of your dog, you mentioned searching for Blake Belladonna, and I offered my assistance as your friend! There is nothing complicated about that!" Penny nodded swiftly, and Ruby deflated, quietly gesturing to Penny to indicate she was correct. Penny put on a happy smile and continued to pet Zwei.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang sat down where their coffees awaited them. Ruby next to Penny, across from Weiss, while Yang sat across from Penny, sipping her caffeine thirstily. She was a tough girl, taking her coffee black, gulping down the bitter taste, letting it awaken and embolden her with its strength.

While Ruby drank her coffee with ungodly amounts of sugar, and Yang drank hers straight, Weiss was at a comfortable middleground, with one sugar and two shots of cream. Though the coffee warmed and soothed the girls, when their cups sat on the table they each sank into a fatigued state, their bodies restless, yet tired, their minds brewing, but hazy.

Penny sat silently, glancing from girl to girl. Had Zwei not been in her lap, she would have been shimmying in her seat, as she was sitting among her peers! Their stress levels were notably high, and they were clearly exhausted, but she sat among them nonetheless.

"Yang." One of them finally spoke up. After some confusion and looking about, Ruby, Weiss, and Penny looked to Yang in curiosity. Yang sipped her coffee, and let out a sigh, hardly looking at the other girls. "My name's Yang, not 'Ruby's sister.'"

Penny perked up, her pupils narrowing as she focused on Yang. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yang!" Yang nodded in response, while Weiss bowed her head, eyes closed.

"First, my name is Weiss Schnee, teammate to these two, student of Beacon Academy, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Penny, thank you for joining the search, even if it's a bit of a surprise." Weiss shot Ruby a withering look, making her partner squeak and gather herself up in embarrassment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Weiss Schnee!" Penny smiled perkily.

"Introductions and pleasantries out of the way, we shouldn't waste our time brooding and dancing around the issue. What information do we have?" She looked up, her face an ashamed frown. "My search was fruitless, I came out no better than before, other than having lunch waiting for us."

Yang spoke up next, picking at the cardboard insulator around her coffee cup. "I have a general idea of where the White Fang might be, but no timeframe. The Duermoor docks is the worst place you can be after dark, unless you're looking for easy money or easy drugs."

"... It's a start." Weiss mumbled, swiftly typing the information into her scroll before turning to Ruby and Penny.

Ruby worked her tongue, trying to figure out how best to let her teammates down, but Penny set her scroll on the tabletop. They watched as she took the edges and spread them wide, pressing a holographic button to turn off the screen display and create an adjustable hologram between the four of them. It displayed a map of Vale, with yellow lines crossing through a broad array of streets. "Ruby and I began our search in the Multicultural Exchange Square, spreading out north and south to cover more ground. I found no evidence of Blake Belladonna in these areas, unfortunately, but Ruby and Zwei discovered a trail."

Weiss and Yang both stared in quiet surprise and fascination at the advanced display of technology, but both shook themselves out of their surprise at the news. "You found a trail?" Yang asked her little sister.

"You have an Atlesian Super Scroll 9x?!" Weiss asked in a high voice. The rest of the table turned to stare at Weiss in a mixture of pride and annoyance, and Weiss quickly clammed up. "Ahem… yes, the trail, first and foremost." Weiss blushed, even as Penny pushed her scroll to the Schnee girl. Weiss quickly snatched it up to poke through it. "These haven't even been granted to the _Schnees_ yet, much less the public…"

With Weiss occupied with the bells and whistles of upcoming technology, Ruby started with a resigned voice. "Zwei caught her trail several times today, but I think getting mixed up with all the people confused him. We found it, lost it, found it, lost it… and then it stopped at a curb at the corner of Kokomin and Fleet, I-I think she'd caught a cab, but…" She trailed off, swallowing thickly, and Yang let out a sigh.

"Well… crap." Yang buried her face into one of her palms, and Ruby's stomach did a little flip as Yang deflated, finally showing how tired she was. Yang was not quick to show weakness of any capacity, she prided herself on being a stable anchor for her friends and family. However, every now and then a crack appeared, to let you peek in and see the young girl beneath the bravado, and sometimes her entire facade simply crumbled, and she quietly, peacefully resigned herself as a failure.

"... You said the Duermoor Docks were where the White Fang worked, right?" Ruby offered, drawing a simple nod from Yang. "Then we need to go back there and check."

"We could." Weiss spoke up, sliding the scroll back to Penny. "If we did, it would have to be done at the right time. The White Fang typically operate at night, using the cover of darkness for many of their attacks and ambushes."

"Th-then we should investigate s-sometime at night. Why not tonight?" Ruby offered desperately, ringing her small fists as Yang refused to look up. "M-maybe… maybe we can in-intercept her."

"And expose ourselves to an enormous number of well-armed and dangerous hypocrites in the process." Weiss countered with a quiver in her voice, instinctively touching her neck. "B-besides that, we have class tomorrow, don't we?"

"Class isn't as important as Blake!" Ruby raised her voice in sudden anger, causing Weiss to shrink back in quiet shame. A sudden 'bang' rattled the table, and Ruby and Weiss quickly turned to look at Yang, who hadn't lifted her face out of her hand.

"... Blake seems to think otherwise. It's no use to do something stupid _and_ dangerous when we don't know if the dumb bitch'll even be there, or _want_ to come back." She opened her eyes, the pale, pretty lavender in them abnormally dull. "Just pack it in, Ruby. Nobody slept last night, I am seriously hankering for a long-ass nap and some ice cream and pretzels."

Ruby swiftly looked to Weiss for help, but the heiress wouldn't meet her gaze. Ruby's face began to turn red, and she clenched her small fists, trying to find _something_ to say… but Weiss beat her to the punch. "Ruby… I'm _tired._ I want to find Blake, but right now, I'm just so exhausted. Between everything that happened yesterday, and everything that happened last night, and everything happening now, I want to go to bed. Yang's right, Blake may not care about her academics, but I do. I'd like to be ready for tomorrow."

Ruby's jaw dropped. By her side, Penny felt the shift in mood and Zwei perked up in her lap, his head swivelling between his two masters in silent worry as one radiated depression, the other anger. The two silent observers looked to each other, and Ruby finally spoke up. "W-well… I-I do-don't… I-I can't go home a-and sleep knowing B-Blake's out there s-somewhere and _scared_ o-or lonely! Y-you two…" Ruby took a hitching breath, cooling the fire in her lungs, "You two g-go _nap._ _I-I'm_ not giving up."

With that, Ruby stood. Yang didn't dare look her sister's way, and Weiss simply watched the table with guilt as Ruby stormed away. It took all of ten seconds for Ruby to return and slap a lien card on the table, then storm away once more.

Weiss balled her hands up together and struggled to come up with an idea or a plan. She truthfully did want to hunt Blake down and figure out what to do from there, but even with food in her belly, she was truly exhausted. She looked Yang's way, and the blonde simply pushed the remainder of her coffee aside and stood.

"Penny." Yang spoke the name forcefully, while struggling to keep the emotion off her face. "Can you go after Ruby? Make sure she stays outta trouble? I just- I need to go rest my head."

"Of course Yang, you can count on me!" Penny smiled, but it was not returned. Yang nudged Weiss, and they both filed out dismally. Penny lifted Zwei, following after them. Yang had her hair back in a ponytail, Weiss had a helmet on, and the two watched Penny as she set Zwei on the ground. The pup went off after Ruby, wherever she had run, like a shot, Penny in hot pursuit.

Weiss and Yang backed out of the parking spot and rode towards Beacon, both slumped and miserable.

It wasn't as if the fire wasn't there. There was a spark of interest, of need, of _desire,_ but that fire had been burning hot and furious for years now. Yang drove slowly, since she felt the weight of a friend on her back, but no matter how the gears turned, the fuel for the search was long past used. She'd already spent years asking herself 'why?' and 'where?', she'd exhausted plenty of lien, time, and energy on one fruitless search, it was hard to rouse herself for another one.

Blake had been… a curiosity. Mysterious, beautiful, cold, yet teasing, she was a strange, zen creature with moments of high-energy and long periods of slow dryness, chilling on her bed reading. She was interesting, and Yang sincerely regretted not trying harder to unwrap the girl and see what she was like _really_ fired up, but it was a new chapter in Yang's life. She was four years away from becoming a huntress, she wasn't ready to so easily throw that away for another chase she had zero faith in.

That was one of the cold truths about Remnant; when the stress was too much, it was all too easy to buy a ticket somewhere and disappear forever. Even with a fledgeling internet connecting the four capitals, the lesser towns and villages weren't exactly up to speed on technology. That was assuming the missing person even survived, or didn't go to join a fucking _bandit_ coven.

Thinking back on it, Yang wasn't too sure what she valued so much about Blake. It wasn't like the girl was paying lip service to her or anything. She was a frigid wall sometimes, and a teasing, playful gremlin at others, but she wasn't all that different from other girls that showed one or the other side of those traits. Yang knew nothing about her at the time, but now she knew she was some sorta former terrorist and had cat ears.

Yeah, Blake wasn't all that special. Yang connected better with Weiss and her sister anyways, she didn't need the playful insults or teasing wiggles of her hips to keep going. It wasn't like they hadn't fought together, ate together, or succeeded in their classes together.

Yang sighed thickly. She never went to bed easily when she was in denial, but she had to save her tears for when she was in private. Maybe she'd feel differently after a long nap. Maybe she'd feel the exact same. Either way, she just wanted to forget about Blake and move on. It had only been a week, the girl would be nothing more than a distant memory in a month or two…

* * *

"I know I sorta agreed to help you, but I'm not trying to actually get recruited, y'know?" Sun mused as he watched the White Fang member passing out pamphlets on a street corner. Sun had only been in Vale for a day-and-a-half now, and he could already tell they were not in one of the good parts.

Around the market district, the buildings had been quaint, bright, and well-washed, and humans milled about, doing their business without a rush. The shops were well-kept and comforting to be around, but this part of Vale…

' _Ghetto'_ was a bit too strong of a word. It was rough and worn, tagged walls facing the streets and trash accumulated in shady corners, while numerous Faunus milled about. Some aimlessly, some pushing carts full of groceries, few dressed in their Sunday best. The buildings had a layer of ash and dirt around their bases, and the brickwork was shoddy and patchwork in some places. Some windows were simply patched up by boards and nails, and White Fang posters hung freely off the walls, nobody around feeling offended or dutiful enough to tear them down.

It reminded Sun a little too much of living with his host family in Mistral. In Vacuo, humans and Faunus intermingled freely. Status wasn't a racial thing, though it could feel that way when a fight broke out and insults were being hurled. There was no 'status quo' being maintained in Vacuo, as its history and government was infamously tumultuous, being constantly built, crumbled, and reformed until Shade cropped up well after the other three academies. Shade prided itself on its all-accepting attitude, pass a simple hunter test, and enjoy seven-to-ten years of hunter training, meals, and shelter. It was by no means a bad school, but there was a prestige Beacon carried that caught Sun's attention.

Sanctuary, Mistral's largest intermediate hunter school, had merely required money, and the Wu Kongs were not a poor family. Sun learned in the country that made the best use of his flexible, acrobatic style, but there he saw the disparity between classes. Vacuo had few class differences, something that was changing as the country amassed more wealth, but Mistral was old and established. Even if the little house Sun stayed in was far better than the tents in Vacuo, it was a vast gulf of difference between his host family's house and Neptune's little mansion.

It was something Sun had learned, gotten used to, and ignored. The Faunus clearly weren't on even footing with humanity, even though they were getting closer, little by little. Sun simply assumed if he gave it time, he wouldn't have to lift a finger. Humans and Faunus would intermingle and these sortsa places would be cleaned up. Or, at least, there'd be just as many humans kicking dirty cans out of the way as Faunus on these streets.

Guys like the White Fang were simply too… _complicated._ Sun was gonna be a hunter, and he wanted to be among the elite hunters from Beacon, fighting for the Faunus was something for politicians and people who cared about giving speeches. Sun wanted a crap ton of money and for babes to be hanging off his arms wherever he went. The last thing he wanted to do was be associated with crime… well, crime beyond banana theft.

Blake crossed her arms. The pamphlet giver was a girl probably no older than the two of them, wearing a necklace with the White Fang symbol on it. Her unguligrade legs marked her as an obvious Faunus, impossible to hide with even a good pair of pants. The cost of what would probably be a better top speed than Ruby-... than a trained human sprinter was that she couldn't hide who she was. Blake took note of the ugly scar on the girl's kneecap… Blake was willing to bet it wasn't a Grimm that made that scar.

"I'm not asking you to sign anything. Just say what I told you to say, and tell me what she tells you." Blake spoke firmly.

"Alright, I'll be right back." Sun lifted his back off the wall they were leaning against and began to casually walk towards the hooved girl while Blake rested against a wall with forced ease. As she watched Sun walk, the world blurred, and she yawned, but she shook her head. She had to stay in the game. She couldn't rest… she had a mission. Once she knew where… she'd work up the adrenaline to call her aura up. It wouldn't be hard then, once she had some energy and direction. She'd eaten, she had motivation, she just needed to get there.

She focused on her finger, willing it to be sheathed in the light of her soul, but every time she focused, her gut tightened, her head pounded, and her heart hurt. Whenever she let her mind drift, she saw three girls whose smiles made every decision hurt. She had to _focus,_ what mattered was her mission, not her damned feelings. She had to escape this confusion somehow… the closer she got to the heart of her mission, the easier it would be. That's what she told herself.

She closed her eyes, and one of her ears flicked towards Sun as he spoke some distance away. "Hey sista! Wassup?"

"Oh- err, h-hello sir!" The girl tried to keep a serious, loud voice as she turned to face the monkey boy, her eyes barely able to travel above his abs. "Ahem, are you i-interested in learning about the White Fang?"

"Actually, I was sorta wondering about something else." Sun's voice fell, but Blake's ear picked it up easily enough. "You know what the moon'll be like tonight?" He scratched the back of his head.

Blake's nostrils flared. He made it sound natural enough, but the important thing was that he nailed the next question. Blake glanced across the street at the two tough-looking Faunus sitting on a bus bench. They were watching Sun intently, and Blake looked away. The White Fang typically operated in groups, but the pamphlet vendors were usually left to their own devices unless trouble hit. Any pamphlet hawker who needed bodyguards was somebody a little deeper in the organization, who knew a thing or two for the Fang on the street.

It was important for members from out of town to know who to talk to, and Blake was _very_ familiar with the system. Blake looked back at Sun as the girl contemplated him curiously. "Why, looking for a full moon?" She asked with a twitch of her eyebrow, and Sun chuckled.

"Naw, looking for a crescent." 'A job,' in other words. The moon was an important symbol to the White Fang, and the full moon carried a load of connotations, purity being the biggest among them… so those looking for less than pure jobs liked a different sort of moon.

"Well brother, you're in luck! There's gonna be a good view of a crescent moon tonight at the Duermoor docks." The girl answered with a smile on her face. Her eyes shifted from his abs, to his face, then past him quickly. Sun turned to head back to Blake, but her hand caught his. "Wait! Just a minute, brother."

"Wh-what's up?" Sun turned back to the girl.

"In our efforts to uplift Faunuskind from human oppression, we've found ourselves coming closer and closer to clashing with our greatest opponents! Do you feel the waves of change, brother? We are-" The girl went on and on, espousing the greatness and success of the White Fang.

Blake listened to the babbling with a sigh, and shook her head. Between her inane speech and the footsteps of the surround pedestrians, Blake could feel herself nodding off again. Damnit, she needed another nap… She flinched awake as a hand landed on her shoulder. She glanced up, putting on an innocent face. A bald man with ram's horns looked down at her consolingly, and glanced about. "Are you lost, young lady? This isn't the sorta place you should stick around in."

Clearing her throat, Blake brushed his hand off her shoulder, pushing her panic to the wayside to speak her lie. "Sorry sir, I just got off work. I'm dead-tired, just… needed a place to lean against." She sighed, edging away from the man.

"Why don't I walk you to the bus stop?" He offered. Blake's ear perked as she heard footsteps to her side. The other man was approaching her from her peripheral vision, clearly trying to remain casual, but failing. Blake grit her teeth.

Blake quietly evaluated the man. He was big and well-built, but had kind eyes. Blake knew that kindness could be faked. "I-it's okay. I'll just be on my way, sorry to worry you." Blake stepped away from the man, and right into the open palm of the other man.

She saw the second man's other hand move around her, and her arms raised in an instant to catch it before it could close around her face. She opened her mouth to scream, but the horned man in front of her grabbed her around the cheeks, making her eyes bulge. She wasn't in done for yet, she could still escape; she just had to call up her aura, even a flicker of it.

Her hand lashed out, punching the horned man's chin, but he barely reared. His hand didn't move. She needed her aura, _now._ She concentrated, breathing heavily as her arms were pulled behind her, crushed between her back and the second thug's chest. His hand replaced the horned man's, and she kicked, flailing an arm to scratch and grab whatever she could as she screamed into the man's palm.

She had to call on it. She had to do it _now…_ her stomach tied up, her head pounded, her heart was throbbing in her chest, she _needed it!_ This couldn't- why now?! How- what were they doing?! Why did they want her?! She was being dragged into an alleyway when she briefly flashed black, her aura finally springing to action, and her foot connected with the horned man's groin, causing him to buckle over with a grunt of pain. Her teeth dug into her captor's finger, and he hissed and growled, but forced himself to keep quiet; her arms loosened, she grabbed his wrist again to twist his arm off her, and once she had some slack-

The wind was knocked out of her as a fist shattered her thin aura and buried itself in her stomach. She pitched forward, gagging as pain shot through her belly and up her esophagus. She barely had time to react when the horned man's knuckles collided with her jaw and caused her to fall limp, her eyes misting over in pain and shock.

She needed to escape. Why wouldn't her arms listen to her? She saw the first thug's head as he reached down to grab her ankles, where was the kick she so desperately needed? Her thoughts were heavy, and she felt herself get slung into the back of some sort of vehicle. She blinked, sitting up quickly to scramble for the doors, but the two men climbed in and slammed her to the floor.

Her body wouldn't cooperate, her aura wasn't coming back. This wasn't how this was supposed to _go._ She bit and gasped for air, but the cloth went around her mouth and was tied behind her head. Her wrists and ankles were bound together with thick rope, and the two men stepped out of the back of the van to stare at her. One lifted his scroll to stare at a picture, and turned to the other with a nod.

Blake struggled and squirmed. She knew how to escape the bonds, she'd done it before, this was nothing new. They just needed to get in their seats and leave her alone. No, of _course_ one of them would sit in the back with her, hand clutching her arm and squeezing whenever she so much as wiggled. Goddamnit, where was Sun?!

The doors to the van slammed shut and the thug got into the driver's seat, and Blake felt her options draining away as the vehicle started, then sped away.

* * *

 _-Defining New Primary objective: Locate("Rose, Ruby");_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _/ :D_

 _Current Status: is Sad;_

 _/ :(_

 _-Defining New Secondary Objective: Locate("Belladonna, Blake")_

 _-Attributes: [Cat Faunus, Defined "Most beautiful girl" by "Rose, Ruby", [blakebsketch], Searching for "White Fang" {Lead: "Dwarmore Docks"}, {4 more…};_

 _/ Ruby is Fast!_

Penny's head swivelled as she chased after Zwei–who is a good dog–down the street at a reasonable clip, the pup easily weaving between peoples' legs, while Penny barely brushed shoulders with anyone as she kept both kept pace and did a good job of not disturbing Vale's pedestrians in her haste.

Observers would barely have the time to notice the running girl, only perceiving a flash of orange hair and green before she swept past them, not making a single sound of exertion in her run. It was of enhanced priority that Penny not make a scene of any sort, so she committed a great amount of her processing power towards reducing whatever interference she could possibly cause.

She noted, with some remorse, that her mission meant she could not take a more thorough examination of the sights around her. She would have to return here later once her mission was complete.

Penny rounded a corner, her feet scraping across the concrete footpath as she leaned into the slide, allowing her to immediately kick back into a sprint that left her on the sprinting corgi's tail. A half-a-mile down the street, Zwei came to a sudden stop, Penny skidding to a halt behind him to watch as Ruby shakily picked up several bundles of bouquets.

"I-I'm sorry! S-so s-sorry! I-I wasn't looking!" Ruby whimpered in mortified terror as she placed them on a wheeled trolley, a grouchy looking woman glaring at her.

"Yeah, I _figured that out._ Damn kids rushing around like they own the place!" She huffed as Ruby put the last bundle of flowers on the cart, and sniffled as the woman glared her down. "... Well?! Got anything else to say, girl?!"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

A quick yap interrupted her, and Zwei appeared between Ruby's legs, growling up at the flower cart woman in warning. She glared between the girl, the dog, and the new girl approaching with an intense stare, and shook her head with a dismissive huff. "Just screw off, girl." The woman ordered, pushing her cart down the street and scowling like the world owed her.

Ruby stood in the middle of the sidewalk, quietly sniffling and leaning down to scratch the top of Zwei's head, the little good boy jumping up to put his front paws on Ruby's knee to lick her face and whine in open worry.

Penny hung back, unsure of her next move.

- _Prioritizing issue: "Rose, Ruby" is Sad_

 _/ :(_

"Ruby?" Penny spoke up, her blinking slowed down to match the lower energy of her friend. Ruby straightened up an inch, and shakily answered.

"S-sorry Penny… I-I'm o-okay. J-just…" Ruby couldn't get the next word out, instead giving a little sob that set off alarm bells in Penny's head.

 _-Issue Prioritized: "Rose, Ruby" is very Sad;_

 _-Exploring possible solutions;_

 _\- Advanced Psychological assessment and treatment requires more information;_

 _-Creating new directive: MakeRubyHappy_

 _/ :)_

"If you are in distress, it is okay to talk to me. I will listen." Penny bowed her head submissively, approaching slowly to rest a hand on her friend's shoulder. Ruby did not move away from the touch, and when the smaller, pale girl rest her cheek on Penny's knuckles, Penny felt her normally quick mind lag in confusion.

"I-I can't give up on Blake…" Ruby whispered softly, lifting Zwei into her arms to hug the warm, lick-happy pup to her chest. "I-I don't c-care about s-school…" Ruby trailed off, and sniffled harshly. "Okay… th-that's a cruddy l-lie, b-but I care ab-about Blake too. I can't believe th-they'd just… _g-give up…"_ Ruby stressed, and Zwei let loose a low, unhappy whine as Ruby's lips tightened.

This was not a good thing. Penny knew she had to do something, but she had not yet been trained on how to handle this sort of sadness. She kept turning up with blank solutions and an aggressive feeling at her lack of understanding. This feeling had a name, she had heard it before, but she was unsure of what to call it. She wanted to know how to help Ruby, yet the only thing that came up were memories of watching other people...

"Ruby." Penny circled around to Ruby's front, and her cool, delicate fingers held Ruby's cheeks so they could look at one another. Penny's mind raced, calculated, condensed, and sought the words of people who had spoken before her on loss and worry. "One must remember that the darkest night heralds a brighter dawn." Penny raised a fist, and pumped her arm with an utterly serious expression. "Actions speak louder than words, so we must act rather than talk! Don't get your panties in a twist, just think this through! Tomorrow is a new day, so keep your chin up, champ!" Penny delicately pressed her fist to Ruby's chest, right above the heart.

Ruby stared at Penny in silent bewilderment. Penny's gaze never wavered, only a shutter-like blink interrupting her expression's stoniness. Ruby's gentle, stressed laughter started with a cough, then devolved into sad giggling and deep breaths to try and catch herself once more. Penny bore a proud, happy expression, and Ruby nodded, pushing down her sorrow. "I-It's hard… b-but even without them… even if _they gave_ _up,_ s-somebody has to find Blake…"

"Somebodies!" Penny bobbed her head, her pink bow bouncing excitedly, making Ruby smile a little as she reexamined the sketch of Blake on her phone.

"Okay." Ruby sighed thickly, her eyes squeezing shut behind her goggles as she dug deep into herself for the inner push she needed to get past this. Even without Weiss or her sister, she'd continue on. A hunter had to pursue their target to the ends of the Earth if necessary… though Ruby wanted to at least be back in time for Dr. Oobleck's class. "Okay…" She sniffled, and drew herself up. "L-let's keep going."

"I agree! Onward!" She smacked Ruby's back, and the girl started forward, pulling her heavy legs forward to continue her search. Penny followed behind both Ruby and Zwei, pleased with herself. However, Ruby did not walk tall and proud. Even with direction in her step, Ruby had a hunched posture unbefitting somebody who was happy. Penny's smile slipped as she evaluated.

 _-Results: Mission Completion?_

 _-"Rose, Ruby" status: "Ruby Rose is in a clear state of emotional distress, non-quantifiable by current means. Requires more emotional input/output to understand."_

 _/ :l_

 _-Recommended solution: Continue observations_

 _-Sending new queries at 40 MB/s: {"Making Friends Happy", "Upgrades to Emotional Capacity Possible?"};_

— _[ERROR 503: Request Unavailable, expansion of databases necessary to complete task]_

 _/ Need Emotional guidance_ now _:l_

 _-Attempting to define emotion;_

 _-Best Match: "Frustration";_

 _/ I do not like this emotion…_

* * *

The little Grimm girl was apparently quite the busy bee today. There were reports of her movement across various parts of Vale, from the Path to Beacon Road going to the central park, leading straight through several market squares. She had a dog, an orange-haired friend, and was approaching numerous people trying to find somebody…

Roman let out a snort. Every dog-eared dumbass that approached him saying they saw the girl smiled like they were expecting a pat on the head and a stick to play fetch with–Roman needed _new_ information. Cinder wanted to know more about the girl, and he doubted she cared about the brand of sneakers she ran around in… though considering Cinder's tastes in fashion, it may have very well been important.

Freaking stupidly sexy women and their absurdly dangerous powers… Roman ran through a list of things in his scroll, detailing sightings and observations, idly wondering how much would save him from a sharp glare and a mean word, or worse, a 'you disappoint me' speech. That was the last thing Roman needed, to fake feeling bad that he didn't pour this girl's innermost thoughts onto a piece of paper.

He gnawed angrily on a cigar; his nerves were already taut, they were on a strict time limit, and he, of course, had more to do, with an extraordinarily ambiguous end goal concerning a target he knew next to nothing about. Cinder wasn't the forgiving sort, but he'd seen what the girl could do in person. This girl, this… _Ruby_ made his gut bubble. It was one thing seeing Cinder tell Grimm what to do, but watching the damn things flail out of a portal like it was the Night of the Hungry Dead graveyard scene was a whole new level of disturbing, and there wasn't any telling whether she was more dangerous than _that._

He flinched as he felt a gentle weight on his knee, and he looked up into the pink and brown eyes of his little assistant, sitting next to him in the sectioned car they shared. Neopolitan gave him a quiet, concerned look, her head tilting to the side in question. Roman let out a frustrated sigh, and held his cigar out in between two fingers, and a snap of Neo's fingers lit the tip, letting Roman puff and smoke. "The usual. Just a major pain, y'know?"

Neo nodded. She made a few handsigns, then gestured to the front seat, causing Roman to roll his eyes. "You're _always_ cold. Maybe if you weren't such a pipsqueak, the sun would reach you, eh?" He grinned mockingly, and let out a yelp when Neo stomped his foot. "Fine, fine." He pulled the screen separating the front and back seats of the car. "Hey buddy, turn up the heat a li'l." He ordered.

"Yes sir." The goon answered, twisting the knob a few degrees hotter, and Neo held her hands up to the vent with a little smile.

"There, maybe that'll warm that frosty heart of yours." Roman chided, and Neo just put on an austere pout, pretending Roman didn't exist for a moment. "Got the lien?" Roman asked, blowing smoke away from the little lady. Without changing expression, she whipped out an unmarked envelope, jostling the cards inside. "Good. If the Duermoor chief gives you trouble again, don't hesitate to call. I'll dunk him in the goddamned bay if he tries anything funny with you again, the ugly sleaze." Roman gnawed the end of his cigar aggressively, only stopping when Neo snapped her fingers to cut the tension. "Yes, yes, I _know_ you can take care of yourself, doesn't mean I'm not gonna be pissed if he tries putting his hand up your skirt again." Neo's cheeks swelled up in annoyance, and she lifted her umbrella, bouncing it against her shoulder like a rifle. "No, you can't kill him while he's still useful, we need the docks _clear."_ She shot him a look, and made a motion like she was dropping a rock. "Drowning isn't deadly until it's fatal! Usually it's just painful and scary!" Neo mockingly flapped her fingers like a mouth. "You are _impossible_ today. _Fine,_ I'll let you shank the guy if he tries getting handsy, but if he gets replaced by somebody _competent_ I'm never letting it go."

Neo rolled her eyes as the car came to a stop in front of the police station. She opened the door and stepped out, maintaining eye contact with Roman the entire time. She waved, and Roman smirked, waving back before she shut the door. He watched her head to the station's doors and walk inside, where one of the 'officers' immediately ran up to greet one of their favorite 'customers.' Roman made a motion to the driver, and they were heading off towards the docks.

He exited the car around fifteen minutes later, stepping through the gates of the the Duermoor Docks, adjusting his collar for maximum swagger, to see how the operation was moving along. They were moving a _lot_ of Dust tonight, enough to push them into the next stage of their plan. If having info on the girl didn't make Cinder happy, _this_ would. Roman just needed to make sure it ran smoothly; the last thing he needed was these untrained zoo escapees putting them back three steps by mishandling the cargo.

With the sun setting in the distance, they were just about ready to start what should have been a smooth, easy loading process. Roman strut between the cargo containers awaiting clearance, heading straight towards the center of operations. Dozens of unmasked Faunus sat about, talking, gambling, waiting for the call to begin, and the moment Roman appeared, they stood up to stretch and get ready for a night of hard labor.

"Report." Roman ordered in annoyance as one of the leading Faunus boys raced up to meet him.

He was an older guy, probably in his later thirties, going on forties, with a barrel chest, thick arms, long legs, and the disposition of a gorilla, which was convenient, since the dude had some hairy knuckles. "Got plenty of hands on deck tonight, the ships should be loaded up before daybreak tomorrow." He answered, staring down at Roman with eyes full of distaste and annoyance, but Roman simply smirked.

"Good, _finally,_ this dust theft crap has been a real weight on _my mind."_ Roman shrugged off the Fang officer's disgust, simply pointing his cane out towards the ship. "Make sure we use _actual_ loading procedure this time, I don't want a repeat of November. Inspect everything, load symmetrically, blah blah blah."

"Right." The Faunus huffed, looking left and right, his foot tapping angrily. "Boss, we have something else for you to look at." He grunted, drawing Roman's eye. "Somebody of interest."

Roman paused, staring the Faunus down, eyes narrowing tightly as he took a deep breath. "If one of your idiots caught the girl before we gave the go-ahead, I want them _skinned."_ Roman's faux-jovial voice had dropped into a cruel snarl, and the Faunus didn't meet his eye.

"Not the girl. Mm-mm." The Faunus shook his head, starting to walk towards one of the warehouses, Roman following behind him begrudgingly. This was supposed to be simple, just a simple movement night, why in the _hell_ were things already getting complicated? Who in the hell could they possibly have that was so important _he_ needed to take a personal look? Seemed like anybody the White Fang was interested in could have been shipped off to that myopic freak with the horns and the hard-on for human murder.

Roman walked through the open warehouse doors, where several Faunus were going through the rounds of inspecting cargo and Dust fuel, and he was lead past the lot of them towards the back room. He kept a steady grip on his cane, acting calm and collected, but he was on high-alert. He could probably kill twenty of these freaks before they took him down, and he doubted too large a number of them had access to their aura. He was planning his escape route in case this was an ambush.

The Fang officer opened the door for Roman and he walked in, listening for the sound of a rustling pocket, the clink of metal, or watching for the flash of rifle barrels…

His eyes focused on the girl sitting in the middle of the room. She met his eyes, her yellow pupils shrinking as she put on a glare, her thick, black hair askew from the troubles she'd gone through, her large cat ears flat on her head in panic and anger. She was heavily bound by rope to a large, metal chair, placed haphazardly under the room's single, hanging light. Roman stared her down as two Faunus stood up off the walls, smirking in triumph. "Okay." Roman breathed, then turned to the officer. "What the hell am I looking at? What, you caught your boys some roughed up teenager? Am I supposed to be proud of you here?" Roman raised an eyebrow as the officer snarled, and the two other Faunus let out a laugh.

"She ain't just any teen, boss." One of the Faunus said, the bald one with the ram's horns. "Check it out." He held his scroll out to Roman, showing the picture Kevin had taken of Ruby and… this girl. Her _partner._ "We caught you a little bargaining chip."

"What the- what the hell are the three of you doing?!" The girl suddenly spoke up. Her voice was a high, piercing note, it sounded sensible, something Roman appreciated as he nursed his forehead. "Taking orders from _him?!_ He's- he's a _human!"_ She snapped. "The White Fang is supposed to govern itself, _this_ is what you're doing in Vale?! Stealing and taking orders from the likes of _him?!"_ Her eyes settled on Roman with a look of pure _hate,_ and inwardly, Roman was impressed.

"Shut the hell up!" The other Faunus captor ordered, pointed a finger with a long, double-joint on it at her. His hand flew, and the slap made the girl shriek in pain. Judging by the bruises around her cheeks and eyes, this wasn't the first time she'd been disciplined. "We won't take insults from a _traitor,_ even if you _were_ Adam's whore!"

 _Oooooh,_ inter-organization insults were the _best!_ If only Roman had some popcorn! And time. Both of which he did not have. With a sigh, he pushed the Faunus aside, ignoring the tears in the Faunus girl's eyes, and the momentary fright that crossed her face as he gripped her chin. She was pale, panicked, looking witless at the moment.

Blake stared into the man's eyes, trying to look hateful, but she was failing. She was fucked, so very fucked. The Fang had her, she was likely to be shipped off to Adam, and god knew _what_ Adam would do to her. She had to fight her rising panic and focus on escaping. Even with her aura in a flux, she could try and escape the bonds and sneak out… with no back-up coming to help her. She squeezed her eyes shut as her face was twisted left and right by the cane-wielding criminal.

"She seems in good condition, a little purple in places, but _juuuuust_ right… toss her in a crate and drop her on the police station's doorstep." Roman ordered, turning away as the three Fang thugs stared at him in shock. "What, did I stutter? We don't have a _use for her,_ you _idiots!"_ His voice suddenly raised, his lips curling back into a toothy snarl. "What part about 'sit back and observe' sounds like 'kidnap some bitch off the street?!'"

Blake's eyes opened wide, and she stared at the man in surprise. Was this a joke? A trick?

"Boss, she's the girl's _partner!"_ The Fang officer pointed out angrily, stomping towards Roman with a glare. "You want the little Grimm bitch captured, we have a reason for her to come! Even if we don't have a use for her, Adam will want her back."

Little _Grimm_ bitch?... Yang wasn't a Grimm, what the hell were they talking about?!

"Y'know what, you're right." Roman pointed up at the officer with a smile that was _too_ plastic. "I mean, it's not like we have a missing Beacon student on our hands, it's not like we didn't just put a stick in the hive and rattle it around to summon every hunter in Vale to look for a missing student! Ship her off to Adam, see what happens to your little group when big man Ozpin finds out one of his kids was _kidnapped!"_ Roman all but snarled, now storming around the room with grit teeth. "What in the _hell_ were you even _thinking?!_ Did you think I'd be _happy_ about this?!"

"Boss," the officer spoke up, approaching with a calm stance, hands slightly raised, "hear us out." He asked, and Roman sharply glanced up at him, raising one finger.

"You get _one minute_ before I have you turned into chum." Roman growled threateningly. Blake stared, bewildered. This wasn't about her?... Then what?! _Yang?!_

"We get in contact with the girl, and we make a big deal about this chick's survival." He jerked a thumb towards Blake. "The girl you're tryin'a nab defended a store, barely knew what the hell your pushers were doing on the streets. I get the feeling she ain't too smart, and has a bit of a hero streak in her… we use her partner as a bargaining chip: we'll give her back, free of charge, just come down to the docks alone. We'll post sentries and stuff."

"And what, you think you can take down a whole fleet of hunters with a buncha ballsy thugs?" Roman sneered, and the man shook his head.

"No, but we can put a gun to this bitch's head and keep 'em back long enough for us to peel outta here."

"Grand. We come to a stand-off with half of Beacon, fail our mission, lose a mountain of Dust, all over one… little… girl…" Roman trailed off quietly as he thought it out. "This is idiotic."

"It'll be one less problem for us to focus on, we're all sick of looking for this girl, a third of our group is too busy playing I Spy to help out. So let's get this over with, we can throw the girl into one of the cargo containers when she comes down, send this bitch wherever the hell we feel like, and have everything squared away by tomorrow." The officer nodded.

Roman was a gambling man, he knew when to hedge his bets and when to put his cards on the table, but this was different. Too many unknown factors encircling the girl, too many unknown forces that could close in on them. However, with Cinder breathing down his neck, ranting and raving about the girl, casting around threats because she was so afraid of what would happen if the girl was exposed…

This wasn't simple. This was stupid beyond belief. However, that little thing had a hero complex, just like every other hunter who was too big for their britches. She hardly recognized a drug deal for what it was, if Kevin was being truthful. How could Roman play this to his advantage? He could have the whole thing wrapped up nice and tight by tomorrow if the dice rolled in his favor…

And if they didn't? If he _failed?_ It wasn't as if he was useless. Cinder _needed_ him… so unless the girl knew about Cinder, _she_ was safe. Roman was used to being a target for justice, it just came with the territory… this could be done and over with and Roman could reap the rewards. He'd have to play this to the hilt: silver-tongue, gun in every hand, and give his best performance. Then it'd all be over with.

Besides… the good guys hated seeing bad things happen to one of their own. He did indeed have a pretty strong advantage, he just needed to say the right words to the right person… and reaching into his coat, where he kept the hidden aces, he tugged out a small scroll attachment.

Roman turned his head sharply to stare at Blake. Calmly, Roman strode over to the girl. She glared at him, her head swimming in confusion, her eyes frantically searching his face as his hands pat down her legs, making her flinch and try to kick and headbutt in response, to no avail. She grit her teeth as his fingers tapped the scroll in her pocket, and he dug it out.

He popped it open, stuck the strange device into the USB port, and patiently watched as the password screen fuzzed, faded, then went straight to the details of her scroll. "Give that _back."_ Blake snapped, and Roman simply smirked.

"Or what, kitty-cat, y'gonna be mad? I'm quaking in my boots." He dismissively waved a hand. Blake made an inarticulate noise of anger as he scrolled through her handful of contacts, and pressed a few names. "Ooooh, you know Weiss Schnee?"

The three White Fang brutes glanced up as Roman grinned and showed them all the picture of the familiar, white-haired girl. It looked as if the picture had been sneakily taken, rather than posed for, capturing Weiss in her element at a desk, studying. The Fang glared at Blake poisonously, and Blake began to pant in a growing panic…

"Hoo, and this is a lady I wouldn't mind getting to know! Pity the pretty ones are so young." Roman smirked, looking at Yang's photo, the girl in the middle of weight-lifting, not paying attention to the photo. Blake struggled in her chair, only stopping when one of the Fang stepped closer in warning. The crime boss went through a few more contacts, whistling as he brought up Pyrrha Nikos' information, and then finally settled on one. A young girl, sitting at the edge of a bed, wearing a pair of heavy goggles and reading to herself. "Ruby Rose…" He whispered the name to himself, and Blake stopped squirming. Roman turned, giving the girl a shark-like smile that made her glare. "You seemed nice and protective of this one, how would you feel if I gave her a little call?"

Blake forced herself to snort, tightening her glare in Roman's direction, even as her heart hammered in her chest. "You don't know _anything._ I told her everything about me, she _knows_ I'm a criminal, that I've attacked her people! She'll know better." Blake tried to keep her eyes on him, even as they watered up. Surely Ruby hated her… she had to. What did they even _want_ with Ruby?... _Grimm girl?_

"Hmm, well, let's see about that." Roman smirked.

He hit the call button.

* * *

"I-I think we should split up here." Ruby explained with a forced calmness in her voice, trying to stop herself from jittering so much.

"You will be okay by yourself?" Penny asked, joining Ruby at the curbside of the four-way intersection. They'd been searching for a long while since splitting up from Weiss and Yang, and Penny had spent an equal amount of time looking for Blake Belladonna as she had examining Ruby. Ruby was all nerves, and Penny was growing a feeling of worry that her friend was not well.

"I should be…" Ruby nodded. Zwei was sitting at her feet, ears down, panting heavily. His master leaned down to stroke his ears, and he licked her face, but still exuded exhaustion. "I think Zwei needs to go home, he's had a long day…" Ruby sighed, rubbing his fuzzy body to try and relieve his stress.

"So have you, Ruby." Penny pointed out, making Ruby purse her lips. "Perhaps you should consider trying again tomorrow. I shall still be in Vale, I can help you." The orange-haired girl offered, settling a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, once more getting to feel Ruby's cheek when her friend rest her head on Penny's hand. "It would be best for your mental health."

"... I won't be okay until I know Blake's okay…" Ruby murmured, and Penny politely nodded.

"For your health and safety, we shall explore for two more hours, then I am taking you back to Beacon, even if I have to carry you. Such labor cannot continue for too long, or you will be rendered non-functional." Penny cited, squeezing Ruby's shoulder in a way other people had done for Penny. Ruby was quiet, clearly trying to come up with some excuse, and Penny felt frustration again.

Ruby handed Penny some lien, making the girl blink down at the offered money. "You head down south to Little Menagerie, there's an airbus terminal along the way. Put Zwei on the one to Beacon so he can get some rest. I'm going to head north to the docks. We can meet up there in two hours, but be careful, Yang says Duermoor can get really rough at night."

"Do not worry, I'm combat ready! But you need to watch out for yourself. I do not wish for my friend to come to any harm." Penny watched Ruby with worry. She also did not like worry, it was a dreadful feeling.

"I won't." Ruby nodded tiredly, then looked up to Penny. Though her goggles did not let Penny see what Ruby's eyes were like, she could imagine that they were sad, and pained, and frustrated, and worried, and many things Penny was learning to feel. Penny offered a tender smile. "... Thank you, Penny."

"Of course, Ruby." Penny bobbed her head. She took Zwei's leash, and watched Ruby walk the other way, heading towards Duermoor. She would need to hurry, then. Two hours was a long ways away to see Ruby again, and she idly intended to break that plan just so she could keep an eye on her friend. Her worry demanded she be attentive, and the irrational emotion was in agreement with her logical thinking. Both dictated that Ruby needed to be watched.

 _-Updating Database[Caring for Humanity];_

 _-New Note: "Humans do not always know what is best for them."_

 _-Refer to: [Emergency Actions Against Suicidal Behavior]_

Ruby was tired. She had been a bit tired all day, but it was finally coming down on her as her emotions grew heavy and painful. What had been a motivated, burning engine driving her to continue her hunt was slowly fading, and she wanted to cry as she realized she was starting to feel hopeless.

She couldn't give up… she had to find Blake, that would justify pushing herself, even if she had to go beyond the two hours Penny set. It wasn't like the girl dictated her life, even if she was nice… and weird.

All Ruby wanted was to find her teammate, her _friend…_ she couldn't give up, even if everyone else did. The impossible was only made possible through good, conscious effort, but it was starting to hurt to continue. Ruby trudged up the street, heading towards the Duermoor docks, her feet pulsating with every step. She would want to soak them once Blake was found, and then go lay down for a long time… but _not_ until she had Blake back.

If Blake even wanted to come back…

Ruby's lips twitched gently, and she slowed as she felt her pocket buzzing. Her hand slid in to pull out her scroll, and she quietly glared, wondering who was interrupting her until she opened it up to reveal Blake's name. Her breath caught, her heart hammered, her mind blanked…

"Blake?!" She answered swiftly in a tight, pleading voice.

The voice that responded, however, made her skin turn clammy with fear. _-"Hello, little lady."-_ The smooth, man's voice responded cooly.

"Who are you?! Wh-where's Blake?! If you hurt her-"

 _-"Tut-tut young lady! Watch what you say, because I very well could hurt her if you don't do_ exactly _what I tell you to."-_

Ruby stared down the street in silent terror, and she realized her hands were shaking. "D-don't- no, p-please no… C-can I talk to her?" She answered immediately, a crawling, squirming feeling filling her stomach, making her suck in deep breaths as she considered what she could do.

 _-"Only if you do what I tell you to."-_ The man spoke calmly. _-"This is going to stay between the three of us, so no listeners, no followers, just you, me, and Blake."-_

"U-um…" Ruby swallowed thickly, glancing up and down the darkening street. She quietly retreated into a nearby alleyway, squeezing one of the clasps on her cloak tightly to try and calm herself. "W-what… what do you want?..." Ruby whispered into the phone, finding it nearly impossible to think as waves of revulsion went through her.

 _-"I want you to come down to the Duermoor Docks. Alone. By yourself. Nobody with you. I'm going to be keeping an eye out, so if we even_ suspect _you've got backup…"-_ He went silent, and Ruby flinched as she heard what sounded like the clicking of scissors, then… then a girl's pained scream on the other end.

 _-"Bastard!"-_ Blake screeched, and Ruby thought her heart stopped.

 _-"Now now, I didn't cut anything off, just a little warning snip, you understand? I want you to know I'm serious, but I'll return your little kitty in one piece if you do as I say."-_ The man spoke calmly, despite his cruelty, and Ruby had to pinch herself to not cry.

"O-okay! Okay… d-don't hurt her anymore… if you _do…"_

 _-"Ruby!"-_ Blake's voice sprang up from far away. _-"Don't listen to him! I'm not worth it, just-"-_ Her voice was cut short by a loud smack, and a gasp of pain.

" _Stop! I said don't hurt her!"_ Ruby shouted into the phone, trembling as an angry purpose filled her, but the man's scolding click of his tongue made her grit her teeth and calm down…

 _-"Well if you don't want it to get any worse, you need to make your way down here all by yourself. We're doing a little prisoner exchange, and the last thing we want is for your precious kitty to get hurt any more than she already is! So… deal?"-_ His voice dropped a sinister octave, and Ruby found herself staring into the void as she felt her senses cut out.

There was only one option. She couldn't imagine leaving Blake at this man's mercy… she grit her teeth, and only stopped when something _roared_ in the back of her mind. She wanted _blood,_ but more than that… more than that she wanted Blake.

 _-"Ruby… don't… please…"-_ Blake pleaded from the back of the call, and Ruby tightened her fist.

"... I'll be there soon…" Ruby whispered quietly.

 _-"Good, be here in twenty minutes or I start trimming ears. And remember… nobody else."-_ The man reminded her, then hung up.

Ruby stared down at her scroll, and her immediate impulse was to call every number she could, to try and plan. But Blake was in trouble. Blake was hurt. The only person who could keep Blake from getting _more_ hurt was Ruby… so she pocketed her scroll, stepped out onto the street, and slowly walked towards the docks, the world moving in a dreamlike haze.

Would she be killed? Would she be hurt? Would they make her use the Grimm?... It didn't matter. If Blake was okay, and they tried to use Ruby, then she'd remove herself before she could be used for anything else. She was a walking timebomb, she knew that well enough… it was better this way. Then nobody got hurt but Ruby, and she knew better than anyone that it was better for the Remnant that way.

* * *

The gates to the docks were wide open. That was ominous enough, but the fact that night had fallen and the streets were empty of pedestrians, leaving only a handful of cars parked along the sidewalks, made it even worse. It was like marching herself to her own funeral, and Ruby felt a dozen little things tickle at her emotions at once.

As she had been told, she didn't call anyone, and made sure no one was following her. Her hand itched to pull her scroll out, but she ignored it. It was a strange feeling not knowing what was going to happen to her, or why they even wanted her. Was it her powers? Ruby sincerely hoped it wasn't.

Ruby laced her fingers together as she slowly walked between the shipping containers, blindly searching for whoever was asking for her. She needed to find them before the twenty minutes were up, or Blake would be hurt… she couldn't allow that.

Her mind raced with questions: what had Blake done, what was happening, what would they do with her, was she going to be alright?... Not a single answer, and that made Ruby's stomach curdle. She paused in her walk to stare up at the night sky, and listen to the distant sounds of the city… the Duermoor docks were kind of nice at night. A pity she had to experience it like this.

Slowly, she walked out into a large clearing, where the cranes stood silently, the boxes were locked up tight, and every corner, every surface, and everywhere Ruby looked there were masked, hooded men with a gun trained on her. She froze in place, staring at the few dozen anonymous Fang members staring her down, just waiting for her to make a move other than her slow walk forward. She gasped as a hand closed around her upper arm, and the Fang member pressed something sharp against her back.

"If I even see a hint of your aura, you're _dead,_ girl." The Fang woman hissed into her ear, and Ruby had to push down her panic to stop her aura from springing up reflexively. "Move." The woman ordered, jabbing Ruby's back, making her whimper.

She had to stay in control… even surrounded by hostiles, even with everything she was fighting for on the line, she couldn't give into the clicking claws and pleading growls from below. She moved slowly, the utter silence of the docks making her tremble like a leaf as she was taken the middle of the clearing.

She was stopped, and the woman made a motion to one of the other masked Fang members. He moved to the warehouse doors across from where Ruby entered and knocked loudly, three times. The doors rattled open, and Ruby watched silently, trying to keep herself together as a man she recognized stepped out. His white coat, his fancy pants, his stupid hat, his orange hair… she'd tried to chase him the night of the robbery. His eyes narrowed as he saw her, and a thin smile crossed his face.

"Well well well, look at you! You did just what I said, that means you win the big prize, girl!" Roman chuckled as he strode forward, flanked by several much larger Fang members, two of whom were carrying a chair. Ruby looked up at Blake, who watched her with big, golden eyes. She struggled in her seat until she was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground. Her face was purple and swollen in some places, her eyes wide, surrounded by thick, tired lines. Her normally wonderful, wavy black hair was heavy and thick, needing a shower and a comb. Blake could only watch as her teeth dug into her bottom lip when Ruby reach out to her.

"B-Blake!" Ruby made a move forward, and stopped at the sound of a gun. The concrete in front of her foot exploded, a small hole left by the discharged bullet. Ruby recoiled, but her eyes never left her teammate.

"You shouldn't have come after me, Ruby!" Blake shouted over the silence, her lips thin, her teeth clenched, all while struggling to lean closer. "These aren't good people! I'm not worth it, I'm just-"

"Shut it!" Roman ordered, clicking a small, delicate pair of trimming scissors in front of Blake's face. Ruby stared at the scissors, then glanced to Blake. One of her black ears had a cut in it; small, but stained with a little wept blood.

The whole dockyard reared when a black puddle appeared, and a furious snarl announced something inhuman, inky claws digging at the pavement until a gun barrel pressed to the back of Blake's head. The noise cut, the motion stopped, and the puddle slowly, regretfully shrank as Ruby shivered in place, her lips peeled back to show teeth.

Blake quietly stared, her eyes wide and watery, her mouth small in confusion and fear. "R-Ruby…?" She whispered, and Ruby silently looked down at the ground, her shoulders hunched in shame.

"Somebody tie Goggles up." Roman ordered, squeezing his wrist in agitation. That little display was more than enough to put him on edge, he needed to keep this problem contained.

Ruby gasped as something smacked the back of her knee and her arms were wrenched back. She stared at the ground, a tiny, black spot appearing as her emotions roared in protest, but she clenched with her tummy muscles until the spot disappeared. Rough rope was wrapped around her wrists, and she was forced back to her feet. She began to pant like a wounded animal, her feet barely pushing her forward as she was guided to Roman.

She could get him. She could _**kill him now.**_ No... no, she needed to protect Blake, _**killing them**_ wouldn't help. She shook her head, panting, sweating, a million impulses seeping into her mind, her heart, her soul, each of them begging for bloody retribution. No… she needed to keep control.

Blake was released from the chair, her limbs still tied up, and she was shoved forward. "Toss her in a crate and ship her to the police, li'l Red'll be long gone by the time they unbox her." Roman directed with a lazy wave of his hand. A wooden crate was dragged into view, and Blake felt her skin crawl as claustrophobia gnawed at her. Her eyes swivelled, however, when she passed by Ruby, and she came to a halt to stare, while Ruby's head hung low, her shoulders shaking.

"Move!" Her escort ordered sternly.

" _Fuck you."_ Blake hissed back. She tipped forward as he roughly slugged the back of her head, her vision turning to spots and stars from the pain, and she was snapped by to her senses by the sound of a feral, primal growling and a sudden shrieking. She snapped her head back to stare, her mind going blank, her expression falling flat.

Her escort was suspended in the air by black talons jutting from a black puddle in the floor, his arms trapped against his side as he wailed for help. Ruby stared up at him, her teeth grinding together as her knife-wielding captor drew her arm back, only to scream as a clawed hand thrust from the pool into her stomach, driving her back as blood dripped from her wounds.

Roman facepalmed, snatching a pistol from his nearby guard as the other Fang took aim, fingers on the trigger, confusion, shock, and fear leaving them unsure of what to shoot, when the commotion was stopped by a single gunshot. Blake screamed, her shoulder exploding in pain, blood running down her arm and her back. It hurt. Oh god it _hurt!_ Ruby turned to Roman, her feral expression deepening until he put the barrel to the back of Blake's head.

"Put the pets away, Red." Roman ordered gravely. Ruby stopped, the lines of her face turning soft, her shoulders narrowing as she went slack. The claws, the hands, the pool, it all shrank away with only an agitated moan escaping it at the last moment.

Blake fought through the pain, and turned to Ruby with tears running down her cheeks, the pain making it hard enough to _think…_ "Ruby, I-I'm not worth this. It doesn't matter what happens to me, _you_ have to go on! I'm a criminal, I'm a killer, I-"

"I love you." Was Ruby's gentle response. Blake froze, staring blankly at this girl she barely knew, whose eyes and abilities put every nerve on edge, and she cleared away the chaff and terror to stare at the girl she came to know with heartbroken eyes… "Y-you're my friend… you're W-Weiss's and Yang's friend too. W-we all l-love you…" Ruby looked down at the floor, sniffing loudly. "Th-they need you, _R-Remnant_ needs you. Y-you saw me, wh-what I can do, wh-what I _a-am…_ i-it's okay if I-I go away. We-we're all b-be-better off th-that w-way, I-I'd just h-hurt them all. T-tell Y-Yang I love her, please? And m-my dad too, okay?"

Blake barely managed to get to her feet, her face red, her shoulder pulsating with agony as a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back as she tried desperately to reach Ruby. " _No!_ No goddamnit that's not okay! _I deserve this, you don't!_ I don't _care_ what you think, you're _Ruby_ you stupid bitch! Stop acting like this! Stop _loving_ me and _save yourself!"_ Blake shouted, struggling through the pain as Ruby turned away from her, refusing to meet her eyes, shoulders shivering as she was roughly pushed towards the warehouse.

Blake's eyes flashed, her stomach and her chest burned, her scream reached a pitch foreign to her as she lunged, begging her aura to protect her, to save Ruby, but something cracked against the back of her skull, and she hit the floor as everything went black.

Ruby glanced over her shoulder at the sound, and stopped to turn back, to go tend to Blake, but the butt of a rifle struck her lower back, making her gasp in pain and lurch forward a step.

"Keep moving." The masked man ordered, replacing the nearly-gored woman as her escort. "You try any of that claw shit again…" He growled, leaving Ruby shivering as she kept walking, swallowing thickly.

"Sh-she'll be okay, right?" Ruby whimpered, staring at the ground, a million possibilities now racing through her head as she was pushed into the warehouse.

"Mind your own fate, girl." The man ordered sternly, and Ruby stopped walking. "I said _mo-"_ He was interrupted when Ruby turned back towards him, a sharpened black claw emerging from underneath her cloak to grab his rifle and _squeeze,_ the cry of steel leaving him and the rest of her escorts backing away and pointing their guns at her in feeble defense.

"She _will_ be okay." Ruby whispered furiously, the order compounded by the crash of the gun to the floor as it was torn from the man's hands.

"Just shoot her, damnit!" The man shouted, but the order was followed by the ominous, echoing snarl of a pack of Beowolves, rebounding from the darkened corners of the warehouse, and it took the sharp tap of Roman's cane to bring silence once more.

"What is the goddamned _holdup?!_ Do I have to do _everything?!_ We had a deal, girl, you march right into our little box and-"

" _Will Blake be okay?!"_ Ruby shouted, her teeth grinding again, the sound of claws scraping against the concrete making the Fang around her unsteady and nervous, staring around wildly for the source of the sound.

Roman bit his inner lip to mask his own growing anxiety as he strode towards the girl with a one-eyed glare, leaning down to get face to face with her. The head of his cane bumped her chin, but if it hurt her, she hid it well. "She _won't_ be if you don't do what I tell you to do. I have enough guns here to turn that bitch into swiss cheese, and believe me, she is _not_ worth wasting bullets on. _You,_ on the other hand, need to get in that damn crate _or_ _else."_

The girl did not shrink from his glare. For a tiny terror with a stutter, she had some balls on her. Roman could have appreciated that if he wasn't already at his wit's end this early in the night. However, with a final, grudging huff, Ruby did as he ordered, walking until she was standing in front of a massive, thick, steel cage. More like an isolation chamber than anything, it was meant to contain large, captured Grimm for transport for various labs to study live specimen, Roman never thought he'd ever get to use it for _anything;_ he almost smirked when he shoved the girl through the open door, then slammed it shut.

"Finally." He wanted to laugh. He figured this would have been harder! Cinder made such a massive fuss about the girl, he'd seen what she was capable of, but she was as weak as every heroic wannabe! Put one innocent loved one in danger and watch all that power fall apart. He shook his head… he'd have so much _fun_ telling Cinder and her kids about this; all these plans for a fight, for an ambush, and all they needed was one damn cat girl.

The Fang members closed the big, metal slats over the featureless door, and secured every section of it, ensuring the plating was firm as could be. Roman sighed thickly. He'd be surprised if the girl survived the journey to Mt. Glenn, since there wasn't any food or water, but who knew? She'd at least be weak enough for Cinder to handle.

Roman turned away with a happy hum, pointing towards two of the masked Faunus. "You and you, keep an eye on this thing. Anybody comes in saying they're here to inspect it, shoot them dead. I want this to be the first thing on the boat, I want it _buried_ under the rest of the cargo. Everybody else? Let's get to work!" Once he was alone, Roman allowed himself a private, congratulatory fistpump.

* * *

In all of Ruby's life, she'd never been in this sort of darkness. Even the basement had a crack between the little doors, allowing some light in… here, there was nothing, nobody, no clear sounds, nothing to align herself to; it was a solid metal room, pitch-black, with only the muffled noise of distant machinery…

Ruby blinked quietly. Here she was, in a cage, alone. She rested her hand on the wall and leaned against it, trying to find some comfort in all this. Blake would be okay, stupid-hat man said she would be. Ruby had to believe him, or this would all be for naught. Her sister and Weiss were okay too, they were probably back in the dorm room in their warm beds, after a nice, hot meal, worrying about Blake and class tomorrow.

That's right… Ruby wouldn't get to make it to class. Her second Monday at Beacon would be spent here… in this box. Alone. In the dark.

Ruby surprised herself with a sudden, nervous intake of breath, the sharp sound cutting through the empty air in such a way that Ruby began to tremble, as if something else was here. She was in a Grimm cage. That made sense, where else would they put her?

Ruby wandered forward a few steps, and pausing as she heard rumbling outside the cage. Her weight shifted, and she fell on her back, gasping loudly for breath as the cage around her began to shift, shake, and lift. She was being moved, that much was clear… but where though? The movement was surprisingly smooth, and she scrambled to press her back against a wall. The movement stopped, and she heard a scraping noise up above.

She stared at the dark ceiling as the cage was lifted, and it rocked, sending her tumbling on her side. Was it being carried by a crane? Ruby scrambled to get her bearings again as the rocking continued, but she slid about heedlessly, her stomach churning as her panic built, her breaths becoming tighter and faster until she, and the cage she was locked in, hit the floor of… something.

The sudden crash caused her to splay out, then she push herself up on her arms. She looked left and right, but was met only with darkness. Things went quiet. Quiet. More quiet. Not a sound to be heard other than herself. Every now and then it felt like the cage rocked the tiniest bit, as if being lapped at my waves… was she on a ship? Would she be sent out to sea like this? Ruby shivered in place, unable to even see her own, trembling hands.

She was alone. In the dark. In silence. She coughed as a wave of revulsion hit her, and the noise was so loud, so brief, it just made her feel lonelier.

Blake would be okay… she had to be. Weiss and Yang were okay too. And dad, and Zwei, and Jaune, and Nora, and Pyrrha, and Ren, and Penny too, and even Sun, they were all okay! They could live their lives, they could go on without her! They'd learn, and laugh, and find love, and have kids, and live in big houses, and Ruby wasn't aware of why her cheeks itched, but when she pulled her goggles off to scratch, a splash of liquid on the cage floor made her pause.

Her cheeks were hot, her eyes flickering with wetness. She shouldn't be crying, she shouldn't be sad, she chose this, didn't she? To save Blake, so she could keep going. A hunter gave their everything for the lives of others, that's what it meant to be a hunter…

Ruby's breath wasn't steady. She could hardly keep the air in her lungs, and her hands were so _cold_ all of a sudden. By what right did she have to feel bad? She chose this for herself, so she could save Blake, even if she'd never seen her again! She was nothing more than a weapon, it's what she always knew she was. She was never meant to experience love, or friendship, they were just byproducts of knowing good people.

She could never have been anything more than a weapon, or a natural disaster. She knew this. She was a monster, deep down, summoning the Grimm, terrorizing people with her eyes…

Maybe this would be better. She wouldn't develop these friendships and then tear them apart when she inevitably lost control. Yes, better to be stowed away, or dead, where she couldn't hurt people.

Ruby lifted her head and strained her eyes and ears… even without her goggles, even with all her focus, she couldn't see or hear. She was blind and deaf, except to her own body. She could hear her own heartbeat, and the noise hurt… the steady thump, thump, thump… unending. She couldn't cover her ears and make it go away, it kept going, it kept rising, it kept getting worse…

It seemed like it was getting louder. Ruby backed herself into a corner, her breathing wretched and ragged, her lungs beginning to burn. Her stomach was growing heavy, the acid bubbling, making her hurt and want to vomit. The sounds of her breath and her heart intermingling with the gurgle of her stomach was getting louder and louder, making her thoughts indefinite and simple.

She… needed to escape… but… she did this herself… but she couldn't stay… but she couldn't go… but Ruby… but Blake… but Ruby… but _Blake…_

Where was she? Where was left and right? Her head was swimming. The darkness was too dark to focus on anything, she couldn't anchor herself, everything was revolving faster and faster as the noises grew louder and louder and she couldn't control her shaking it just kept going and growing and shivering and it got worse and _worse_ and she couldn't stop it wouldn't stop it couldn't stop it _wouldn't stop she had to_ _ **GET OUT.**_

Everything stopped. Her breath, her heartbeat, her stomach, the spinning, the questions, the answers, the Rubys and the Blakes, all at once they came to a standstill, because Ruby found something to stare at.

In the back wall, red eyes peered at her. Red, sharp, serious, feral. Just one set. Then two sets. Tilting and swirling, watching her. Three sets, writhing, staring, shaking, blinking. Four, five, six, seven sets, all watching her from the far wall. A noise, a purr, a growl, a howl, a chuckle, their teeth and claws clicking mirthfully. Eight, then nine, then ten, then twelve, then fifteen, no longer on the far wall, on the walls nearer to her, coming closer…

Sixteen… seventeen… twenty… thirty… forty-five…

Staring, growling, hissing… whispering... _**get out.**_

 **Get out.**

 _ **GET OUT.**_


	16. A Tragedy of Errors

Reality reasserted itself with the dank, musty smell of old hay and fresh blood.

Then came the pain.

" _Ah!"_ Blake lurched up, blinking to try and stop the water building in her eyes, but the motion sent a bolt of pain down her right arm, and another across the length of her back. She panted in confusion, using her other hand to hold her wounded shoulder, each touch or movement sending rivulets of agony through her body.

Her head hurt, her ear hurt, her face hurt, her shoulder hurt, her stomach was none-too-pleased as well. Her teeth clenched together, and while she did her best to keep herself from crying, she failed. The humiliation didn't make the pain any better; the realization that this was all her fault only made it worse.

" _Oh_ god _this sucks…"_ She whispered to herself. The talking helped relieve the tension in her stomach, but breathing made her nausea swell, and left her tense and trembling as she resisted the urge to vomit.

She was made aware to her surroundings when an unceremonious rocking grabbed her attention. She opened her eyes to try and figure out where she was. There wasn't much to talk about; she could tell she was in a wooden crate thanks to the thin beams of light peeking through the cracks in its walls, but even worse, it showed her her own sorry, crumpled form–her knees a few inches from smacking her own chin–and the pile of dirty hay she sat on top of.

They _actually_ put her in a goddamned box. She thought it was just a euphemism, but nope, here she was, a piece of _pathetic fucking cargo._ Amidst the nausea and ache in her arm, Blake felt the sudden, rising urge to murder someone. Hell, not just anyone, she'd dip into Adam's playbook and grab a human, but _no,_ not just any human… they had to have a dumb hat, orange hair, a shitty taste in clothing, a smug grin…

… and Ruby captive…

" _Ruby."_ Blake whispered, trying push herself into a better sitting position, only pausing when her arm sent a warning tremor through the rest of her body. _Deep breaths._ She sucked in air and leaned towards the largest split in the side of the box, pressing her eye to it; she could just barely make out passing cargo containers, so she was still at the docks. With how smoothly they were moving, she guessed she was loaded on some sort of trolley.

She pressed her fingertips to the top of the box and pushed gently, strengthening until she felt give. Her fingers strained, the lid did not, an obstructing weight coming from the edges of her container. Bastards nailed it shut, more than likely, just her luck…

She squirmed into a lower position, giving her legs more feeling as she held her shoulder. She brushed against the crate's wall and winced, then hesitantly checked her hand. Her eyes quivered at the sight of the smooth, red stain spreading across her palm, sinking into the shallow wrinkles of her hand. She hadn't seen this much blood outside of her body in forever, not since she'd fallen off her parent's rooftop and into a bramble bush as a kid.

The memory made Blake chuckle weakly. She'd shrugged _that_ off, and it had hurt like chainsaw-toothed bitch; she could do the same for a gunshot wound. Blake looked back up at the box lid, sucked in a deep breath, and tried to concentrate.

What were the things that made _her? Who_ was Blake? _Why_ was Blake? A Faunus: just another Faunus in the world, that was her race. The White Fang: she'd escaped them, they weren't her people anymore. The things they'd once represented had been distorted, but she had not bent and twisted with them, her ideals remained strong… so why was her aura not coming to her? Why could she not feel her soul?

… Had it been that badly wounded? The soul was an immortal thing, ceaseless and consumed by passion, sorrow, fear, and rage. It was a thing the science world of Remnant had barely scratched the surface of, people only knew it existed because everybody else said it existed. It was a word, a concept, with no scientific backing, but nothing else could explain Aura and Semblance, which was strengthened and affected by its wielder's resolve, and as they affected the physical world, _could_ be measured. However, it was known that it could be wounded.

Not cut, or bruised, or sprained, but a sudden, dramatic shift in one's mood and morals could cause the soul to grow weak and despondent; like it was angry, or depressed with its host, preventing them from calling their inner strength. But what had Blake _done?_ Had she truly given up all that much by leaving Beacon?! By leaving her _team?!_ She had a _mission!_ She had to protect her team and everyone else from the White Fang! Those girls didn't matter nearly as much as her mission!

And, in that moment, Blake found herself caught in a lie. Those stupid girls... treating her like a friend, making the world seem safe, and warm, and _comfortable,_ daring to make her see them as friends, forcing her to care about humans… she missed them. She missed them so fucking bad; she wanted to be in her bunk, listening to their snoring and late-night grumbling.

She wanted to be woken up by Ruby and Yang's alarm so they could go run laps, she wanted to go get breakfast with Weiss, she wanted to come back and invite team JNPR to their room to just sit around and talk about homework… she was so sick of the White Fang. She was sick of and sickened by their anti-human indoctrination, that wasn't what she'd joined for, or why her father started it. They'd dared to lay a finger on Weiss, and Blake's own guilt turned her into an idiot.

In that moment of pain and purpose, Blake saw all of her problems and decisions with a new perspective. She laid there, quiet and abysmal; everything had had an easy fix, and her own stubbornness and paranoia brought her here, in a box with a bullet in her shoulder.

And Ruby captured.

Blake dug her fingernails into the wood in the box, wincing as a stray splinter dug into her fingertip. She lifted the hand of her wounded arm to her face, and stared at the tiny piece of wood embedded in her flesh. She sucked in a hiss. Ruby, a girl who Blake claimed didn't trust her, was sacrificing herself for Blake's freedom.

Ruby… her little leader, so full of potential, kidnapped. She had summoned what seemed like Grimm, she had the most frightening eyes, but she'd done everything she could for Blake to protect her, even if it was all horribly contrived. Blake thought she had been doing the same. Now… now she had a problem to fix.

She needed to save Ruby, get Ruby back home to her team… and… and she didn't know what to do from there… she wasn't likely to be forgiven, all she'd done was hurt them. But… still, she owed her leader. She couldn't simply abandon her, not after trading herself as a hostage.

Blake firmed her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut. What little energy she had left needed to be given purpose, she _needed_ to get Ruby back at all costs.

Something stung her nose, making her eyes open wide in surprise as she watched the splinter spin through the air before falling to the floor. Her surprise was replaced with a hideous pain as heat poured from her gunshot wound, fresh blood spurting from the hole, drawing a strangled cry of pain as the lead intruder drooled out of her shoulder on a fresh stream of red. The little pains she'd accumulated through the previous day waned, and heat pulsated across her quaking arm from her wound until it lessened into a gentle ache.

When she wiped the moisture from her eyes, she testingly rotated her arm in its socket, phantom pains escaping her shoulder, but nothing worse. "Oh, _now_ you're back?" She grunted, creating a fist and flexing her muscles. A surge of aura echoed across her body like black lightning, the familiar feeling of her most valued shield engulfing her.

She pulled her knee back to her breast and testingly tapped the box lid with the ball of her foot. Then, her foot drove through the wood, splitting the wooden ceiling around it.

"What the _hell?!"_ A voice cried from outside the box.

Blake whipped her foot back, ignoring the lid when the two halves captured her ankle, and tore the wood inwards. She heard the tinkling of weaponry, and Blake threw herself towards the open air, her hand closing around a shredded wood panel. All around her were metal cargo containers, open night sky, and three masked White Fang members drawing swords, a pistol, and a cat o' nine tails.

Feeling indignant, Blake whipped her hand at the latter, the man shrieking as the sharp tip of a big, wooden splinter tore his cheek open. It wasn't Gambol Shroud, but god _damn_ did it feel good to have a weapon in hand.

Blake gasped as an arm wrapped around her neck, the assaulter's other hand holding a cutlass to her breast, but Blake swung her fist up, pushing his sword-arm out, and she lifted her legs and kicked the pistol-holder square in her chest, shooting her back into a cargo crate with an audible ' _bang!'_

The man tightened his arm around her neck to cut the blood flow to her brain, but let out a pained squeal as Blake's splinter lodged itself deep into his hip. The back of her skull crushed his nose, and he stumbled back, hitting the floor and holding his leg in agony.

Blake grabbed the next piece of wood out of the box and threw it like a kunai at the recovering whip-wielder, drawing a long line of blood across his upper arm as the aura-sharpened splinter planted into the metal hide of a container. What little satisfaction Blake felt was quickly replaced by annoyance; okay, maybe Yang wasn't lying about her stupid popsicle stick.

She couldn't help but sneer as she quickly sprinted at him, tackling him with the force of a pouncing tiger into the wall behind him, leaving a deep dent in the container's side. He hit the floor roughly, twitching in flickering consciousness.

A gunshot sounded, Blake jerked as sympathetic pain spread across her back, and she whirled on the gun-wielding girl, who levelled the weapon on Blake in shaking arms, her lips peeled back in fright. "T-traitor! Turning to the _hunters!"_ The girl spat, trying to draw up her rage, but Blake simply glared. A second gunshot, and Blake's form wavered and faded, the box she was being hauled in splintering as the real Blake held up a plank like a club. "Y-you don't have anything to _say,_ traitor?! Casting your lot to the humans?! How can you turn your back on us?!"

"... Velli." Blake spoke, making the girl back up a step as the cat girl advanced, seemingly unperturbed by the weapon pointed at her.

The masked girl, Velli, fired another shot, but the bullet was intercepted by the aura-coated plank, leaving Blake unharmed. "Th-that's right! It's _me!_ You taught m-me everything! How to run, how to h-hide, how to shoot! Guess you were saving the a-aura stuff for when you ran like a _coward!"_

The plank pressed to Velli's chin, and she found herself staring into Blake's steely, yellow eyes. Velli pushed the barrel of the smoking gun against Blake's heart, but the trigger wouldn't pull, Blake's pinky stopping it. Velli sucked in hard gasps, and Blake glanced to the left, then the right. "You can still leave, Velli." Blake whispered softly. "The Fang aren't what they used to be; this isn't who they are, what they _do._ You can go, _now,_ and save yourself a life of regret!"

Velli stopped shivering, her lips softening in confusion. Her mask hid her eyes, but Blake read enough in her jaw to understand… but then, her lips tightened. "I swore an _oath._ Live f-free, or _die_ free. I'll never be a _thing_ for the humans to use."

"Then what are you doing _right now?!"_ Blake snapped, causing Velli to grit her teeth.

"... Distracting _you."_ Velli answered bitterly.

Blake's ears perked as she heard the gentle pitter-patter of feet on metal all around her, the White Fang's 'an odd night for rain' stealthy movement technique. _Blake's_ technique. All around her, Fang members stood on top of the crates, pulling swords and guns on her, smirking in confidence or snarling in rage.

Okay. She was in trouble. She sucked in a breath to think, and flinched as Velli tried to punch her jaw. "Just shoot her!" Velli cried out. "Live free, or die free, my brothers! _Shoot her!"_ The masked girl grabbed Blake's arm, teeth grit in determination to keep her old mentor still as Blake pulled away from her, swiftly throwing her out of the firing line.

Before the first bullet could loose, each gun was cleanly sliced in twain by a flying sword. Blake's eyes widened as the surrounding Fang stared at their weaponry in shock, quickly followed by a loud pair of battlecries as twin, golden-fascimiles of Sun threw themselves onto the nearby guards.

The White Fang flew aside as, one by one, they were knocked senseless by the clones' staves. A lucky shot turned one into empty air, but the other was protected by a trio of swirling blades deflecting bullets and swords, before driving the attackers away. The standing Fang swiftly made themselves scarce, racing back to the docks with comrades over their shoulders, and Blake stood silently amidst the row of cargo containers, searching for signs of her rescuers.

"Blake!" A familiar voice called. Blake barely turned in time to find herself caught in Sun's strong arms, his warm, unfamiliar grip causing Blake to tense, then go slack as she finally recognized the boy. "Are you okay?!" Sun backed up, holding Blake's shoulders.

Bewildered, the black-haired girl stared at him. Around one of his eyes was a fading bruise, and his face was uncomfortably flushed from worry. Blake shook her head, and finally spoke up, "I-I'm okay. Sorta." She instinctively rolled her bloodied shoulder, drawing Sun's eye. "Are _you_ okay?"

"That hooved bitch kicked me when I saw those assholes grab you! Your shoulder! Your _face!_ Your ear?!" Sun said, his eyes roaming Blake's tired, abused body, and Blake simply looked downcast. "... Blake?"

"... I-" Blake started, but was interrupted by a furious cry. Both she and Sun flinched away from Velli as she sprinted at them with a discarded spear, aiming for Blake's chest, and suddenly crashed into the container by her side. She twitched, moaned in pain, and glared at Blake as a quartet of black and green swords punched through her clothing, keeping her firmly pinned without harming her. "... H-huh?"

"Blake Belladonna, are you okay?" Blake glanced up at the voice's origin, staring at the strange, unfamiliar girl. Whoever she was, she swept her orange hair back, politely adjusted her pink bow, and hopped down to dig a finger into Velli's neck. The Fang girl cried out and struggled for two seconds before falling unconscious, allowing the unknown girl to make a gesture and pull her swords free of the container.

"... U-uh… who…?" Blake glanced from the girl, to Sun, who simply shrugged.

"Sal-u-tations Blake Belladonna! My name is Penny Polendina, I am a friend of Ruby's and her accomplice in finding you! She will be oh-so-pleased to know that you are safe!" Penny's smile was unnaturally calm considering their current circumstances, and Blake turned back to Sun, her eyes demanding an answer.

"I ran into her–kinda sorta _literally_ –coming here. I figured this was where they'd bring you, and she told me she was helping Ruby look for you, I figured… y'know, if she could fight…" Sun scratched the back of his head as Penny's expression remained completely unchanged. "... I mean, I guess she can…"

"My combat readiness aside, we must call Ruby to tell her the good news." Penny whipped her scroll out of her pocket, only pausing when Blake turned an unhealthy shade of pale. "... Are you distressed, Blake?"

Blake swallowed thickly, and her eyes went to the floor as a tremble ran through her. "They have her…" Blake whispered. Sun and Penny glanced to each other in confusion.

" _They_ have her?" Penny repeated.

" _Yes!"_ Blake shouted furiously grabbing at her own hair as her teeth clamped together tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a wheeze. "The White-goddamned-Fang have Ruby! I don't know what they _want_ with her, but she traded herself for _me._ She's somewhere in there, I don't know _where_ the hell she is, or _what_ they're doing, but I will _rip their tongues out their assholes if they lay a single fucking hand on-"_

"Whoa whoa _whoa,_ holy shit…" Sun shook Blake's shoulders, rattling the girl back to her senses, leaving her with a grieved expression. "... These guys have Ruby." Penny had gone silent, her expression stony and… displeased.

"I _just_ said that." Blake snapped, making Sun raise his hands defensively.

"I know, but hunters or not, we're just three people. Let's call the police! Let's call Beacon! Let's _get back-up,_ if you get hurt, or we get captured, or… y'know, that's it! Nobody _else_ knows, alright? We'll get Ruby out of here, I _promise,_ but not without a plan!" His expression with dead serious, and Blake could only stare in quiet fascination.

"... Fine, okay, good plan. Give me your scroll." Blake held her hand out, and Sun handed it over. Blake began to type rapidly, and put the scroll to her ear as it rang. "... C'mon Yang… _c'mon…"_ Blake murmured to herself. Penny leapt up to a nearby container with extraordinary ease, watching silently as Blake made a tight fist. "She didn't pick up!" Blake snarled, considering putting the number in again. "... Weiss." She punched in her next teammate's number.

"Call the _police!"_ Sun insisted in exasperation, "Or call Beacon or _something!"_

"I am _very_ sure the police are working with these guys considering they've done crap all to stop these guys already!" Blake growled, listening to each ring with increasing anxiousness. "And Beacon is not a freaking police force!"

 _-"Hello-"-_

" _Weiss!"_ Blake gasped in excitement. "Listen Weiss-"

 _-"- you have reached the scroll of Weiss Schnee, please leave a message-"-_

" _DAMMIT!"_ Blake made a motion as if to throw Sun's scroll to the floor, much to the boy's horror, but then she stopped. Who did she know who would be naive or oblivious enough to answer an unknown number in the middle of a school night...? She typed a new number quickly, and waited with baited breath as it rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times…

 _-"Hello?"-_ A sleepy voice answered.

"Jaune!" Blake sighed in relief.

* * *

"Blake?" Jaune asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in his bed. To his side, he heard Pyrrha stirring, and he motioned for her to stay quiet. "Blake, is that you?... Do you know that you're missing?"

-" _Yes, listen,_ please. _I need you to go get Weiss and Yang for me, okay?_ Immediately. _Scream if you have to wake them up. It's-"-_

"Blake, Weiss and Yang left right before curfew." Jaune yawned, checking the time with a crinkle of his nose. "They're out looking for _you._ Whose scroll are you using? Why did you _leave?"_

-" _They're_ out?! _God-fucking-damnit! Of all the times for-"-_

" _Settle down."_ Jaune raised his voice. Jaune stared hard across the room while, in the beds to his left and right, Pyrrha and Ren gave him questioning looks, slowly sitting up. "Blake, what's going on? Why do you need them? _Where are you?_ Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were out all day yesterday looking for you, you need to-"

 _-"Ruby's been kidnapped."-_ Blake's voice cut him short.

"... Kidnapped?" Jaune asked, his fingertips spasming at the word.

 _-"Jaune… Ruby's been kidnapped. It's my fault, I know, I need to get her back, but I don't think the police'll be any help, I need Weiss and Yang. If we work together…"-_

Jaune's sheets flew off his body, and his feet hit the floor. He went straight for the closet, tossing his armor out, and soon following with Crocea Mors at his hip. "Where are you?" He asked gravely. No clarification was given, but Ren leapt out of bed, watching Jaune with a tense expression.

 _-"It's the White Fang, if you get involved-"-_

"Blake, I need the where right now." Jaune interrupted, pulling fresh jeans and a shirt out of his dresser. Pyrrha scampered around the room to gather her clothing as Ren shook Nora awake, indicating for her to be quiet as she gave him a questioning stare.

-" _Duermoor Docks; Jaune, this is dangerous! You don't have to get involved."-_

"Yes I do." Jaune dressed, pulling his armor on as Pyrrha typed on her scroll pad to prepare their lockers. Nora and Ren were throwing their clothing on, while Jaune squeezed Mors' handle tightly. "Blake, you and Ruby both are my friends." Blake did not respond, but Jaune heard her quietly gulp. "We're coming to help."

 _-"... Thank you. Please hurry, I'm afraid of what they'll do if we take too long."-_

"We're on our way. Stay safe." Jaune ordered, then hung up. He stared at his scroll for a minute longer, a feeling of fright coming and going as he realized what he'd agreed to… but then he closed his eyes, looked down at the floor, and squeezed Mors once more.

Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha lined up in front of him, worried expressions on their faces. Pyrrha finally broke the silence as Jaune passed between them to head for the door. "Jaune, what's happening?" Pyrrha asked, hurrying after him.

"The White Fang's kidnapped Ruby, and they have her at the Duermoor Docks. Ren, I need you on map duty, I have no clue where that is."

"Hold up hold up hold up…" Nora raised her hands, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Did you just say that a bunch of dead men touched my girlfriend?" Nora's jaw twitched, while Ren rubbed her shoulder encouragingly.

"Yeah, so we gotta-"

" _\- we gotta go break some legs."_ Nora growled, popping her knuckles as Ren opened his scroll to input the given name.

"Hm. It's far, but we can possibly be there in an hour's time if we take a latenight airbus to the southern Vale terminal." He spoke as Pyrrha straightened up.

"That's… a long time, is there any other way…?" Jaune gripped his chin and grit his teeth as Pyrrha dug through her things.

"How long would it be by car?" Pyrrha asked, opening her jewelry case.

"Um, twenty-five minutes, considering the low-expected traffic…" Ren watched his red-headed teammate curiously. Pyrrha stood, turning with a keyring around one finger, a black car key dangling from it with ' _Καιω'_ inscribed in the tag. "... Well then."

"I was going to save the surprise until we each had the weekend off. However, desperate times call for desperate measures." Pyrrha nodded her head. She looked to Jaune with a small smile, and his daring grin filled her confidence.

With a nod of his head, Jaune threw the door open. "Team JNPR, let's roll out!"

* * *

" _Three_ hunters?"

"Yeah, young ones too."

"There's six dozen of us, what are we going to do against three _hunters?"_

"They're _young,_ the hell can they do?"

"Young, old, doesn't matter _you idiot,_ they have personal shields, twice our strength, and have _super powers._ And may I remind you, one of them is _Blake."_

"Yeah, loada good it did her."

"Report said she kicked the crap out of three of ours. Whatever was holding her back before might be gone."

"You saw the way she and that… that _thing_ freaked out at each other. Maybe she's hit the upper limit, going full desperation mode."

"Yeah, well, in hunter terms, that means she's unstoppable until one wrong move kills her…"

"Besides, we've got plenty of weaponry; plus, the anti-hunter guys are already here for just this problem. We got nothin' to worry about as long as we keep our heads down and let the guys with aura handle this."

The two Fang continued their chatter as Blake leaned against a crate, focusing her aura to her ears to act as better sensory agents. It was a more strenuous task than she would have liked: the two weren't _wrong;_ she was running on fumes, her soul granting whatever it could to her, but it was still weak. Her mind, body, and soul were each equally abused and in a poor state by the last twenty-four hours, but she had a _mission…_

She heard the two sets of footsteps loom closer as they turned to patrol the alley nearest Blake. They passed between the rows of containers, and Blake's eyes followed them as they mindlessly passed by her hiding place, not even _trying_ to be more observant. She grit her teeth, ashamed; that was _not_ how they were taught to establish a perimeter. As a pair of swords flew past her face and nailed the two men to the opposite wall, Blake couldn't dredge up the pity.

" _Fuck!"_

"Wh _-what the hell?!"_ They both bleated in terror, grabbing at the blades punching through their shirt collars, and they both went white as a sheet as Blake turned towards them, flanked by Sun and Penny, none of them looking happy. "Oh _shit._ I told you!" One with mouth tusks told the other.

"If it i-isn't the _traitor…"_ The other started, only to be silenced by a glare that could have made steel bow. A pair of twin swords scavenged off of one of their fallen brethren hung at her sides, glinting ominously with each step.

Sun strode forward, laying a reminding hand on Blake's shoulder as he spoke first. "Listen boys, we don't want to hurt you, we just want to know a few things. Then, you can go on your way and pretend we never talked."

"Save the speech, chump!" The non-tusked Faunus snapped, while his partner struggled with the sword keeping him trapped. The instant their hands went to their waists to grab weapons, they found themselves at the end of a pair of shotgun barrels aimed between their eyes. Sun swallowed, trying to not shiver as he realized what he was doing.

"The girl." Blake spoke, arms crossed, her tired eyes not even blinking at Sun's overt threat. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, so don't play dumb. Where is she?"

"Go screw yourself, Blake!" The tusked Fang bared his teeth, his jaw quivering as, behind the mask, he kept glancing towards the pistol barrel in his face. "Or better yet, let the humans do it for you! We _needed_ you _!_ _Adam_ needed you! You think you'll get anything more than a spit in the eye from this girl?! You saw what she did, you know-"

"No, I _don't know."_ Blake cut in while showing her teeth in a grim sneer. "I don't know a damn thing about her apparently, and somehow, I don't think either of you know anything more. She's a human who would have helped bring the Faunus to equal standing, she would have fought for _our rights,_ so rather than let some human order me around for petty crime sprees, I'm fighting for _her."_

The two Faunus went silent, their furious expressions faltering for a second, but then one pushed forward. "We're using _him_ as much as he's using _us."_

"Sure, and I bet, once this is all over and done with, he'll be happy to have the two of you in seats of power." Blake huffed, making them both wince as she made a hand gesture. Rather than having their skulls splattered across the wall, the red-headed girl strode forward and dug one finger each into their necks, making them both flinch in pain, then fall limp. She retrieved her swords with a quick flick of her finger, letting them join their matching sextuplets in a passive, floating state behind her back, like folded wings. "This is how far we've fallen, huh?" Blake mumbled, watching Sun haul them into the shaded alleyways.

"Miss Belladonna," Penny spoke up, eyeing the cat-eared girl closely, "based on context clues, I can assume you were once a member of the White Fang?" Her question was painfully clinical, and it annoyed Blake more than it normally would have, but she restrained her fury for the moment.

"Yes." Blake answered bluntly, moving towards the end of the alleyway to poke an eye out and see what lay ahead. She made a typical hunter's gesture–'secure'–and snuck forward with Penny and Sun shadowing behind her.

"When this is all over with, might I ask the reasons and events that lead up to both your joining and dissolution with the White Fang?" Something in Penny's voice was genuinely curious, and Blake paused at the edge of another container.

"... _If,_ sure." Blake closed her eyes and focused on her ears once more.

A whistle through the air set off alarm bells in her head, and she threw herself back a step before an arrow could spear her leg. Its long shaft stuck out of the concrete ground, vibrating, cut with green and blue feathers, and Blake grit her teeth as Sun and Penny immediately began to scan their environment.

"Archer located on Warehouse roof." Penny stated almost mechanically, her blades hovering by her shoulders in a firing line as they began to build a green energy. "5'3 feet in height, feminine in shape, readying another arrow." One of her swords shot forward and spun, attempting to slice through the next arrow, but for Penny's effort it simply deflected into the ground at her feet. "Aura identified."

" _Move!"_ Blake ordered, pushing Sun and grabbing Penny to drag them between the cargo containers. The three of them squeezed into the tight space, trying to shuffle towards the other side, when a voice rang out from the archer's position.

" _Five-six! Five-six!"_ The girlish voice cried, and Blake's brain spun.

"The hell does that mean?" She asked herself, pausing as she heard a loud clanging from the end of the path they were trying to exit. A tall, huskily-built Fang suddenly stepped into her view, blocking her progress with a labored breath behind his gasmask as he pushed a sparking nozzle attached to long hose from his back into the space. " _Oh."_ Blake rasped.

A hand closed around her collar, and Sun jumped, yanking Blake and Penny off their feet to land atop the cargo container, away from a sudden wave of deadly heat and the roar of a crackling flame, and all three had the sudden realization of what they'd just escaped. The horror was quickly cut by pain as an arrowhead splintered against Sun's stomach, the impact making him grit his teeth with a wince.

"We're being corralled!" Blake said with panic bubbling in her belly, "Sun, Penny, split up, we can't let them catch all of us-"

" _God_ no, Blake!" Sun's hand snagged another arrow out of the air, tossing it aside as he shot the catgirl a glare. "Ruby's already captured, we don't need to worry about the rest of us getting nabbed, y'know! We're in this together, we fight as a team, so quit your-"

" _-yammering we are under attack!"_ Penny bodychecked Sun out of the way, sending both him and Blake flailing for balance as two arrows struck where they'd just been standing. Penny glared up at the of archer standing atop the warehouse, who was now joined by a second. Penny's swords flew out in front of her, pointing as her eye focused.

A fusillade of neon-green laser beams lanced through the sky, just barely missing as the snipers ducked and fled to a new position, loosing potshots at Penny in the hopes of throwing off her aim. Her focus was broken as a sudden quake through the container she stood on sent her to the side, but a quick slide of her heel caught her balance. She glanced to the source of the quake, and paused as ice ran along the metal, creeping towards her at a speed indicative of ice dust.

She quickly sprinted away from the encroaching frost, joining Blake and Sun as they jumped off the rapidly-freezing container. The three stood at the edge of a wide road formed by blocking cargo, large enough for vehicles to drive side-by-side, but also wide open to the snipers up above. Sun reached underneath the back of his shirt and quickly pulled out the four interlocking guns forming into Ruyijingu, his staff, and twirled it threateningly as the flamethrower-wielding Fang member inched to the side of an even larger Faunus.

"Blake Belladonna." The massive, deep-voiced Fang rumbled, his hand reaching over his back. His full face mask and exposed arms immediately set off a warning in Blake's head, and a low breath escaped her.

"Edward Almost." Blake grit her teeth with distaste, pulling her stolen swords into a ready position. There was no ribbon, her fighting would be much more limited, but she had to work with what she had. "Who the hell let _you_ into the Fang?!"

"Who do you think, kitty kitty?" The massive, masked Fang pulled a large, weaponized chainsaw off his back, a few buttons activating its powerful motor, letting him spin the teeth of the ugly thing with a threatening roar. "Your old lover thought I'd be a valuable addition to the team."

"Lover?" Sun questioned, then shook his head at Blake's snarl. "Nevermind, who the hell is this guy?!"

"Edward James Almost," Penny spoke, her voice flat and cold as she took stock of the multiple Fang members moving to block off their escape routes, "criminal unaffiliated with the White Fang until now, terrorized southern Vale towns. Violently anti-human, weapon of choice is a hunter-tuned chainsaw known as ' _Scalper',_ murder count: thirty-seven humans, six of them hunters, no discrimination between age, occupation, or gender."

Blake's breathing became heavier and angrier, her eyes narrowing on the tattooed killer before her. "Of _all things,_ we agreed we would _never, EVER_ spring you! You're just a _killer!_ A goddamned _monster!"_

"And I was a good enough monster to earn a little jailbreak." Edward spoke with a hint of sadistic delight in his voice as Scalper howled its agreement. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, and ol' Adam was desperate for some muscle. Turns out, a good rap sheet also makes for a good job application, and we're looking at a _lot_ of dead humans in the future."

The massive man let out a grunt as a gunshot caused his orange aura to flash across his shoulder, and he tilted his head in a most unsettling way as his fixated his eyes on Sun, who, with a twirl of his weapon, reloaded. "Oh _you_ can just go _right to hell,_ asshole!" Sun's nostril twitched in fury, and Edward just snickered.

" _Boss wants the three of these kiddos dead!"_ Edward's voice rose high enough to reach the twin archers setting up on the rooftops. The three teens stumbled away from the cargo container as a spry Fang member landed atop the ice without so much as a slip in his form, a heavy battleaxe slung over one shoulder, the ice dust crystal embedded in its head pulsating a vibrant blue as he watched Blake, Sun, and Penny. " _We're in for a long night, so make sure you have some fun!"_

" _Penny, perimeter defense, Blake, with me!"_ Sun ordered hastily. Whether she meant to or not, Sun felt Blake racing by his side as the two charged towards the open right, the leaping frost-axeman suddenly caught in Penny's blades and flung towards Edward and the flamethrower. Arrows peppered the three's footsteps as Penny raced after Sun and Blake, her blades battering arrows aside as the roar of a chainsaw loomed after them.

Sun and Blake skid to a halt as auraless White Fang members quickly sprang from their hiding places, guns trained on the two to let loose a hail of bullets. Blake found herself swung around, listening to Sun's pained cries as he took the worst of the fire, but lasers flashed around them both, lancing green light striking shoulders and legs to send the White Fang to the floor in pain, or scrambling for cover.

Penny slid past them both, turning quickly to fire more laserbeams at the three Fang members chasing after them, or incinerating the arrows raining down on them. The three teens continued to move down the long, open road before Sun quickly pulled them to the left. They slid into a wider alley between cargo crates, quickly weaving through the maze of openings to lose their attackers.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Sun panted in a panic, pausing as the two girls bunched up against his rear end to stop and listen. Blake said nothing, but her anger towards her former compatriots had grown into an unhealthy boil.

Something crashed into the floor just outside their view, and they stood silently, listening for the buzz of a chainsaw or the hiss of flame. Too late did they notice an advancing field of ice quickly splash across their feet, coating the cargo at the same time. Sun stared down bug-eyed, grunting as he pulled his leg, ripping his feet out of the ice as the girls did the same, but their feet found no traction when they tried to settle on the ice.

"Oh _ass."_ Sun whimpered.

Their slow, overly cautious sliding away from the field of ice was cut short by a guttural growl, " _I found them!"_ The gasmasked Fang roared as they slid into his view. His cleats gave him steady ground as he dug into the ice and lifted his flamethrower, and the three scrambled, slipped, and slid back where they came from as a stream of white-hot flames enshrouded where they'd just been. "You can't hide forever, ya pesky shits!" He growled, stomping through the ice as the three tried to go back the way they came, but were blocked by more limber Fang with the axe.

"'Ey Belias, this way!" The axeman shouted, before charging towards the three of them with his weapon raised.

Blake's eyes flashed a deadly gold, and she surged forward, closing the distance too fast for him to bring the axeblade down on her. Her twin blades flashed up and down, driving him back with pained yelps until she could kick him down, and she twisted to catch the spinning teeth of the psychopath's chainsaw on her weapons.

The _scream_ made her ears flatten and her heart hammer, her body painfully close to giving into fear, but Edward's low, maniacal chuckle was cut short when Sun lept over his head, bringing the end of Ruyijingu down on the man's skull. The quick burst of pain bloomed as the shotgun staff discharged, allowing Blake to throw the blade aside and for Penny to spin between them, lift the man over her head, and fling him, growling and roaring, behind them both.

Sun landed on a box of cargo, swiftly ducking into a crouch as an arrow flew over his head, another planting itself right by his foot. He could hear the whistling as the archers let loose once more and sprinted to avoid their fire as, down below, Blake and Penny ducked through alley after alley, avoiding their three tails.

The two sprinted for open air, only for Penny to stop short, causing Blake to crash into her. It wasn't the sudden stop that surprised Blake, it was that Penny did not fall over, and stayed suspended where she stood, quickly glancing around in confusion. Blake froze up, tuning her eye to scan their surroundings, then realized they were surrounded by near invisible, sticky strands. Blake gasped as a cable suddenly wrapped around her arms, tightening as she glanced up at the dark figure holding the other end.

The roaring chainsaw behind them grew louder as Edward stomped towards them, his head tilting in that unnaturally monstrous way. "Took ya long enough, Bell!" He snarled, and a smooth woman's voice answered.

"We're _trappers,_ you drive them _towards_ us, you psychopath." A slender woman stepped out at the other end of the webbed tunnel, her face completely covered by a black White Fang mask. Two canisters at the ends of her wrists dripped with the transparent liquid that would harden into her web.

"Blake." Penny spoke calmly, despite the frantic swirling of her eyes. Then, with an odd sound, her head twisted a full, one-hundred and eighty degrees towards Blake, causing everyone to briefly stop to stare. "Please duck."

Blake heard what sounded like a building dust reaction from the girl, and she quietly stared her in the eye. "I can't _move."_ Though her voice was full of frantic desperation, her eyes remained unaffected. Penny calmed as one of those yellow eyes winked at her. "Goddamnit Penny, do something, we're going to _die here!"_ Blake's voice rose.

"Damn right." Edward laughed, Scalper reaching a new pitch as he gunned its motor. "Gonna have two pretty pieces to send back to Adam…"

"You're disgusting." The cable-wielding trapped groaned, and Edward shook his head.

"Call me watcha want, but this job is good as done." He raised Scalper over his head, openly quivering with mad delight, when Blake's form suddenly turned pitch black, the cable falling loose around her. " _What?!"_ He demanded as she seemingly disappeared, barely noticing the girl laying flat on the ground.

"My apologies." Penny answered calmly, and her swords splayed out around her, pointing in random directions before discharging a massive amount of pure, green energy, swallowing their location in light, heat, and the hiss and snap of discharging electricity. Webbing melted away and the five Fang members were blasted backwards, and Blake found her ears ringing and her eyes full of stars when a hand grasped her arm.

She came to in time to find herself airborne, held tightly by Penny as the two leapt atop a crate. Blake was pushed down, Penny lowering next to her. The crates they had been trapped between were horrifically warped and thrown outwards, displaying open wounds in their metal hides where thick clouds of disturbed, multi-colored Dust poured out. "I predict calamity in three, two, one…" Penny whispered.

The flamethrower-wielding Fang waved the dust out of his face as he stepped into view, his thumb subconsciously pressing the trigger, igniting a spark at the end of his weapon. There was a quick electric jolt, and he paused to stare, his expression hidden behind his mask as the rest of the Fang fled. "Son of a–" Was all he could manage before empowering his aura as much as possible as the Dust around him reacted.

Blake and Penny found themselves tackled onto their backs with Sun's appearance, and the three of them held onto each other as their world disappeared in a blinding white light, then nearly deafened as a cacophonic boom combined with a wave of force shoved the three across the roof of the container they'd landed on, the smell of burn dust combining with lightning and earth to cause a teeth-rattling quake for ten, long seconds. When the noise, the light, and the shaking stopped, the three hunters looked to source of the explosion, which had created a fulminating cloud of heat and smoke drifting upwards, spitting tendrils of lightning skyward.

As quickly, and dramatically, as the spectacle had happened, it was over, with only a conflagrant column of brown and black smoke, pulsating with flaring heat and electrical sparks, to remind the world that nature was not to be wielded indelicately.

"Well…" Sun spoke up in a hoarse whisper, watching with his companions as the charred figure of their flamethrowing attacker crawled out of the center of destruction and flopped forward onto uncratered earth. "I don't think we need to call the police anymore." He murmured.

He let out a surprised squeak when a fist came down on his head in warning, and a trembling Blake tried to keep a grip on her distress. " _Not_ the time for jokes."

* * *

Roman watched the churning waters calmly, the cargo ship he'd be moving all of this Dust in rocking in the water. He quietly sank his face into his hand and stroked his cheek and his chin as the rest of the Fang simply stopped and stared in the direction of the explosion.

Okay.

Goddamnit.

 _Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-_

"Get the loaders and the VTOLs." Was all Roman could manage in a controlled voice towards one of the officers standing by his side. He thought he had _contained_ the source of his headache.

"You- you mean the ones we-"

" _I mean the assault bots and the magical flying machines you stupid idiot! GET ON IT!"_ Much less controlled, but it got the point across. The officer shouted orders across the docks as the Fang swiftly moved to comply, grabbing the heavier weaponry and racing into the warehouses to prepare their counterattack.

Perhaps most infuriating out of all of this was that Roman was now on a clock. It would have taken a greater sum of lien than Roman was ever willing to part with to convince the crooks staffing the DPD to look the other way; a mushroom cloud and a city-shaking explosion would get far too much attention for anybody with a brain to ignore.

Roman pinched the bridge of his nose. This couldn't _possibly_ get worse _._

* * *

Blake, Sun, and Penny crawled off their perch to the ground, looking in separate directions to try and cover all angles in case of another ambush.

The whine of a saw blade turned all three towards the cloud of smoke, which parted as a pair of figures marched forward. Edward stood by his toasted comrade, and snorted in distaste at the three of them. " _Hunters,_ always lookin' for a way out. Even with only an arm left, your sort's fightin' every step of the way." He growled imposingly, then slammed a foot down onto Belias's back.

A hacking cough escaped the disabled Fang, and he squirmed as a charred brown aura sprang up around him, only to surge up Edward's foot, turning orange along the way. Sun grit his teeth and readied his staff, Penny joining him in standing in front of Blake. "You're nothing more than a freak, Eddy! Don't think you can lecture _us!"_ Sun shouted, shaking in anger as Belias's fists curled, until his aura finally faded.

Edward stormed forward, a mirthful, sadistic chuckle escaping the mask as Scalper growled in his hands. "S'why I like fighting your sort, _boy._ More sport in it. Hell, if you were human, all the better, but I like your style so I'll kill ya quick. But that one with the bow…" Edward pointed at Penny, but she didn't so much as twitch in fright. "I'll make her scream…"

"Sun _don't!"_ Blake shouted, but he was already racing towards Edward with cry of fury, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang splitting apart to form a pair of twirling nunchucks. He leapt towards Edward with both primed to crash down on him, when a pair of whistling arrows struck his side. He hit the ground in a roll, letting out a pained grunt as he grasped his aching ribs, and only too late did he find the chainsaw against his neck.

He let out a wild scream as his aura shone a bright gold, trying to push back against the churning teeth, but Edward's tiny snicker promised it would go straight through.

A small, delicate, pale hand closed around the killer's wrist, and Edward turned with a snarl to put the teeth against her side, but no matter how much he pushed, the small, quietly frowning girl did not budge. With a surprised shout, Edward found himself lifted in the air by the neck, then smashed down into the floor, eight hovering blades hanging over his torso. "Protocol permits use of lethal force." She cited in a gentle voice, and the eight blades descended on him, slashing his neck, his ribs, and his head, but that bright orange aura simply pulsated while he roared in pain.

He was too bulky, too well protected, and as Penny raised her swords for a second strike, the third member of their pursuers blew through the smoke, a powerful underhanded swing with his axe sending Penny flying across the alleyway, straight into a cargo container.

" _Penny!"_ Blake shrieked, looking between the girl, now encased in ice and steel, and Sun, who was pushing himself to his feet as Edward stood, Scalper _howling_ in his grip.

"Feisty kids." Edward harrumphed. He raised his chainsaw over his head, listening to the racing of feet from his side, the twang of two arrows, and he spun, the chainsaw digging into Blake's neck, sliding straight through her skin, her arteries, her spine, the sickening crunch of muscle and bone drawing a satisfied grin as the girl's eyes went blank, blood spurting around the weapon's whirling teeth, and then she faded to black. Edward paused as the shadow collapsed on the floor and began to turn when a blade drew across his back.

Howling in pain he fell to one knee, his orange aura pulsating, wavering, but refusing to give from the girl's surprise strike. " _Bitch!"_ The axe-wielding Fang charged Blake, spinning to gain momentum in a brutal baseball swing, but she leapt over the strike and slid behind him, making him shriek as a pair of arrows struck his chest.

" _WATCH YOUR GODDAMNED FIRE!"_ He roared, turning to knock Blake back with his haft, but she was already gone.

He whirled around, eyes peeled, never once looking down until Blake, finding the perfect opportunity, swung her stolen blades upwards, between his legs. Blake would admit, she found _far_ more satisfaction in his pained wailing than she probably should have, but she was in no mood to grant pity.

Edward got to his feet, charging towards Blake and his fellow Fang, swinging his chainsaw wildly to try and catch the girl off guard with his random flailing. The axeman used the long pole of his weapon in conjunction with the head, trying to keep Blake from getting around him, ensuring she stayed between the two of them, as, through their combined efforts, they tried to rip her apart.

There were no thoughts in Blake's head as she danced between them. She jumped, she spun, she cartwheeled out of the way, only to get knocked back in the fray by a flying arrow. Her blades swirled around her, catching arms and legs, but barely bringing their wild, murderous attempts to a halt. She kicked the axeman in the knee, knocking him out of his rhythm, spun away from the swinging chainsaw to let the smaller Fang catch the blade in the face, then shoulder checked Edward back a step to dive out of the way.

" _Bitch!"_ Edward shouted, only to stumble back when a nunchuck smacked into his face.

"' _Bitch!'_ yourself!" Sun angrily spat on the massive Fang's shirt, then charged in with a loud series of kiais, each strike followed by a discharge of his shotguns to send him back step after step. Edward could only toss his arm up in the hopes he would block the numerous, seemingly random strikes as Sun walked after him, the twin Bangs simply too quick for the more cumbersome chainsaw to keep up with.

The monkey boy heard a non-Blakey roar behind him and tossed a glance over his shoulder to see the axeman charging him from the rear, only to trip as Blake slid into his feet and throw him onto his face. Sun could only grin obnoxiously as a mixture of luck and skill swung the battle into their favor.

He stepped after the retreating Edward, only to find his momentum stopped by a quick jerk to his waist. He glanced down to find a steel cable wrapped around his hips, and a hard tug sent him onto his ass. Both Bangs stopped in their trance-like warpath as he moved to catch himself. "Keep him still!" Edward shouted, lunging forward to grab Sun's face in one hand.

Sun grasped his attacker's wrist, but found his limbs unwilling to respond as surging, electrical pain escaped the cable into his body, leaving him writhing as his golden aura turned orange, swallowed by Edward's hand.

Blake turned on her heels, racing towards Sun, away from the axeman, dodging his downward strike, only to realize her mistake. A sheet of ice spread across the ground under her feet, her next step sending her skating forward without control, then crashing into the ground. Something thick and viscous suddenly poured across her back, and as she tried to find traction and pull herself away, she found herself glued to the floor under the web.

She looked up, panting in terror as Sun writhed and screamed, his aura shrinking until it was barely a flicker of golden light. Edward pulled his hand back and thumbed his chainsaw to life, chuckling coldly as he lifted it in the air. "You're late again, assholes."

"Not our sort of fight." The black-masked trapper responded stiffly. "Get it over with, we're not here to play games." She ordered.

"Gladly." Edward raised his chainsaw over his head as Sun weakly got to his knees, trying to find the strength to dodge, but he was shaking like a leaf in exhaustion. Scalper howled, drawing little patterns in the air as Edward savored the moment Sun looked up into his eyes with fear. "See ya in hell, kid."

And with that, with a streak of yellow and a loud buzz, Edward was carried away from his kill, squawking in surprise as he flew towards the warehouse. The onlooking archers and trappers blinked in surprise, a running motorcycle with a yellow finish carrying him straight into the warehouse wall. Edward growled his pain and annoyance, and ruthlessly slapped the machine aside to see where the hell it had come from.

Two sets of footsteps stole the attention, the axeman, the trappers, and the twin archers watching as the pier was suddenly flooded with heat. Golden blonde hair waved with venting steam, the knock-out of a girl bearing the golden locks wearing a face of pure malice. By her side, walking with a determined step, her stare so frigid that the axeman hesitated, the Schnee heiress raised her sword in a readied position.

"I normally give a warning when things are about to get violent," Yang spoke loudly enough for the archers to hear her, "but tonight, I'm feeling a little selfish. Anyone wearing a mask is going to be-" her hand lashed out, catching a steel cable, "- a pile of broken _bones!"_ She pulled. The cable-wielder didn't have time to activate his reserve of lightning dust as he suddenly found himself face-to-face with the boiling blonde.

He caught a good twenty feet of air, spinning almost artistically as he flew across the battlefield, landing roughly on his face. When he tried to stand on shaking legs, a black glyph appeared beneath him, and the pavement cracked as the gravity glyph condensed into a single, heavy point somewhere a few feet below the pavement's surface. The trapper's aura shattered, and he lay still, moaning in full-body pain.

"... _KILL THEM! KILL ALL OF THEM!"_ Edward roared, charging towards the two new huntresses with Scalper raised, arrows flying past him. Two quick punches deflected the shots, and Weiss raced towards the psychopath, her teeth grit, her brow knit, her entire body wound.

" _WEISS!"_ Blake shouted as she watched the heiress charge towards her death, and Blake squirmed and wiggled to try and free herself of the web tying her to the floor.

Edward, however, made a mistake: as he brought the chainsaw down, he stepped into Weiss's range. Myrtenaster's quick, pulse-charged swipe blew Scalper over Edward's head, his arms raised to clutch his weapon tightly, his chest open. Weiss said no words as the tip of her blade drove into his chest, a combination of a gravity glyph and an aura pulse sending him flying away.

The axeman ran after Weiss, though Yang slid between them with hateful red eyes. With a smirk, the axeman brought the heavy blade down towards Yang's head, and as predicted, she caught it on one of her shining gauntlets. The blade dug into her aura, and the ice Dust crystal flared to life, dispensing cold down through the sharpened end, but his smile quickly turned to shock as his axe steamed and smoked, but produced no ice.

His aura exploded into a bright white splash across his face as a right hook brought all of Yang's strength into his head, the world around him going blank with shock and pain, before a similar feeling filled his balls. Nausea, pain, regret, each flashed through his mind and his heart as the furious young huntress sent him to the floor.

Yang sprinted away from the downed Fang, her mere presence turning the iced floor into steaming discomfort. Blake squirmed to try and hide her face from the heated mist, but she was far more thankful as the web around her melted away from Yang's burning touch. "Y-Yang…"

"You are the _biggest goddamned idiot!"_ Yang began with a determined shout, pulling Blake off the ground. Yang's furious red eyes peered into Blake's yellows, her body so hot to the touch that it should have been painful, but Blake flew into Yang's grip, burying her face into Yang's shoulder to let out a relieved sob. All at once, the heat went away, and Yang's hold on Blake's upper arm loosened. "You're so goddamned lucky Ruby likes you so much. We wouldn't be here if we didn't know this is where she'd be looking for you." Yang murmured, stroking Blake's hair.

"I'm so sorry!" Blake gasped between breaths. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean for- th-they got Ruby, she traded herself for me! I didn't- I tried to tell her- Yang…" Blake couldn't get one thought out, but the heat had returned at a new peak. Yang was mad. _Very_ mad. Blake looked to her partner's serious eyes, and Yang spoke calmly.

"Where?" Was the only question she could get out, the ruthless tremor in her tone betraying any calmness she projected.

"I don't know… I was trying to find out, but-" Blake gasped as she was suddenly thrown to the ground, and she stared up in fright at her partner. Yang held an arrow an inch from her face, and snapped it in her grip.

"We'll find her." Was all Yang said, before breaking out into a leaning sprint, a bull-like bellow escaping her as she ran for the archers.

Blake quickly dashed to Sun, falling by his side to shake the boy as he laid still, groaning in pain. His aura was gone, as was most of his energy, but his blurry eyes went from the battle happening in front of him to Blake. A small, happy smile crossed his face. "Are you okay, Sun?" Blake asked gently, touching his cheek.

"Could be better…" He muttered, glancing up as they both watched Yang all but run up the warehouse wall to spring on the two archers, who hauled ass as quickly as they could. "... Think I'm in heaven… she's gotta be a God, no mere mortal has boobs that amazing…" He yelped as Blake smacked him, then quietly lifted him up to a sitting position. "Not the time?" He grunted in amusement.

"No. I mean, yes, it's not the time, but that's my partner, show her some respect." Blake ordered seriously, watching the blonde punch one of the archers down _through_ the roof beneath her. "She has _tits,_ little girls and old ladies have boobs."

"Right, right…" Sun chuckled.

Blake shifted her attention from Yang to look for Weiss, and her eyes widened as the watched the heiress stiffly step away from each swing of the massive Fang killer's chainsaw. Edward bullrushed in, trying to tackle the girl to the floor, but Weiss was off and to his side, Myrtenaster's tip biting at his hip, leaving him bellowing in a dissatisfied rage. "Go get Penny when you can." Blake murmured to Sun, pushing herself to her feet.

She was sore, but she wasn't out of the game just yet.

"Quit moving, Schnee!" Edward shouting, Scalper chipping away at the pavement as he moved in for a quick upperslice, only catching air when Weiss moved around him to jab his forearm. "You and yours have had this a _long time coming!_ I lost my father to your mines, my mother to your laws, my brothers and sisters to your rule! If you can give us anything, it's the satisfaction of killing you!" His hand shot out to grab Weiss's ponytail, briefly halting her dodge, but Myrtenaster cut the aura of his upper arm and flared, sending fire up the limb and making him back away with a pained wave. He snarled like a caged beast, making his weapon howl over his head.

"If you are having any personal issues with the SDC's business practices, you may take them up with our Office of Human-Faunus Relations." Weiss cited with a glare, in a tone of petty annoyance. She advanced, two quick jabs to his stomach making his orange aura flash before she slid back, narrowly avoiding his blade.

"Your people _molded_ me, all that I've done is because of what the Schnees have done to the Faunus!" The massive man began to rant, closing in while wildly swinging Scalper from side to side, trying to forcibly cut her retreat. "You deserve this!" Edward's growling suddenly turned self-pleased, and Weiss, mid-step, gasped as a transparent liquid struck her back, locking her arms to her sides. "And now, for all of Faunus-kind…" He rushed in, grinning behind his mask, when a red glyph appeared below his victim.

Flames leapt from her figure, burning straight through the webbing trying to encase her, and Weiss swept forward as Edward left his torso exposed once more. A dozen flickering stabs to his chest and stomach impeded his charge; stabbing, fiery pain causing his control of his weapon to waver, and the burning Schnee merely moved in on him, deftly avoiding a sloppy slice to jab into his aura-clad chest again and again and again.

Edward found himself backed into the wall by the young Schnee, and the noises he made just became more and more feral. "You can't possibly _survive, Schnee._ You're in the wolf's mouth, all its Fangs pointed right at you! You're _dead meat,_ somebody's going to tear that pretty head off and send it back to Atlas in a _box!"_

"Oh _shut up."_ It wasn't Weiss who had spoken. Weiss briefly looked, and put on a small, relieved smirk as Blake tossed aside the limp, aura-faded, black-masked trapper, her hard, yellow eyes fixated on the chainsaw wielding brute. "Everyone here has the same story, Ed. _Everyone's_ been victimized by the humans, that's why the White Fang started. _You're_ the only one that took to torturing them for a living."

"Delivering the pain they brought on us back-" His voice was cut short by an indignant jab to his stomach, the flames flashing across his body making him howl.

"For what it's worth, I apologize for the pain we have caused." Weiss turned wearily as Blake came up by her side, twin swords primed to move in for the finishing blow. "But I will _not_ accept punishment on behalf of every crime my family or people have committed."

"And how _dare_ you, you have _zero_ excuses for what you are! The White Fang wasn't formed for _revenge,_ that's why I left, you goddamned _psychopath!"_ Blake showed her teeth, and quietly flinched as the fire around Weiss crawled over her, but stood firm as it did not burn her. "You weren't talking about revenge when it was just us, you hypocrite! So quit pretending you _care!_ You're in this because you're a killer, I won't have you tainting _my cause,_ or _my people_ with your _fucking posturing!"_ Blake shouted, her face red with anger.

Edward stared Blake down from behind his mask, utterly rigid, his expression hidden, but the malice he exhuded was undeniable. "At least I'll never be a Schnee's _pet."_

Weiss glanced towards Blake in worry, watching the girl by her side turn into a statue, baring her teeth, eyes wide with a fiery anger, every muscle in her body tense… and Weiss spoke up before it could escalate into more mindless violence. "Blake is _not_ my pet." Weiss felt Blake's anger jerk, listened to her take a breath… "Say whatever soothes your ego, whatever makes you feel vindicated, but you're wrong."

"Of course I am, I'm arguing with a _Schnee!"_ The Fang lunged, Scalper raised over his head, his eyes drawing a line down the center of Weiss's forehead. His manic howl sent a tremor down Weiss's spine, but she stepped forward. She jabbed, he twisted to the left around her blade, he brought his saw down with a triumphant roar as Weiss braced herself to take the blow and slide away from him, but Blake's indignant screech interrupted them both.

In a manner more like a common bar brawl than a hunter fight, Blake tackled Edward from the side, throwing them both off their feet as Weiss stood in shock. The burning catgirl slugged him, only to find a hand wrapped around her throat. Edward chuckled coldly as Blake's shadowy aura sprang up in his hand, his own aura latching onto it to devour the furious girl's shield, but the fire shrouding Blake was the one to respond.

The flames poured down his arm, causing his aura to roil in a pained way, violently bubbling orange, venting heat as he suddenly tossed Blake away and grasped at his own limbs and face, screaming in agony. " _Put it out! PUT IT OUT! HELP!"_ He cried, leaving Weiss stiff in quiet horror as his skin began to turn red and rash, black burns appearing across his clothing and spitting tendrils of smoke as the heat built. " _FUCKING BITCH!"_ He cried in pain, glancing Weiss's way, lunging in one final, furious attempt, only to fall short with a pathetic wail as his own aura boiled him alive.

Weiss backpedalled quickly, her own shroud dissipating as she lost her nerve. Blake grasped her arm and pulled her close, both watching as the man thrashed and wheezed in pain, reaching for them in either anger or for assistance. His agony came to a climactic end with a shining, meteoric blow. Heat burst from Yang's form as she landed on Edward, her fist burying his head into the concrete, his aura shattering and spreading its insufferable heat, saving him from himself.

Yang stood, slowly and angrily, staring down at him as she shook out her steaming fist, then stepped off of him to head for her teammates. Edward lay still, his entire body an ugly red burn, but still breathing. "The hell happened to him?" Yang asked, waving away the smell of cooked flesh.

"He has some sort of aura absorption semblance, but he stole Weiss's fire shroud thing instead." Blake twitched in disgust, backing away from the source of the smell.

"My guess is his semblance absorbed the properties of the shroud, distributing its heat evenly across his body without the protection it would normally grant." Weiss turned away from the sight with a knot in her stomach. "We should move on. Where's Ruby?" Weiss glanced to her teammates.

Weiss simply had to see Blake's expression to feel her heart catch in her throat, and Blake answered in a weak voice. "Ruby traded herself for me. The White Fang and this _human_ they're working under want her, for what I don't know, but they took her. I can't imagine far, but she's somewhere in there."

"What…" Weiss parsed the information slowly, her mind abuzz with curiosity. "What do you mean they _took her?!_ "

"I just said I _don't know,_ but they captured me to get to her and I don't know _why!"_ Blake looked away from Weiss in shame, her eyes squeezed shut as Weiss frowned deeply. "I-I ran because I was trying to _avoid_ this sort of thing, not make it _worse."_

"We will discuss that in due time." Weiss flicked her ponytail over her shoulder as she mulled their options over in her head, and a quick frown crossed her face as Yang cocked a fist nearby. "For now, we focus on finding Ruby."

The three turned towards a pair of staggered footsteps, and Penny nodded calmly at the trio, Sun's arm over her shoulders. The blonde boy gave a tired thumbs up. " _Might_ have to sit this one out. But hey, traded one for two! That's good." He tried to chuckle, but it ended up coming out as a stuttered groan of pain.

"So that's four of us, five if Sun recovers." Blake counted, chewing her thumb in thought.

Weiss nodded, "Then we should form a plan of attack."

"That'll take too long!" Yang snapped, her hair briefly ejecting a cloud of steam to accentuate her rage, making her teammates wince. "Ruby is somewhere in there! I don't _care_ how many people they have or what sort of heat they're packing, I will tear this whole dock apart _by myself_ if I have to to get my sister back!"

"Yang, level heads will prevail." Weiss spoke warningly, but Yang stomped her food and bared her teeth.

"And only _punching_ is going to get my sister back!"

"We're only wasting more time standing around talking about it." Sun pointed out, pausing as his scroll buzzed. With an annoyed expression, he answered it.

"I'm going." Yang turned on her heels, marching towards the inner dock, cracking her knuckles with a growl.

"Yang, don't be impatient!" Weiss ordered, striding after her to stand in her way. "You acting bullheaded will only get us and Ruby in more trouble!"

" _What if they're hurting her, Weiss?!"_ Yang shouted, the mere thought sending a flash of molten gold through the blonde's hair.

"... I'm with Yang." Blake responded after a moment of thought, making Weiss look briefly shocked. "It's my fault this happened, she gave herself up for me. I owe her my life."

"I owe her my life too, but you don't see me racing to get myself hurt uselessly!" Weiss countered.

"So we stand around and draw lines in the sand until we figure out how we're going to get in and screw up anyways?! Plans don't survive contact with the enemy, Weiss!" Yang raged, but Weiss shook her head.

"But they keep us alive! We need a place to fall back to, techniques to rely on, something, _anything-"_

"Guys!" Sun called, waving his scroll. "Back-up's here."

Weiss, Blake, and Yang looked at him in confusion, until Blake's ears perked at the sound of a distant engine. Skidding around a corner, a deep, autumn red high-end sports car peeled into view, burning rubber before righting itself and charging straight for the five hunters. Weiss and Yang immediately went into defensive stances before it braked, squealing as it slid into the turn to present its broadside.

The front passenger door opened, and Jaune threw himself out of the vehicle onto his hands and knees, dripping sweat all over the cement. " _Ground! Glorious ground!_ How did we survive?!" He whimpered, the five observers watching in quiet shock as Pyrrha stepped out of the driver's seat, car key in hand, looking no worse for the ware.

"I thought you'd asked me to drive fast?" Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion, while Nora threw open one of the backdoors and hopped out, arms in the air.

" _That-was-awesome-let's-do-it-again!"_ She squeaked, Ren shakily stepping out of the other side. Though he voiced nothing, the bewildered stare he tossed Pyrrha said plenty.

"I said _drive fast,_ not _ignore every red light and sign on the road!"_ Jaune gasped, before glancing up at the staring crowd. "... Hey."

"Nice entrance, dude." Sun smirked.

Team JNPR went around to the back of the car and popped open the trunk. Weapons were distributed to their owners, and the remaining three members of team RWBY looked between each other, then back to their school friends with a worried glance.

"Wait, are you four _sure_ you want to get involved?" Weiss asked, while Blake simply let out a reassured breath.

"It's what a hunter does, right?" Jaune asked, testingly swinging his sword, his stare sure and unbroken by the looming threat. "Besides, she's not just a hostage, she's our friend."

"It would be unbecoming of us to call ourselves your allies and ignore this threat." Ren confirmed, Storm Flower twirling in his hands restlessly, his brow tightening as he mentally prepared himself for the coming fight. His eyes flicked towards the top of Blake's head, noting her normal bow was missing.

"Besides, they hurt my girlfriend, I'ma hurt 'em." Nora rest Magnhild over her shoulders, her feral grin promising both glorious violence and broken kneecaps in the near future.

"Let us waste no time. Those of us who are wounded should remain in the back, ready to intercept Ruby's retrieval." Pyrrha said, eyeing Blake's and Sun's wounds with a worried eye.

"Hey, I just need a wall to lean against for a bit, I'll join y'all when I'm back in the game." Sun bobbed his head, and Penny flicked her swords about her testingly, her pupils tightening dangerously.

"I will not allow these transgressions against the Valian people–especially one who is my friend–to continue without punishment."

The six of them turned to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Weiss stood quietly, and though her expression was only a little tight, it was the rosiness of her cheeks that gave an unspoken thanks and appreciation for their gathered friends. "I'd do best out of the main fray. I may simply be too enticing a target for the Fang, so I'll find someplace high to work from. We should work out some sort of signal in case you need my attention."

"I'll do reconnaissance," Blake piped up immediately after, "I'm in no real state to keep going into combat anyways, especially not without my weapon. I'll… I'll make the call, get Gambol Shroud, but with how I am right now, I should stick to looking for Ruby and calling out ambushes."

Yang remained silent, evaluating the eight hunters lending their time, energy, and possibly their wellbeing to finding her sister. She lowered her eyes, and formed a fist. "... Thank you. I'm going to hit them all as hard as I can, so y'all don't worry too much."

"Then Operation: 'Save Ruby' is a go!" Jaune smiled brightly, and drew a round of affirming cheers. As the seven separated, Jaune idly waved to his teammates before they could get too far from each other. "... So, is it just me, or did Blake have cat ears?"

" _Oh yeah,_ isn't that weird?"

"I didn't want to be the one to bring it up."

"They are _adorable!"_

* * *

' _It's dark…'_

' _ **cant see cant see cant SEE'**_

' _I-I'm scared… help… wh-where's Yang…?!'_

' _ **need Yang need Yang need YANG'**_

' _Sh-she'll help… she always does… help… please… I-I'm drowning…'_

' _ **cant breath cant breath cant BREATH'**_

' _I-I'm sorry Blake… I'm sorry… I thought I could take your place… I'm so scared, please… save me…'_

' _ **so scared so scared so SCARED'**_

' _I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I c-can't anymore… they're so loud… I'm so scared… I have to get out…'_

' _ **GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT'**_

A shuddering breath escaped the drowning girl, only to be swallowed by the darkness she had long held fast.

It swam about her, its very presence as alive as a rogue marionette; the strings cut, the master's will defied, the malicious thing getting its wish.

It held her. It almost embraced her. It crawled between her fingers and danced amidst her hair, it slid beneath her clothing and caressed her naked body, feeling and stroking her as it would a silly pet. Each attempt to draw in breath instead invited the cold ink into her lungs, leaving her convulsing at the edge of consciousness.

Something clawed at her brain as she reached for something solid to touch, to ground herself with, but she was drowning, held fast by the beast she kept locked away.

She couldn't feel anything around her, yet she could feel everything. It was almost soothing, the way is held her cheeks and tightened around her body, holding her to the very last. The growling in the back of her mind was dire… ill content. Something wasn't right… but she couldn't guess what.

Everything was peaceful and dark. It was so tame compared to the nightmares Ruby had experienced, so… gentle. She had often dreamed of how she would pass to the other side. She had imagined it would be beneath a crushing wave of teeth and claws, sucking her last breaths through blood and ichor, her body numb to the world around it amidst the pain of her demise…

This was… nice…

There was nothing to cry about, she reassured herself as tears streaked her face. Nothing to scream about, as she swallowed the Grimm nothingness into her belly. Nothing to be afraid of, as her mind rattled and shook, her heart beating erratically in what she felt were her final moments.

She would never see anyone or anything else again… and that was okay, as long as they weren't hurt, not by her hand or anyone else's… Blake was safe. That was all that mattered. Weiss and Yang too… from her…

' _ **from me'**_

Yes… from her… they would survive, maybe get hurt, but not by her hand…

' _ **hat man'**_

Ruby's trail of thoughts slowed to a crawl. Him… that man… the one who shot Blake, he'd still be alive. He'd still be hurting people. But it wasn't in her power to do anything now.

' _ **get out'**_

There was no point, she couldn't do anything… she was in the dark, in this cage, drowning… she could do nothing to stop him here. Nothing. He would win. That would be it. He'd get what he wanted, unpunished for kidnapping her, unpunished for hurting Blake…

' _ **kill him'**_

She couldn't. She was trapped. She was dead. She couldn't escape, no matter how much bile welled up in the back of her throat, no matter how badly her heart beat with a painful fire demanding his retribution, she was trapped…

' _ **get OUT'**_

She wanted to. How badly she wanted to. She wanted to see the cruel, playful light in that man's eyes flicker out with her hands around his throat. She wanted to watch him plead with the blood pouring from his mouth, she wanted to dip her fingers into his belly and _pull…_

That sounded… _nice…_

' _ **GET OUT KILL HIM'**_

If only she could escape… escape… _escape… escape… get out… get OUT…_ _ **get OUT… GET OUT…**_

she could **GET OUT.** she could **KILL HIM.** she didnt hurt so badly maybe dying stopped the pain

was she even dead

' _ **not matter'**_

no it did not

alive enough to **kill him**

 **get out**

break the cage and get the man and **kill him** she could **get out** if she pushed and bent and broke the cage

she could **get out** if she pushed and bent and broke the cage

she could **GET OUT** if she pushed and bent and broke the cage

she could yes

she could

* * *

Ren and Nora quietly squatted in the shadows of a warehouse, watching from the shadows as the White Fang, fully alert by this point, raced to move cargo onto the large ship. Three bullheads hovered up above ominously, patrolling the area with searchlights peering through the alleyways between crates, containers, and buildings.

Stomping about were three dock-enhanced powerloaders. They were crude, boxy, and bright yellow, beeping and flashing whenever they backed up. They had long, elbowed arms, whose limited mobility allowed them to do their job without fuss, and sturdy, slow, plodding legs with well-protected stabilizers and big feet, all wrapped around a central, windowed cockpit. Their magnetic claws lifted the crates and carried them to the loading bay for the crane, but something seemed off about them. Ren's eyes narrowed. Each one was equipped with a rivet gun and a steel saw that was kept sheathed under the claw's wrists, and the more he looked, the more he realized how dangerously exposed the wires were.

Terribly impractical, easily susceptible to sabotage and accidents… but perhaps that was the intention. Ren heard a slight buzz and turned his ear towards Nora as she checked her scroll. His grinning girlfriend flashed him a thumbs-up and a toothy grin, and Ren glanced across the grounds, looking up at a distant crane, currently inoperable, but placed nice and high, and far away from the criminal operation happening at the pier. Barely perceptible against the night sky, Ren could make out a small, squatting shadow.

A second buzz, and Ren's looked to Nora curiously as she held up two fingers, then another thumbs up. Of the many White Fang, the second buzz confirmed that three sentries were taken out, and that Blake, Yang, Jaune, and Pyrrha were on the move from the opposite side. Ren tossed an idle look at the dumpster he and Nora had dumped their currently unconscious targets.

Ren watched, listened, and waited. He was not unfamiliar with fighting people, as he and Nora had periodically clashed with roving bandits wanting to take their supplies and take them hostage. This was a little more structured however, with far more people on both sides, and something very valuable for the two to recover.

Little Ruby… he let out a small, calming breath. Of the many things Ren valued, there was a certain, valuable _innocence_ in Ruby's demeanor. Something that hadn't been stripped away from her, which, even if misguided, enhanced her passion towards being a huntress.

It was something that had been stolen from Ren as a boy some fateful seven years ago. The death of his family, the loss of his village, the feeling of being hunted for days before rescue came, having to fend for himself and Nora both… it was a difficult situation that Ren, to this day, could not decide was ultimately a good thing or a bad thing. Hundreds of lives perished, a sanctuary in the wilds gone, Ren's childhood destroyed…

His fingers slid back, carefully taking Nora's hand to feel her. Nora squeezed, he squeezed back, and he let out a small breath. The price of love was innocence, and Ren dared not weigh them against each other, lest he come to resent the events that transpired.

He would not allow this to happen to again; not to somebody who had a full life ahead of her, a good family, good friends, all the opportunities in the world to improve the lives of Remnant with her charity and skill…

Ren's eyes narrowed at the masked thugs hurrying to complete their mission. They would be shown the error of their ways. By force, if necessary.

A third buzz interrupted his thoughts. Nora glanced at her scroll, nodded, held up three fingers, then a thumbs up. Ren drummed his fingers against the wall, and another buzz made his muscles tighten. Nora checked, four fingers, thumbs up, 'okay' sign: the two unknown allies were ready. Ren nodded, and Nora quickly typed back.

Four quick buzzes, and Ren heard Nora's satchel open, a glass vial crack, and the familiar, comforting buzz of lightning behind him, quickly drowned out by a maniacal giggle.

And as fate would have it, the sound and the light got attention.

"Hey!" A Fang member shouted, pointing at Ren and Nora. " _Hey! You two! Stay right there!"_ The man lifted a hammer off his belt, racing towards them as other Fang turned to look. Ren ducked low and felt a wave of violent energy pass over his head as Nora took point. The Fang member, whoever he was, whatever he was doing, whatever he _thought_ he was accomplishing, ceased to matter as a single blow knocked him skyward, Nora's laughter booming across the dockyard as she rounded on a pair of Fang, wearing a maddened grin. The crate carried between the two faunus hit the ground as they sprinted away.

" _Intruder!"_ The cry rang across the yard, and a pair of patrolling riflemen lined up side by side to take aim at Nora, only to empty their clips up in the air as Ren passively stood between them, holding their rifle barrels to the sky as they stared dumbly at the boy in green.

"I would apologize," Ren began, then quickly acted out his pacification training by sending quick aura jabs through their temples, necks, then groins, causing the two to collapse without fuss, their bodies totally numb, "but I'm not sorry." Ren shook his head.

The dock was quickly taken over by shouting voices and gunfire, and Ren raced towards the nearest Fang as they sprang for weaponry, only for a series of rapid finger strikes to leave them grasping at deadened limbs, or swooning as a painful haze overtook them. Ren swirled in place, Storm Flower filling his hands as he blocked a staff strike from a more well-trained Fang, and he slid back a step when they charged him.

The humming VTOLs quickly turned their attention to the action below, their spotlights racing across the pavement, highlighting the scattering Fang like ants under a magnifying glass before they focused on the young hammer maiden and the martial artist accompanying her. Both scrambled for cover as minigun fire rained down from above, the three VTOLs working together to keep the two in sight to give the rest of the White Fang time to arm themselves and hunt.

However, the skies above turned cold as a large, white snowflake appeared above them. Two of them drove away in a panic, flying towards safer skies, and the remaining one found itself stuck in a frigid white mist, its twin engines quickly sputtering and dying as the abnormal cold froze the delicate mechanisms within. The bullhead fell out of sight, landing with the loud scrape and explosion of metal.

By this time, White Fang would be heading for the warehouse a large portion of the cargo was coming out of, just as predicted. Ren hid some inward satisfaction as he heard the combat within from across the yard, knowing Yang, Jaune, and Pyrrha were keeping them too occupied to grab their weaponry.

Nora and Ren, in the meantime, had bigger problems. The three power loaders had their high beams on, sweeping across the yard on the hunt for the intruders, while the two remaining VTOLs regained their bearings and searched for the source of the icy mist. That meant the couple had the element of surprise once more.

That was where they would win. Strike quickly from every angle, before anyone had a chance to prepare. Whatever was happening here would slow to a crawl; the operation was all but over. Ren perked an ear, hearing distant sirens. The police would arrive soon, it was their job to find Ruby before they could move her… if they hadn't already.

He watched quietly as one of the three power loaders was suddenly stopped in place as eight swords embedded themselves in its arms and legs before unloading blasts of green energy to try and disable the machine, but one of its arms shakily rose and quickly fired shipping rivets at something behind the cargo. Ren highly doubted it was supposed to be able to fire building materials at such a quick, powerful rate, but nothing could come easily from this sort of situation.

Not without some help of course.

Nora charged, each movement accompanied by a quick flash of electricity, her glowing arms raising in triumph, but a torrent of bullets from up above sent her diving for cover as the VTOLs locked onto her. Ren sneered a bit. He didn't have much of a chance of breaking through their armor from below…

He broke out into a sprint, racing for Nora as he heard the gunfire racing behind him, chips of cement splashing his ankles before he dove for cover behind the containers, the rapid 'thrum' of bullets rattling metal following him. He weaved between containers and slid to a halt, quickly scrambling to get by Nora's side as searchlights swept the maze of cargo around them.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked. Nora turned to give him a big, toothy smile, and the boy simply shook his head. "Having the time of your life, aren't you?"

"When we get Ruby back, this weekend'll be _one-hundred percent awesome!"_ Nora giggled, and Ren shook his head.

* * *

"We can't get through her!"

"Unload everything you got! Shoot her 'til she's down!"

"We _can't!_ She's invincible!"

"Nothing's invincible, quit making excus-" The officer's words were cut short when a burning crate flew just over his ears, and an enraged, feminine _roar_ sounded over the gunfire and shouting. He ran a hand over his scalp just to make sure everything was still there, then looked over the flipped over desk he was barricaded behind.

Faunus tried to find cover from the mighty huntress's tantrum, but anything within arm's reach was a near-lethal projectile just waiting to brain someone. Her yellow cuffs launched a mixture of high-impact shotgun pellets and anti-Grimm missiles, and machine gun fire only seemed to make her angrier.

Burning red eyes swept across the room before she burst into motion, tackling some poor Fang through a wall, followed by an enraged bellow that left all who heard it trembling. Anybody who tried to race back to where she'd come from to procure more weapons quickly found a second obstacle, just as the officer did.

"Sorry about my friend's temper, but we _are_ looking for her sister." Pyrrha-Goddamned-Nikos met the officer's eyes with a deep frown before entering a battle ready stance.

The tall-eared officer flung a grenade at her without so much as a waste of breath, but she quickly battered it right back at him, sending him and his followers diving for cover as it skipped across the floor to detonate in some unoccupied part of the warehouse. "The hell are you two even doing here?! You hate the Faunus _that much?!"_ The officer shouted, only to cringe when something outside _exploded._

"Hey pal, let's make no mistakes," a voice from above got his attention. A blonde boy stood on one of the catwalks, glaring at the officer before throwing a switch, lifting the crate he was hiding behind with the warehouse crane, "we don't care what you're doing here," Pyrrha Nikos' rifle barked, sending the man diving to the floor for cover, and Pyrrha once more aimed around the man, not _at_ him, "I mean, yeah, I'm _kinda_ concerned since it's pretty illegal stuff, but you nabbed one of our friends, and that ain't okay."

Jaune and Pyrrha both hid behind their shields as gunfire was quickly, and inaccurately, pumped their way. The officer snarled as he went for more cover. Where was their 'boss?' Where were their anti-hunters?!

Four Fang unsheathed their swords, axes, hammers, whatever they had on hand and charged Pyrrha, and as quickly as the officer blinked, they were on the floor, the gladiator standing tall and strong like a war goddess in the flesh. Her calm frown sent shivers down his spine; something about that expression was more unsettling than the fury of the blonde huntress.

 _It didn't hurt,_ that was the thing that surprised Jaune the most about getting shot at. Sure, it stung a little, but it didn't _hurt,_ not that deep, throbbing hurt that made you want to take a break, but instead a minor pain you shook off with a pout and a glare at the universe for attempting to annoy you. The advantage of having a personal forcefield, he supposed; he _really_ owed Pyrrha for unlocking his aura.

A single week of training, and Jaune already felt stronger, faster, and more alive than ever. It could have just been the adrenaline talking, but Jaune wanted to believe that he was accomplishing more than he'd thought possible. The danger around him seemed… less. Sure, gunfire still made him wince, but the bullets were little more than pebbles, and his aura, and by the same token he himself, felt strong.

It was unfair, clearly, for hunters to be fighting unshielded individuals, but these guys weren't exactly playing fair either.

He sprinted across the catwalks, almost giddy at the chance to pull more levers and give Pyrrha and Yang more chaos to play with down below, but he slid to a halt as he spotted a door marked 'Security.' He tried the doorknob and found it locked, so he lined the tip of his sword up with the lock and plunged it through, his aura-enhanced strength allowing him to crush wood and metal in an easy motion.

Another aspect of aura he liked: the physical strength. Sure, he wasn't at Yang's level, who dusted walls and crushed her opposition with such ruthless power that Jaune honestly feared getting on her bad side, but they had a common goal. He kicked the door open with the heel of his foot and strode in, stopping short when a bullet lodged itself in the wall in front of his face.

Jaune whirled towards the origin of the bullet, his shield held up to his nose, his eyes narrowed, Crocea Mors at the ready, but hesitated to move forward.

He was… young. He wore the mask and the hood, the layer of fur around his neck highly visible, the pistol in his hands shaking as he tried to level a shot at Jaune's head, but his lips were peeled back with fear. He stood a good foot shorter than Jaune, his limbs long and gangly, a layer of baby fat around his cheeks.

"I-I'm warning you b-bitch! Stay back m-moth-motherfucker! I'll blow your goddamned h-head off!" His voice was strained and cracked in places, his footsteps away from Jaune unsteady, more than once bumping into a chair on his unsure retreat.

Jaune's mind stilled as he took the boy's demeanor in. He was hardly a teenager, the older White Fang weren't much of a match for the team of hunter students, what could the kid do? Why was he even _here?_ "This is no place for a guy your age, man." Jaune raised his voice in warning, walking in a few steps. The kid fired, the bullet going high over Jaune's head, but Jaune shuffled forward slowly. "Look, put the gun down and find a way out."

"N-no way asshole! Son of a b-b-bi-bitch!" The kid's jaw was shivering, and his back hit a desk. He panicked, quickly looking over his shoulder while his gun barrel went to the side, and he glanced back quickly, making Jaune pause a few feet from him. "F-fuck no! Fuck off! I-I gotta keep this place safe from y-you h-hu-humans!" He was panting heavily, and Jaune quietly took Crocea Mors, and carefully laid the blade on the table nearby.

"Just walk away." Jaune ordered him. Keeping his shield up, forcing the kid to focus on his eyes, it let him hide his dry mouth and numb tongue. He had expected to run into White Fang opposition, but not a _kid._ Not a kid Janine's age… thinking about it, she had just starting to get liberal with her vocabulary too, right before Jaune left. Not when mom or dad were around, obviously, but she had the same filthy mouth when she thought she could get away with it. "Put the gun down and walk away, you won't get hurt."

"I-I'm part of a cause m-motherfucker! Live free or die free!" The boy repeated in a strangled voice, shooting again, the bullet deflecting off of Jaune's leg, only to skid across the ground and settle in a corner of the room harmlessly.

"I won't do anything to you, I promise, c'mon man-"

"No! No and fuck off! _Fuck off!"_ The kid hastily scooched away from the desk, trying to keep Jaune at a distance. "I-I know what you'll d-do! My granddad told m-me all the stories, f-fucker!"

"No, damnit kid!" Jaune lurched forward a step, a bullet flying a foot away from his head, and the blonde lunged. He suffered a few stinging pains along his arm before he grabbed the boy's wrist and held the gun up to the roof, letting it discharge until all that was left was impotent clicking and a shivering boy. Jaune pulled the gun from his hand and flung it across the room, keeping his eyes on him. "Nobody's going to blame you if you just get the hell out. Nobody's going to hurt you if you just get the hell out of here. Me and my friends are hunters, and we're here to get back _our friend._ We'll overlook it if you guys escape, I _promise,_ just please leave, I don't want to hurt you."

The boy pulled at his arm, trying to break Jaune's strong grip, but even without his aura Jaune was still a farm boy, who had plenty of exercise to back up his conviction. "I-I don't trust you, asshole!"

"I'm not asking you to, but you got a choice: get out and save your own hide, or stick around and get hurt. We don't want this to get messy."

"Then why are you even _here?!"_ The boy demanded. He gasped as he was grabbed by the collar and lifted up, pressed against the office's wall with Jaune staring into his eyes furiously.

"I just told you, you little dick, the White Fang kidnapped _my friend,_ and I am _not leaving_ until I have her, I don't want to hurt you, but I'm going to play nice while _Ruby's in danger,_ so you either help me or get out!" Jaune snarled, lethal intent leaking into his voice as he thought of Ruby, tied up and alone, stuck in some crate for who knew what reason…

"M-Monitor eight!" The kid gasped, squeezing Jaune's wrists tightly as he wheezed for air. "I swear, man! Monitor eight!"

Jaune glanced back at the control panels and the monitors above them, and set the kid down. He tossed a nod to the boy and quickly strode over, examining the screens. He didn't have much of a mind for technology, unless it was like a tractor engine, but he could read the labels on the security screens. Each of them displayed a grainy image of the chaos happening around the dock, with White Fang running to or from the danger the hunters posed, but monitor eight was peaceful in contrast. It showed the boat docked nearby, full of cargo… no Ruby. Jaune's eyes narrowed, looking for some sign, and saw a figure at the helm of the ship. Through the windows, just barely visible, bright jacket, bright hair, dark hat…

He picked up his scroll and called Yang's number. "Blake here." Came the answer. It had been surmised that Yang wouldn't have much need for her scroll, not nearly as much as Blake would need one.

"Blake, the dude who kidnapped you and Ruby? He's on the boat, at the steering part up top." He spoke, and he heard the girl's breath hitch in anticipation.

"For sure? For _sure_ for sure?" Blake's voice was labored, and Jaune could hear her footsteps increase as she changed direction.

"He's got a cane." Jaune added hopefully, and heard a nervous swallow at the other end of the call.

"Thanks. Back-up when you can provide it."

"Got it." Jaune hung up the call when Blake did. He pocketed his scroll and turned, stumbling back when the Faunus boy flew at him with a fearful warcry and a knife in his hand. Jaune narrowed his eyes, his instincts being to panic, but he knew what he was, _why_ he was here. The dagger tip struck his clavicle, bouncing off his shimmering golden aura, and Jaune reared a leg back and kicked.

The boy flew back, letting out a pained cry as his back hit the office desk. He scrambled up, knife in hand, the will to fight still within him, but as he raised his hand to charge Jaune, the hunter-in-training grabbed his sword.

Crocea Mors flashed, and the dagger hit the floor, along with the tips of the boy's fore and middle fingers. Jaune pulled his sword back, ready for another swing, but the young teen in front of him was frozen, holding his wrist and staring at the two, bloody stumps left of his digits.

With a pained gasp, the kid stumbled to the side, away from Jaune, and barreled out the door while leaving a trail of blood behind him. Jaune stared after him, his chest still tight and his face slack, soon growing pale. "W-wait…" Jaune started, but the kid was long gone by the time the violent haze lifted.

Jaune stared down at the floor where the knife lay. The two fingers, both cleanly cut through and creating little red puddles, sat nearby, discarded like bullet casings. The unease didn't hit Jaune until he looked at Crocea Mors, which had two, tiny red streaks across the blade.

His stomach clenched in revulsion, and Jaune could only obey his instincts. His fingers dug into his pocket, taking out his handkerchief–still slightly yellowed from washing Ruby's boots–to wipe down his sword.

That was… not a good feeling. Not at all. No, no, he did not _like that._ Crocea Mors was made to fight for justice, not… not cut up some kid.

Jaune scrubbed thoroughly, only pausing when his eyes went up to the monitors by his side. He had to clean… but he also had to make sure his friends were okay.

* * *

"So, I don't wanna make this weird…" The monkey boy spoke calmly, even as he battered a White Fang right back down the ladder she'd been climbing up. "But I'm a fan."

"That's nice." Weiss answered, her brow knitting as she focused on the tumult and chaos down below. Yang's appearance on the dock from the warehouse sent the already frantic fight into full overdrive, and Weiss was having a tough time concentrating on where to focus her efforts.

"Like, everybody talks about how groundbreaking and trendsetting 'I Burn' was, but personally, I liked your slower songs better. I liked 'Mirror Mirror' 'cuz it was all emotional and powerful, but kinda _too_ sad, y'know? It just felt like there was a lot going on in your life, and I felt awkward listening to something so personal. Oh _dude,"_ Sun spoke up, and Weiss resisted the urge to look, "this guy coming up has a _bitchin'_ tail! _Dude!_ I like your tail!"

"I won't take compliments from a _race traitor!"_ Came the response.

"Your loss!" Sun shouted back as his shotgun fired, drawing a yelp of pain. Weiss quietly stood, whipping her foil out to summon an immense, black glyph. The two VTOLs had to quickly dive out of the way as the sudden increase in gravity threatened to throw them to the ground, though Penny quickly took advantage. Eight swords latched onto one of the fleeing VTOLs, and the odd girl stood in the gravity field to ground herself and pull the VTOL back, allowing Nora to hammer it with grenades.

Weiss held the glyph for a few seconds longer, then released it when the VTOL smoked and puttered away, awkwardly turning to sweep a large portion of the dock with gunfire. The heiress knelt down, recovering her strength with several deep breaths; summoning glyphs that large took a lot out of her, but nothing that couldn't be recovered. If she tried summoning them back to back, she would quickly go unconscious from the loss of strength, but as long as she picked her targets carefully, and gave herself the time to sit back and give the White Fang time to wonder if it was over...

"So, like, I don't mean to imply you can't _do_ rock, but your voice is really, _really_ powerful by itself, I feel like it's competing with all the guitars and drums on 'I Burn', but with a piano it's like it's trying to up _lift_ your voice, not fight you for control, y'know?" Sun prattled on, while Weiss simply rolled her eyes.

"The point of 'I Burn' wasn't to show off my vocal strength, it was to make a statement. The most important feature were the lyrics, everything else was supplementing them." Weiss pointed out with a huff, wondering where the damn monkey got the implication it was the right time to criticize her music career.

"And it did!" Sun spoke up, trying to be reassuring, "The lyrics were rockin', the instruments and stuff all helped back it up, _you_ singing it made it that much better, but it's something I can't really listen to on repeat, if that makes sense?"

"It doesn't." Weiss sighed, tightening her grip on Myrtenaster as she watched Yang get thrown clear across the dock by one of the powerloaders. The blonde ran through a storm of stinging rivets to deliver a knee-crumpling punch, her roaring audible from on high this far away… "The thing that concerns _me_ is that you're a Faunus, why do you care so much about my music?"

"Hey, I've got nothing against you, and good music is good music." Sun's tone of voice carried a disarming shrug to it, and Weiss rolled her eyes. "I mean, I get your family was behind some real crap, but I don't hear a lot of bad about _you._ Besides, I'm not too hot on the White Fang; like, they were cool once, but now they're a bunch of kidnappers pretending like they know what's best for the rest of us. No offense."

"Huh?" Weiss looked back as Sun used Ruyijingu to choke out a Fang who had flown in on a pair of wings, then drop him on the next Fang scrambling up the ladder. "... Not that I'm not grateful for your honesty, but is now really the time to be discussing music? Or race politics? We're in the middle of a fight!"

"Yeah, it's great!" Sun all but giggled in delight as he kept an eye out for more assailants. "I've been here for two days and this is _way_ more fun than I ever thought Vale could be."

Weiss looked over her shoulder to give the boy a stunned look. "... _You almost died!"_ She pointed out petulantly, making Sun shrug.

"I've been through worse."

" _...WHAT?!"_

"So, I know it's one of those super cheesy songs that never hit the radio, but I also kinda liked 'Wings.'" Sun said with a pleasant tone, and Weiss's eye twitched.

"You are _infuriating."_ Weiss huffed.

"Oh _there's_ a word I've never been called before. I kinda like it, makes me sound smarter than I am!"

"I- _you-_... Yes." Weiss simply shook her head, stood, and summoned an explosion in mid-air, knocking a VTOL away from the action, away from her team.

"So what was the inspiration behind 'I May Fall?'"

"An old Atlesian tale of a huntress who discovered her partner betrayed her to the old Mistral mafia, then found herself caught between a horde of Grimm and her pursuers. At the last minute, her guilty partner swept in to help her, and died from her wounds while the huntress survived."

"Sounds radical."

* * *

"Look, I know this wasn't part of the plan but I don't have a choice… yes, yes, I _know_ you could just bust me out of jail, but I'm half-convinced that if I let them capture me, I'll end up dead." Roman sighed thickly and signalled to a White Fang to begin departure.

Switches flipped, the the engine rumbled, the boat shuddered as Roman observed the action on the dock. He could stamp out a few rats that climbed aboard if they didn't have their sea legs, but he was not about to be their captive.

" _Yes,_ Neo, they are _very angry with me._ You should see the blonde one, she's practically _on fire._ I'm _not_ over exaggerating. Hey, I don't like the tone you're taking with me! Oh, that is _it,_ when I get back to Vale, I am taking away your scroll! _And your plushies!"_

The White Fang member at the controls monitored the gauges and checked his surroundings, and suddenly found his throat closed tight. He tried to make a sound while grasping at the ribbon around his neck, only to black out and be laid on the floor.

"Wh- oh don't- you're a big girl, you shouldn't be- know what? Know what?! Fine! You can keep the plushies, but _no scroll!_ And you can't go see ' _Behold Schnee'_ during the next play season. I _know_ you already have the tickets, it's a _punishment!_ Look, it's either your stupid musical or your plushies, pick one! _You can't pick neither!_ Fine, I'll pick for you, and I pick the musical, because if I take away your stupid stuffed toys, you're just going to-" The edge of a black blade pressed against his exposed throat, an arm wrapped around his stomach to keep him still, and Roman felt his fingers spasm in irritation. "I'm gonna have to call you back. Make sure your hamsters get fed. No, no, it's serious- _I have a sword at my throat, Neo!_ One sec." Before the blade could pass any closer to his skin, Roman's wine-red aura sent sparks across the glass window. The back of his fist hammered his attempted captor's thigh, sending them back a step, and quick as a flash he grabbed his cane and whirled, trying to take the girl's head off.

The black-haired catgirl twirled in the air above Roman, both her sword and her sheath lashing out at him, only to be deflected by quick, deft movements of his cane. Roman's mouth twisted in annoyance as he recognized the furious girl, then grew a small smirk as he stared at the cut in her ear.

"Well look who it is, little kitty came crawling back for another beating! I shoulda had you skinned, it _figures_ this'd happen." Roman snarled, his cane jabbing at her head, but left, right, she dodged and ducked, only to get cracked in the ankle and send her on her back. "No, no Neo, not _you,_ would you please let this go? I'll decide on your punishment when I-" Roman almost vomited the next word as twin heels buried into his stomach, driving him backwards.

Blake twirled after him, spinning like a blender, but each strike was measured to hit a vital location, had they not been parried by rapid cane strikes. A jab to the catgirl's shoulder knocked her off-balance, followed by a crack across her head. She hit the floor with a groan, and Roman popped the end of his cane, pressing it to the back of her skull through the mussed mop of black hair.

"Okay, seriously? Gonna let you go. Feed those damn hamsters… yes, I love you too, I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye." Roman hung up, and Blake groaned on the floor. Her fists curled as Roman fingered the trigger of his cane, a cruel smile on his lips. "You really should have run, kitty cat. I'm a really, _really_ bad man, and trust me, I've been in my fair share of scrapes. Considering what you went through today, you really had no chance. So, y'know, die." A burst of flame consumed her head, her body vanishing into a shadow, and Roman sighed.

Of course.

He smashed against the glass viewing port of the helm, an arm pressing to Blake's chest to keep her back as her sword split the glass by his head, her sheath an inch from his ribs. "So what's your damage, cat? My boys told me that you're a runner, a coward, a traitor…"

"I don't have to justify myself to _you."_ Blake snapped, pushing harder, and Roman felt the glass behind him soften as she pushed, her eyes glowing with a yellow anger. "All I care about is _Ruby."_

"Ruby?" Roman tried to push himself onto even footing, but the girl's strength and his current position gave him little room to maneuver. "Ooooh, oh right, Goggles, the cutie-pie who summons Grimm."

" _Liar!"_ Blake twisted Gambol Shroud's sword, the cracks in the glass spreading ominously, and Roman hid his nervousness behind a chuckle.

"You mean you didn't know, cute-ums? I thought you saw it all." Roman spoke jovially, even as he subtly moved his fingers around his cane to get ready. "Your little hero friend summons Grimm! Isn't that a little back-asswards for a hunter? Kinda makes you wonder what she _really_ wants out of life." Roman leaned forward, making Blake flinch in disgust as he dared to get face-to-face with her. "Really, we're doing a favor exterminating that little monster."

With a furious yowl, Blake pushed Roman with all her might, the glass behind him splintering and falling to pieces as he fell through towards the cargo deck. His free hand quickly grabbed Blake's shoulder, pulling her out with him as she roared. He pointed his cane to the roof of the ship and fired the hook, the head wrapping around one of the thick antennae on top as Blake tumbled with the glass below.

Before Roman could feel satisfaction, something tied around his ankle. He glanced down in surprise, grabbing his cane with both hands as his weight suddenly increased, and he watched Blake shooting up her own ribbon to reach him with teeth bared. Roman let out a defeated sigh.

Always the survivor, he knew when to gamble and when to give up.

He let the cane go, and fell to the deck, the girl falling directly below him, and with a burning grin countering her shocked stare, he slammed her into the boat below. His foot buried itself into her chest, her aura fading away to leave her vulnerable and exposed. Even still, she weakly grabbed his leg, staring up at him with tears in her eyes and teeth ready to dig into his throat.

"Stupid cat." Roman sighed, raising a fist. The cat girl's grip loosened as he slugged her across the jaw, a gasp of pain escaping her. The next hit threw her face the other way, her fingers splaying and tightening to try and escape, but Roman pushed his foot down into her chest and hit her again, and again, and again. "You think. You can take me. _Alone?!"_ He asked between each blow, unable to control his grin as her arms went slack, her face beginning to purple and swell. "I've lived a harder. Longer. _Colder_ life than you ever have!" Roman snarled, pausing to roll up the sleeves of his jacket. "Unlike you, I'm a survivor. Maybe you went to a camp with a couple of other kitties and maybe you ran a heist or two, but I've lived my whole life in the hornet's nest!" He knelt on top of her, his hands sliding around her pale, supple neck, his thumbs digging into her esophagus to make her cough, to rid her of breath. "I'm tougher and meaner than you could ever be, kitty kitty, so don't take it personally. The world's probably better off without you anyways."

The sound of footsteps gave Roman pause, the girl grabbing at his wrists and choking for air beginning to go limp. Roman sighed loudly, wondering who the hell was bothering him this time, and he looked up to shoot the intruder a sharp glare.

Eyes glowing yellow like an angry furnace, the Beowolf sucked in a ragged breath, tasting the anger and the pain with great relish.

Roman stood up quickly, backing away a step as all that bluster drained away. He quickly kicked Blake closer to the Grimm, staring at the incarnation of death in a sudden fright. "How the hell-?" Roman asked himself. Walking like the grotesque combination of a wolf and an ape, the big, black wolf stepped over Blake's barely conscious form, thick muscles covered in white, bony plates, jaw opening to flash sharpened white teeth and a lolling pink tongue, waiting to savor the first bite.

The gentle clicks of its claws with each step were remarkably unnerving, as if the beast was thinking, planning, and watching its well-dressed prey with abnormal intellect. Roman grabbed a nearby guardrail for stability, gritting his teeth. A Beowolf, on _his_ ship?! Did the idiots actually forget to check for an infestation?!

How hard was it to check a ship for some damn Grimm?! They had their orders, if their incompetence got this operation– it wasn't _his_ fault, the only other way they could have gotten on the ship is if that girl– … no, no she was captured down below.

Roman cast a quick glance into the open cargo hold, staring at the numerous containers. She should be buried, locked up in a container no Grimm could escape! The Beowolf crept closer, not attacking him, simply watching, waiting, but for _what?!_ It was just one Grimm, it couldn't have been the _girl,_ it must have been stuck in a cargo container.

He'd have their goddamned _ears_ for this, provided they weren't already beat to shit by the hunters on the dock! Roman made a fist, and strode in unexpectedly, weaving like a street brawler, and throwing a quick jab at the wolf's nose. It reared back as the armor on its face cracked the slightest bit, a questioning howl escaping it, and Roman smirked. Still a young beast, not _tough enough,_ even he could handle it, he just needed a weapon! He sprinted past the confused Beowolf and sped towards the catgirl laying on the floor, her katana had to be laying nearby–

Something stared at him.

Not yellow eyes. Not Grimm eyes. Something he never could have dreamed of, not even in his worst nightmares. Crouching over the felled Faunus was a familiar, infuriating girl, but without those goggles he'd come to recognize. She stared at him, her eyes sick and loathsome, deeper and more dense than the night sky, red and more feral than the Grimm.

She met his eyes while her hand stroked Blake's belly, and she stood slowly. Roman had to look away, but he couldn't. The moment he did, she would strike, he _knew_ it. The moment he made the wrong move, he'd be torn to pieces. The moment he dared do anything but stare, his heartbeat rising, his skin growing clammy, words and breath dying in his throat, he was hers.

Silently, a black pool appeared beneath Ruby's feet. It swallowed the surface of the metal ship she stood on, overtaking its surroundings with a casual ease, and from it, a long, black pole extended towards the girl's hand. She pulled it out, showing the sinister curve of a long, black blade, the scythe rising to point at Roman as his feet refused to obey his commands.

Grimm behind him. Girl before him. What did he do? What did he _do?_ _What did he do? What the fuck_ could _he do?!_ He was trapped, staring into those eyes, staring at that blade, feeling the breath on his neck and listening to the clicking claws. He was fucked fucked _fucked holy shit was he fucked he couldn't move he couldn't think it was closing in on him and he couldn't breath oh this was fucked he didn't deserve this he was a GODDAMNED SURVIVOR SO WHY COULDN'T HE MOVE?!_

No more good food. No more good wine. No more rigged games of chance, no more shitty B-movies on the couch, no more musicals with Neo, no more _Neo…_

"... _Neo…"_ He whispered to himself. He had to get to Neo. He had to protect Neo. She was the reason he even came into the crime boss profession. She was why their old boss lay dead at the bottom of a lake. He had to get to Neo.

Roman turned to slug the Beowolf out of the way, letting loose a defiant shout as he did, his mind racing and reeling and unable to focus on anything but _escape._ He turned to deflect the girl as he felt her presence, he reared a fist back to crush her nose.

She was on him. Those eyes those eyes they peered into his mind and tore into his thoughts and _he couldn't see anything but those eyes!_

His scream mingled with hers and rose from the boat, filling the night with the sounds of terror as black limbs raked his aura, pale hands squeezed his face, and Ruby lost any and all sense of civility as she howled alongside the emerging Grimm.

* * *

"... What the hell was that?" Nora asked warily. Not a lot made the hammer maiden stop in her tracks when she was having a good time, but a good, honest, blood-curdling scream was enough to make her slide to a halt and perk her ear.

Ren appeared by her side and stared around the dock with sharp eyes. His ears couldn't have been mistaking him, he had some of the sharpest senses in his little group of friends, but Grimm… here? Shipping incidents weren't necessarily _uncommon–_ sometimes Grimm hid in cargo containers, sometimes they were brought in illegally by trappers to sell to unsavory sorts–and a fight would have roused them from their containers, possibly enough to escape…

"Nora," Ren spoke calmly, his hand sliding down her side, "keep your ears open. I have a suspicion-" He was interrupted as his aura was hammered by gunfire from the remaining VTOL, a quick, pained outburst making Nora's eyes widen as he fell to one knee. "Nora…"

"I heard you." She answered stiffly. Sparks danced between the strands of her hair as she called up the reserve she had absorbed, Magnhild trembling in her grip. It quickly shrank into a compact grenade launcher, and the VTOL's armor began to dent and crumple as Nora fired electrically-charged grenades up at it.

An engine burst into flames when a lucky shot went up its exhaust tube, the VTOL spiralling in midair until a black glyph appeared on the ground beneath it and slammed it into the concrete. Nora gave a satisfied little snarl at her quick vengeance, only to be outdone by an animalistic roar when Yang crushed a power loader's knee, sending it buckling forward into the ground, the cockpit shattering explosively from the impact.

" _WHERE IS MY SISTER?!"_ Yang's voice boomed over the dwindling chaos. Ren hauled himself to his feet and looked to Nora silently, stroking her back as they stared around, Pyrrha emerging from the warehouse with Jaune by her side, neither looking scuffed in the slightest. Penny stood on top of some cargo straightening up as the sound of charging feet and whirring equipment came to a still. At the crane, Weiss saw the VTOLs had been felled, and Sun was now boredly watching the activity below. The two descended as the battle came to a close.

White Fang lay sprawled out everywhere, unconscious or broken. Over seventy White Fang versus nine hunters; students, true, but competent enough to be picked up by Beacon. Their anti-hunter group had been felled by timely intervention, their rapid work kept their attention off of their defenses, the extent of their advanced machinery was a handful of assault crafts and modified construction equipment.

Pyrrha silently evaluated their victory… but so far, they had not succeeded.

In the battle between hunters and civilians, the hunters always held the advantage. There was no sense of fairness, it was an obvious and often brutally one-sided fight, that was the cold truth of it. In a way, it was exhilarating: Pyrrha had been in this position before in her youth, fighting off toughs who had attempted to invade her home a year after joining gladiator classes. To win decisively over a horde of opponents with ill-intentions with justice at her back, it was a different sort of satisfaction from winning over a difficult opponent.

They may have stopped the White Fang, but they had not yet accomplished their end goal: Ruby was still missing. "Jaune…" Pyrrha gestured to her partner, who was examining his fingers oddly, and he looked up to her with a quiet nod.

"Okay… I think we can call this a win?" He asked, glancing around at the still, groaning bodies of their defeated opponents.

"More or less." Weiss answered as she walked onto the scene, her face turning pale at the carnage strewn about. This was too much violence for her… White Fang or not, she did not have a good feeling in her gut, though the knot loosened when Sun laid a hand on her shoulder and raised his weapon.

"Good job crew! That just leaves one thing left." Sun called, glancing between the eight of them. His hand was brushed off of Weiss's shoulder, and the debutante strode towards her teammate. She had to drag Yang away from beating on the pile of destroyed power loader to join the group.

The blonde still fumed and steamed, but without a target for her frustration, she had fallen into a sullenness that had the other hunters keeping a few feet of distance. Only Weiss and Penny dared stand within range of her fists, for vastly different reasons.

"Ruby is still missing somewhere on this dock, I want us to spread out and beat down anyone still looking for a fight. Check every container, check every building." Jaune ordered, his voice ringing loud and clear. "We're moving out in groups of two. Pyrrha and I will take the west, Nora and Ren the east, Weiss, Yang, you two take the boat, Blake should be there. Sun, Penny, you guys check the crates to the south."

"Aye!" Came the response. Ren glanced up to the boat as he turned away with Nora, the screams and the howling from the boat had gone away… a fluke? A trick of his ears? He highly doubted it, but they _did_ have a mission. They could report it to other authorities once Ruby was safe.

Or… they could report it now, judging by the sound of coming sirens. The eight of them turned to face the entrance of the dock as the sirens rapidly came closer. Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren turned to face Jaune immediately, and he swallowed thickly.

"Err… or _maybe_ we should wait for the police?"

"It would be for the best." Penny confirmed with a frown on her face, her agitation growing, a feeling she was starting to dislike more and more as her emotional drive found it difficult to remove without the knowledge of Ruby's safety. "The police carry a higher authority than hunters within the city concerning criminal and missing persons cases."

"Especially _students_ trying to play vigilante…" Weiss trailed off, glaring down at the pavement. This would _not_ look good on her record.

"We can't wait for the damn police!" Yang raised her voice, the heat rising around them once more as her worry gave way to further anger. "I'm _going."_ Yang snarled, turning on her heel to move towards the ship, but Weiss desperately hung onto her elbow.

" _Yang! Show some tact! We'll be in more trouble if- slow down!"_ Weiss yelped as she was dragged along by the much larger, stronger girl.

"Why don't we send those two ahead?" Sun offered up quickly, his tail flicking in nervousness as the sound of car doors reached his ears. "They can find Blake and Ruby, and we can cover for them until things are squared away."

"They'll just get in more trouble." Ren pointed out.

"And I don't care!" Yang yelled, while Weiss huffed.

" _I do!"_ She paused when Yang glanced her way, and a frown spread across her face. "I care about Ruby too, but if we endanger her with our recklessness…"

Jaune crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes, and considered their options. By his side, Pyrrha seemed at a loss, and she cursed her indecisiveness in what to do… but her leader quickly raised a hand. "Weiss, Yang, do as Sun says. Ruby's safety is more important, they'll understand, or we'll make them." He bobbed his head. They silently stared at him… "Not _violently!_ Jeez, I'm not _that_ stupid, we'll just… appeal, or something."

"I'm not sure that's what to call it, but the safety of our friends is preeminent." Ren said after a moment of thought.

"I predict it will involve at least minor incarceration for each of us no matter what we choose to do, so whatever helps us find Ruby fastest is best." Penny nodded firmly.

"I am willing to risk imprisonment." Pyrrha bobbed her head, and Nora raised a fist.

"The Beacon chain gang is forming as we speak! Now shoo! Get on the boat!" Nora ordered.

Weiss considered her options… and was promptly thrown onto the ship with a fearful shriek, Yang leaping the distance to begin their search.

The six remaining hunters gathered together amidst the beaten White Fang and set aside their weaponry, sharing a moment of audacious camaraderie as the Duermoor police force arrived in full.

The boys and girls in blue secured a perimeter, holding their small arms at the ready, moving in to take names and IDs.

* * *

It took an extraordinary amount of willpower to clear her head and _think._ Yang had to focus strictly on one objective–her little sister–to quench the raging flame in her chest long enough to seize her thoughts again. She couldn't be making more of a ruckus than she'd had been. The battle was _over,_ she was still frightened, worried, and pissed beyond belief, but now they were sharpening her focus, not powering her to break faces.

Deep breaths, closed eyes, she had to cool off before she alerted the police. She came to a halt, her anger briefly flashing as she ran into something, but it was only Weiss, giving her a worried frown. Yang blinked. Right, she had been following her teammate, they were on the lookout for Ruby and Blake… Yang had spent so much of her brain power decompressing she'd mindlessly followed without sparing a look at the world around her.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked cautiously, drawing a bemused grunt from Yang as the blonde took in her surroundings.

"Fine. Why are we in the cargo hold?" Yang looked up at the sky. The decompressed storage in the ship was still open-air since they'd caught the White Fang with their pants down for the most part. Even smaller-sized cargo ships like this one had embedded storage beneath the deck in the case of Grimm attacks or cargo outbreaks.

"I wanted to get out of sight as quickly as possible, but I also suspect we can find at least one White Fang down here. Somebody should have been securing the crates in here. If they're hiding, we should be ready for an ambush." Weiss answered, resting a hand on the wall as the choppy bay waters rocked the ship the slightest bit. Looking through the miniature maze of stacked cargo, Weiss felt semi-confident they wouldn't be spotted, nor would they be caught unawares.

The two of them walked towards the far end of the wall, their eyes and ears open. From beyond the cargo hold they could hear the police sirens and the calls of the officers searching the premises. They would certainly have plenty of suspects to take to jail–or the hospital, for that matter.

Yang contemplated tearing the cargo containers open on the off-chance Ruby might be in any of them, but she had to weigh that against the consequence of the police hearing them. She shuddered… she wanted Ruby to be in a room somewhere, hands and legs free, just waiting for them, the thought of her being under the touch of one of these goddamned _animals-_

Chill _._ _Chill_. She had to chill out. That sort of thinking was what drove Blake away in the first place. Yang made a fist, then relaxed it, then clenched again, but forced it to uncurl. Her overreacting would only make things worse…

Weiss had stopped again, Yang nearly running into her as she grew lost in her thoughts, and the taller girl looked up in confusion as Weiss made a distressed noise. Three White Fang lay strewn across the floor, their clothing stained with blood, their masks pulled off their faces laying in pieces nearby. Yang blinked, immediately spotting the large tears in their clothing, the puncture-wounds along their arms… those weren't weapon strikes, they were too animalistic…

"... Grimm?" Weiss queried in a small voice. Yang flinched and glanced down as something brushed her hand, and it took a moment to recognize that Weiss was squeezing her fingers. What was she getting frightened over?...

"Looks like it. Maybe they snuck on board with the cargo?" Yang whispered, briefly squeezing Weiss's hand to comfort her, then stepping past her to lean over the three fallen Fang members. She touched their necks and frowned softly.

After a few moments, Weiss spoke up, "Are they dead?"

"No. Heartbeat is slow, their wounds aren't deep, probably hurt like hell though. Their necks are pretty red, though, probably strangled… but not dead." Yang confirmed, looking over her shoulder at Weiss's anxious face. She lifted her head a bit, recognizing the emotion. Ruby didn't react well to blood either, Weiss may not have been used to violence.

"If it _was_ a Grimm that got them, wouldn't they be dead? Even a wild animal would finish the job." Weiss mentioned, giving the defeated Faunus a wide berth as she stepped around them.

Could it have been Blake?... Yang hadn't seen her partner fight a person before, but why would she leave such… _strange_ wounds? The only other person it could have been was–… no, no that wasn't possible.

"No clue." Yang shook her head, her heart beginning to beat harder as she considered the possibilities. "Let's move on."

"Shouldn't we move them?" Weiss asked with a frown.

"They aren't dead and probably won't die from their current wounds unless they don't get found or don't wake up." Yang stood, wiping her hands clean. "Besides, we don't want to get caught _now."_

"Blake's probably already _found_ Ruby." Weiss muttered as they moved down the row of cargo containers, coming to a stop before one crate pushed in their way, impeding their progress. That certainly wasn't uniform.

Yang twisted her head left, then right, wondering if this was a crate that got misplaced during the battle outside, but her eyes locked onto a solid steel, rectangular container. That… was not a cargo crate, that was a Grimm containment cage. A pretty crappy one at that, considering the cage door had been forced open. Weiss noticed it too, jogging to the side of the container to run a hand along the lumpy, misshapen sides. Whatever had forced the door open had thrown a fit inside, leaving swollen bumps from its hard thrashings within.

"There _is_ a Grimm." Weiss said gravely, walking back towards the opening.

"But that's _not Ruby."_ Yang responded impatiently as Weiss poked her head into the cage. "Weiss, we still need to check where the sailors and stuff go inside."

"The bridge?" Weiss asked, beckoning Yang closer. The blonde growled unhappily, but complied, staring into the dark chamber.

"Or the bedrooms or whatever."

"Light your hair." Weiss ordered, getting a confused glare. "With your semblance! You know what I mean!" The heiress pouted, but Yang rolled her eyes, focused, and complied, letting the heat of battle, the pain of her fights, and her own anger course through her.

The fire reached her hair, and she began to glow, an uncontrollable pant escaping her as her body tensed in preparation for a battle. The _need_ to fight was a difficult thing to control, but Yang resisted the impulse to punch the surrounding walls as she walked inside with Weiss. She lit the dark cage up, staring at the multitude of sporadic, desperate claw marks along every inch inside. The Grimm were known to go into a rage when trapped, but this… it was like an entire pack of Beowolves were packed inside like sardines, tearing at their surroundings.

This wasn't just _one_ Grimm… it couldn't have been. They would have broken their claws and tired out after this much damage. Yang stared around, her anger turning to confusion, her confusion to worry, and something bumped the toetip of her boot.

She glanced down quickly, frozen in place as she looked at the thing she'd kicked.

Weiss blinked as the light went out without warning. Weiss quickly glanced around, reaching out for her barely visible teammate, and hearing her scramble along the cage floor. Yang stood, and Weiss followed as she heard her teammate's rapid footsteps towards the exit.

Yang burst out into the moonlight, her steps slowing, coming to a halt as she stared at the familiar black goggles in her hand. Weiss felt her pulse slow and her fingers go cold as she stared at Ruby's goggles, then looked back at the utterly ravaged cage they'd found them in.

"... I-..." Yang was at a loss for words, her face pale, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open as she flipped the goggles over and around, looking for the little imperfections and marks that would identify them as Ruby's. "Th-there's a mistake."

"Um…" Weiss whimpered, turning the strap over to check the model number. They both knew it was hers, but the answer wouldn't leave their lips. "Sh-she might have dropped them."

"Yeah… yeah, and they kicked them down here. I can see that." Yang held a hand over her mouth as her fist began to shake. She looked back at the destroyed Grimm container, then at Ruby's goggles. "She would never- she _knows_ better, she wouldn't take them off…"

"No, no of course- unless- Yang-..."

"No… no, no, Ruby, no, _please…"_ Yang whispered in a shaking voice, quickly wiping moisture away from her eyes. She shook her head, squeezing the goggles with an iron grip. "You know better Ruby, please baby girl, you _know_ better, I _know_ you do…" Yang panted loudly, beginning to move.

"Yang…!" Weiss followed behind her, her own voice pleading as the implications weight around both of their heads. How had they missed them before? The periodic scratches along the floor were everywhere, small, shallow, but visible under the moonlight. They'd been so busy watching out for Fang, they didn't notice a much more pressing sign of a much worse enemy. They followed them to another staircase, quickly sprinting up the steps and keeping their heads low as a police VTOL passed overhead, scanning the docks on the other side of the boat.

They came up to the bridge, staring at the ajar door leading into the crew quarters, but then found the large amount of broken glass on the floor. A splatter of blood, two long, deep claw marks in the metal hull of the boat, and a thin trail of red splatter leading inside.

Yang swiftly pushed the door opened and stared into the lit hallway. Weiss joined up by her side, and they both felt their tongues dry.

The little blood trail ran all the way down the metal, barren hallway, hanging a left towards a sign that read 'Crew Quarters.' More distressingly, deep, raking marks lined the walls and floors, indicating the Grimm… that Ruby had passed through.

"You… don't think she's…" Weiss trailed off, the tips of her fingers touching one of the claw marks tentatively, just to be sure that they were real.

"She _has_ to be alive." Yang didn't sound so sure as she moved forward on shaking legs, the dim lighting of the quiet ship adding to an already stressful atmosphere.

"I-I meant…" Weiss shook her head, then nodded. "Yeah… yeah, she has to be…"

Yang moved ahead, Weiss behind her, Myrtenaster firmly in her grip. The ship's metal hallway was standard as could be, clear of obstructions, just barely large enough for two full grown men to walk past each other and brush shoulders. It was simply so sterile, so uninviting, mixed with the deep cuts in the wall, and that little trail of red.

The distant creaking of the ship settling and rocking on the waves didn't help, and Weiss hastily pressed up against Yang's back at the sound of distant, metal yawning. She hated this, she hated it more that Yang wasn't her playful, confident self. Her back was tough as stone, her muscles tight... if Yang was afraid, then Weiss couldn't just lean on her for support. The young heiress swallowed thickly, moving her hand to Yang's shoulder to try and reassure her.

The two turned the corner, following the blood trail towards the crew quarters. They both had to hide a frightened swallow. The lights were out, and judging by the glass shards mingling in the blood, _something_ had broken them.

' _Don't be Ruby, don't be Ruby, don't be Ruby…'_

Yang's hair lit up, and the two moved deeper. The scratches in the walls were gone, and the blood trail was lessening. Step by step the two went into the darkness, passing through an opened door. Slowly they walked along, listening to the distant sounds until the blood trail stopped. The two girls stared at where the trail bent to the right, right into a sailor's cabin.

They both looked to the other, then sucked up their fears and looked inside. The cabin was small, extraordinarily narrow, featuring a single set of bunk beds crammed against the back right corner, with a locker at the foot of it. Laying in the bottom bunk was a girl, with black hair, a peculiar mix of black and white clothing, and prominent cat ears…

"Blake!" Weiss's voice rose, and Yang quickly slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her. Weiss winced at her own gaffe, and composed herself. Despite her excitement, Yang was the first one by Blake's side, leaning down to touch her neck, and confirm she was alive and breathing. "What happened to her?" Weiss whispered, staring at her bulbous, purple face, which rested slack and almost sweet in her sleep. It was rather upsetting, Blake was always so smooth and alluring, it was like seeing somebody had taken a knife to a fine piece of art.

"Somebody beat her ass up." Yang answered glumly, carefully sliding a hand under Blake's head to stroke a bruised cheek with her thumb. "Blake…" Yang whispered, lightly jostling her. "Blake!" Yang spoke a little louder, shaking roughly until the girl's eyes fluttered open, dull and confused as she stared at the ceiling.

"Bed…" Blake mouthed through a busted lip, "Beacon?..." She spoke almost hopefully, turning her head towards Yang tiredly. She winced, a small, pained gasp escaping her as her wounds announced themselves, but she calmed herself, and forced a smile. "... Hey gorgeous, I had one hell of a fucked-up dream."

Yang blinked slowly, her hair letting out a puff of steam as she hid a little blush. "Well, you're still dreaming, Blake. We're on a boat." At that, Blake's eyes drifted around the featureless room, focusing on Weiss to appraise her for a moment, before settling back on Yang. "Did Ruby do this to you?"

"... No, I hadn't even found her. That dickwad with the stupid hat got me." Blake managed in a beaten wheeze, her eyes going flat with annoyance, but then a sparkle of hope kindled as she looked between her teammates. "Did you find Ruby?!"

"We're still looking. We're pretty sure she's somewhere on the boat, but… not as herself…" Weiss's voice fell ominously, and Blake quietly worked her fingers and toes, then her feet and her hands to push herself up, an action she regretted as the blood pooling in her nostrils quickly ran free.

"Dammit, bloody noses all over the place today…" Blake sighed, trying to wipe it clean. Weiss offered her a handkerchief, and Blake took a moment to dab her upper lip. "What do you mean ' _not as herself?'"_ She asked, her brow knitting together, which was a little more painful than it should have been with a pair of black eyes.

"... It's what we were hiding from you all this time." Weiss answered, casting her eyes away from Blake's shamefully.

"Blake, Ruby's got a big, _big_ bad secret, it's the reason we were so hesitant to tell you. She's _not_ a killer or anything, but…" Yang trailed off and took a deep, furious breath to keep calm.

"She can summon Grimm." Blake spoke calmly, watching her teammates' faces contort into surprise and anxiousness, which Blake responded to with a small laugh. "When she came here to sell herself off in exchange for me, she did some crazy crap to the guy hitting me. So it's true, she summons Grimm…" Blake turned away from the two, staring down her body with a labored sigh.

"Yeah… yeah, but she tried to keep it under wraps, and she did such a good job…" Yang looked down, her chest swelling with a terrified breath.

"And then I came along." Blake murmured.

"That's not what I was trying to say!" Yang insisted, but Blake shook her head.

"I know, it's what _I'm_ saying. I owe her _so_ many cookies." Blake shifted to slide off the bed, wiping her nose one last time with Weiss's handkerchief before handing it back to some very hesitant hands.

"That's the thing…" Yang took a pained breath, looking into Blake's eyes as the catgirl sat at the edge of her bed. "Ruby has lost control a few times in her life. When she killed Cardin's dog, when she was too young to control her tantrums, but this… this is different. I think…" Yang hesitated to continue speaking, but shook her head, releasing quick puffs of hot air from her hair. "She might have _really_ lost it. Maybe even given in. There's blood and broken shit everywhere, and- and-"

"Blake is alive." Weiss pointed out. At that, Yang paused, and examined Blake more closely. Blake felt her wrist, checking her pulse, and nodded her agreement.

"Very alive."

"Even if Ruby is throwing a tantrum, or rampaging, or _whatever,"_ Weiss turned towards the door quietly, "she might not be off the deep end. I owe it to her to at least _try."_

"Me too." Blake slid to her feet and tried to call up her aura with a wince. "Anybody got anything to eat?" She asked lamely. The other two shook their heads helplessly. Even with a good tin of sardines, Blake's aura wasn't likely to recover without a full day's rest. "Well… I always fancied myself a diplomat." She tried to joke with a broken smile, and at least Weiss managed a pitiful chuckle.

Blake stayed in the back as the other two lead the way, slightly more heartened by finding their teammate, but there was still the uncertainty of what was ahead. They walked, checking the doors to see if they were opened, but each one was locked tight. However, at the end of the hallway, they found something: a man lay shivering on the floor, a bloodsoaked white coat wrapped around his arm, the black dress shirt he was wearing punctured in multiple places, allowing thin streaks of blood to flow from shallow wounds.

Blake recognized his hat immediately.

"... Is _he_ dead?" Weiss asked aloud, only to get her answer when the man looked up at her with a glare.

" _No,_ you stupid girl," Roman hissed quietly, squeezing his wrapped arm with his other hand, "and _keep your voice down!_ If she hears you-" He was interrupted with a swift, ferocious kick to the face, drawing a pained shout. He tried to squirm away as Blake kicked him between the eyes again, drawing a growl of pain from between his grit teeth.

"Blake!" Yang grabbed her partner in surprise, pulling her away from Roman so the suddenly furious Faunus couldn't return the brutal beating he'd given her. "He's a victim here too!"

" _He's_ the one who kidnapped me, kidnapped Ruby, and did this to me!" Blake spat at him, pointing at her face as he simply sneered.

"... Oh." Yang delivered a third kick, drawing a crunch from his nose, while Weiss considered whether or not it was worth getting blood on her shoes. "That's for my sister, _asshole."_

"Your sibter's a goddamnebd Grimm-sbitting _mobnster_ an' _I'm_ da asshhole?!" Roman demanded hysterically, sitting up to get out of range of their feet. Blake snorted, an ugly noise that loosened another stream of blood from her nostril.

" _Who's_ the one kidnapping teenage girls?!" The catgirl snapped, and Roman just grunted in acknowledgement. However, his angered look soon faded, as did the rest of the color in his already-flushed cheeks as he looked past them. The three girls hesitantly turned to follow his gaze.

She stood just at the edge of the light Yang cast. Her frame was meek and slender, her clothing ruffled and slightly scuffed, but otherwise clean and flattering. In her hand was a small, packaged brownie, probably scavenged from the ship's cafeteria. She had a quiet, uncomprehending look on her face as she watched them.

Weiss had to focus on the girl's chest, her hand beginning to tremble by her side. Blake looked to the ceiling, the aching memories of that early morning creeping up on her. Yang stared at her little sister's mouth, but even that wasn't enough to protect her.

Ruby's eyes peered at them, one by one, then at Roman just past them. What was most startling, other than her silence and eyes, were the veins along her temples. Where they had been easily hidden by a simple pair of goggles, the tainted, black lines slid down her cheeks, around her mouth, and across her forehead, her carotid arteries and jugular veins swollen, thick, and black.

"R-Ruby…?" Yang spoke in a hopeful tone, stepping out to reach for her sister's face.

Ruby's answer was a piercing, frantic scream, baring all of her little white teeth before the ground and the walls were swallowed by spinning, ravenous ink. " _You COWARD!"_ Ruby screamed, Yang reeling backwards as her little sister flew towards her, hands outstretched, replaced by black-and-white claws, while red eyes and white teeth emerged from every surface around her to follow her with howling glee.

Weiss fell back, nearly stumbling over Roman with a fearful shriek while Blake simply went still with fright. Roman threw himself to the floor, covering his head and shaking as the shrieking girl drew towards them, and Yang reacted on pure instinct: she stepped forward, breathing frantically, eyes wide, her whole body tense like a giant steel knot, and her fist buried into Ruby's face.

The younger sister was thrown back by the aura-enhanced blow, barely kept on her feet by the mass of black limbs emerging behind her, and Yang felt her mind and body screech to a halt as pitch-black tears ran down Ruby's cheeks, tender hands touching at her own face as she made weeping, pained cries. Every instinct in Yang's body told her to move forward, to embrace her sister, to apologize and reassure her…

… but then the wolves, the boars, and the bears wrenched themselves free of their prison, Ruby swallowed by the mass of darkness as the beasts of Grimm surged towards Yang like a crushing wave.

Howling, screaming, tearing darkness surrounded her, red and yellow eyes, white teeth and claws, an unending stream of ink encircled her, grasping at her limbs and her throat. She let out a silent scream as she felt _them_ tearing at her aura, and amidst the roaring in her ears she could hear Weiss and Blake behind her.

She had to stop this, she had to protect them, she had to _save them._ Her aura pulsated across her body as she drew up every ounce of strength and will she had, pushing out heat and hatred with each declaration of protection she inwardly announced, scorching claws and black flesh, and then it was gone.

She gasped, staring at the cold, empty hallway around her, her fury dissipating as the shock caught up to her, and she swiftly turned to her teammates. Weiss lay on top of Blake, shielding the beaten Faunus with her body, all the while letting out frightened pants as Blake covered her face with her hands. Yang looked past the two girls to where Roman had been, but the man was gone… and so was Ruby.

"Weiss, Blake!" Yang ran to the other girls' sides, helping them off the floor as they glanced around in a shaky panic, not entirely comprehending what had happened. "Are you okay?!"

"Fine…" Weiss wheezed, squeezing her hands together fearfully as she quickly scrambled to snatch Myrtenaster off the ground.

"... Ow…" Blake groaned, wiping blood off of a long, shallow cut on her lower arm, and Yang felt her anger _surge._ "It just _hurts,_ but jeez…." She whispered, her ears flat on her head.

Yang rest her hands on Blake's arm, willing the heat she produced to soothe her partner, while her emotions warred within her head and chest. "... I'm going after her." Yang stated after a moment, pulling her hands back, using her aura to flick Blake's blood off her palms.

"Me too." Weiss agreed, albeit with a fearful tone in her voice.

"No." Yang shook her head, looking to Weiss with a serious expression, causing the heiress to look offended at the denial. "Escort Blake outside where the police are. This might sound stupid, but I'm going to try and bring Ruby back, even if I have to beat her unconscious to do it."

"We said we'd come with you." Blake spoke fearlessly, though with how pale and purple she was, she did not carry the strength in her statement that she'd hoped for.

"That was before we knew how bad this was. Everyone else is still out there, hopefully. We can set up a defensive perimeter, tell them to watch out for incoming Grimm." Yang nodded, and Weiss chewed her inner cheek.

"Yang, that's all well and good, but if something happens to you, the rest of us would be too far away to help." Weiss looked the blonde in the eye. "That is unacceptable."

"So is letting a drained hunter limp her way to safety alone." Yang tutted, resting her hands on Weiss's shoulders. "Ruby's still in there somewhere. She _has_ to be, she didn't hurt any of us… not too badly. My little sister isn't _gone._ I'm going to bring her back however I can. Rally everyone, _then_ come help me, okay? For now, make sure Blake is _safe."_ Yang looked past Weiss to look her partner in the eye, and Blake felt a… comfort, a pain, a love, and an annoyance all well up in her chest at once.

"... Are you forgiving me?..." Blake asked tentatively, and Yang shook her head.

"Not sure yet, but hunter's code is pretty clear on what to do in this situation." Yang cracked a daring smile and stepped out of their way. "Get the hell outta here, I'm going to look for Ruby."

The two girls hesitantly nodded, and Yang moved around them, through the only door Ruby and Roman could have disappeared through. The blonde ran, and Weiss pulled Blake's arm over her shoulder.

The two carefully walked their way towards the exit of the ship, ears and eyes sharp to the sounds and shadows. Blake's labored breathing eased Weiss, however, reminding them both that they were alive, and that they were on the cusp of being over with the night.

They were almost whole again, almost back to Beacon, almost home… they just had to hope that Ruby could be brought back with them.

* * *

" _What do you want to be when you grow up?"_

" _A hunter! Like mom and dad!"_

Things were definitely spiralling out of control. Yang raced down the hallway, quick jabs and shotgun blasts enough to split the heads of the young Grimm that charged her. Ruby had summoned before, but never to this degree, usually only one or two…

" _That's gonna be super hard for you… are you sure?"_

" _Yeah! It's better than what I am now!"_

" _A dumb little bedwetter?"_

" _Noooooo! Y-y'know… you know… a monster…?"_

Yang's eyes locked onto unusual elements, her huntress instinct winning over her emotions to look for clues and follow obvious trails: blood spatters, cuts in the wall, the Boarbatusk she just dusted. She raced with all of her remaining strength to find the source of it all.

" _Well… if you wanna be a hunter, you gotta work super hard."_

" _I know!"_

" _Harder than me!"_

" _I know!"_

" _And harder than dad, too!"_

" _I KNOW!"_

All her life, that little girl just wanted to be a hero. No… no, that wasn't exactly right. It was a secret feeling that Yang knew about from having grown up with her: Ruby wanted to be a hunter, a hero, because she felt those things would somehow mitigate her powers and put her on the same level as everyone else. All Ruby wanted to be was _human._

" _R-Ruby… Ruby, are you okay?"_

" _I-it b-bit me… and-and he hit me… i-it hurts…"_

" _Ruby, calm down, calm down baby girl, I'm here for you…"_

" _I didn't mean to… I-I didn't… i-it's everywhere…"_

" _It's just a little blood, Ruby…"_

" _... I killed something…"_

When it was so easy for her to be a monster, to summon and destroy and lay waste, anybody with a heart would struggle to keep their fellow man's best interests in mind, especially when that fellow man would look her in the eye and try to have her lynched… Ruby just wanted to be normal. To be free of a curse she never asked for, she never deserved.

" _How's training coming along?"_

" _..."_

" _Ruby?"_

" _... Why am I even trying? This won't change a-anything…"_

" _It'll change everything! Your control, your ability to fight your-"_

" _I'll still summon Grimm if I let go even a little bit…"_

And this man. This crook. This _bastard_ wanted to take that away from her. Did he want revenge? Did he want a weapon? Did he just want to hold _power_ over some little girl and her family? She had just gotten into Beacon too… and he _dared_ try to take her away from that!

" _Why Beacon? Heck, even I considered Haven, that place is rockin'."_

" _It has to be Beacon! The b-best hunters went to Beacon, like you!"_

" _Flattery won't get you my ice cream, sis."_

" _I'm serious! Maybe they have something there, somebody who can help…"_

She hammered a Creep so hard, her fist split its body and dented the wall as the rage welled up within her. Ruby didn't deserve this, Ruby didn't _want_ this, but leave it to some ephebophiliac with an ugly goddamned hat to ruin it for her! They dared to touch her sister, to try and take everything _away from her…_

" _I'm not mad at you…"_

" _It's okay if you are…"_

" _I'm not. It's not your fault."_

" _It is! I-it is and… and I-I'm s-so-sorry… I'm sorry, Yang…"_

" _... It's okay, it's just a little cut."_

" _... You were super brave…"_

" _I gotta be! It's what a hunter has to be. What you have to be."_

" _I'll try… I'll try!"_

Yang came to a stop. The door had been wrenched open with ruthless strength, leaving it barely hanging on its hinges. Yang stepped through. They were in some sort of supplies room, with only a couple of crates against the back wall, but _she_ stood in the middle of the room, standing over him. A pool of Grimmstuff swirled violently beneath her feet, black claws clamoring at the edge of the pool, grabbing ahold of Roman's arms, some squeezing so hard their claws drew blood, while others writhed in the man's direction. However, the a new font of hate and fear caused the claws to twist back towards Yang.

Ruby turned her head sharply, glaring at her sister with a horrific scowl, the black lines running along her face and neck only highlighting her deep, unnerving frown, as well as how tense she was.

Yang stared at her sister's chin, just as she'd learn to do many years ago, and relaxed her hands. "Ruby…" Yang reached a hand out towards the girl.

Ruby bared her teeth, and barked out a single curse, " _Coward!"_ The voice sounded strained, almost in pain, too wrought with fright and anger to keep Ruby's normal, squeaky-voiced sweetness.

"No no, Ruby, please… it's me, it's _Yang,_ your big sister!" Yang stepped forward with a hopeful expression, but Ruby's cloak swirled as a Beowolf lunged from beneath her feet, snapping aggressively at Yang's face, but stopped a foot short. Part of its body remained stuck in the pool, its arms and claws not even formed, but the merciless yellow eyes and pitiless growling did much to speak for Ruby's anger.

"You _ran!"_ Ruby managed through her teeth, her shoulders shaking, her voice tense with accusation. "You left her! And _me!"_ She spat simple sentences, her fingers extending, to be enshrouded by a Grimm claws.

Yang's answer was a lethal hook to the half-formed Beowolf's head, sending it to the floor to be swallowed up by Ruby's portal. "Ruby…" Yang strode forward, only to find the darkness at Ruby's feet surging upwards, surrounding her, leaving her fenced in by white blades and yellow eyes. "Ruby!" Yang shouted, the sounds of snapping and snarling filling her ears as the Grimm were only barely held back. "Please, listen to me! I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!_ I was scared! I was angry! I was _depressed!_ I wasn't trying to hurt either of you!"

" _LIAR!"_ Ruby's voice thundered, and Yang grabbed ahold of her ears, wincing as Ruby's insult was amplified in the Grimm cocoon she was imprisoned in. " _YOU WANTED TO HURT HER! YOU WANTED REVENGE!"_

" _She RAN AWAY, Ruby! SHE ABANDONED ME!"_ Yang shouted desperately, trying to punch her way out of the Grimm, her fist creating a neat hole that Yang stuck her fingers in and tore at desperately, widening it to see Ruby turned away from her. " _I was PISSED, I said a LOT of things I didn't mean! I was scared! I was scared because all I could think about was Raven!"_

Ruby fell silent, but the Grimm did not, their claws and teeth pressing into Yang's body, trying to crush and tear through her aura.

" _I just didn't want it to happen again! To spend years searching for somebody who doesn't care for me! To waste all that time wondering what I did wrong, blaming myself for somebody else's issues!"_ Yang grit her teeth, eyes tightening in pain as she felt daggers in her back, her aura flickering desperately. " _I didn't want it to happen to you too!"_ Yang pushed, the Grimmstuff warping under her weight enough for her hand to rest on Ruby's shoulder. " _I didn't want us to get hurt!_ Our family's been through so much shit, Ruby! I didn't want more to happen to us! I gave up because I could only picture the disappointment, the _pain…"_ Yang wheezed, a tooth plunging between her breasts, digging into the aura above her heart as she squeezed Ruby's shoulder. "I was selfish! I was trying to not get hurt! I was thinking about myself, not _Blake_ or _you…_ I'm sorry Ruby…" Yang panted heavily, the blades pressing harder, sensing weakness. "I love you… I just don't want to get hurt again, and I never want you to feel that kind of hurt either…"

Yang squeezed her eyes shut, expecting her aura to announce it was about to break at any moment, so she could fire up and drive all that pain into her muscles and knock Ruby out… but the blades receded. Yang felt the cocoon shrink away with the moans of the disappointed predators following it, the pool around Ruby beginning to shrink.

Ruby's shoulders twitched once, then twice, her head lowering as a gentle, sorrowful whimper escaped her. Yang stumbled forward, grabbing her sister around the shoulders to pull her close, to share heat, to share comfort. Yang buried her head into Ruby's neck and breathed her familiar scent, the dark veins unable to change even the most basic things that made Ruby the girl she was.

Ruby turned her head to look at Yang, and the wet brush of their cheeks told Yang that tears were falling, but wasn't sure who they belonged to. "Yang…" Ruby's voice was meek and shaken, and Yang let out a shuddering breath as she redoubled her grip on the girl's torso.

"Hi, Ruby." Yang whispered back, the moment anything _but_ normal, but Yang was trying her best as she turned her sister around to hide her face against her chest. "How are you, sweet baby?" Yang asked consolingly, stroking Ruby's back as she willed her aura to fall, to allow her sister to feel another human being, to know she was in safe arms. "We're having a rough night, huh?" Yang's voice quivered as she felt Ruby shake in her arms.

"... Everything hurts…" Was Ruby's quiet, resigned whisper, her hands moving up Yang's body to fully embrace her older sister around the midsection, and crush her closer. "'m scared… th-they put me in a box… 'n everything hurt… h-help me…" Ruby pleaded.

"I will." Yang said reassuringly, sighing as the darkness and cries of the Grimm steadily faded. "I am. I'm here, Ruby, your big sister's here… and she loves you very much." Yang smiled, allowing herself to relax.

Ruby, in her arms, seemed to calm. Though she still cried as she shook, she stopped squeezing at Yang's clothing in anxiousness, and slowly leaned her weight on her older sister. After a short time, even her little whimpers faded, and Yang held her little sister. "... 'm sorry…" Ruby finally murmured.

"I am too. It's okay. We're all better." Yang sighed softly. She opened her eyes to examine her sister, and too little, too late did she notice Roman had gotten to his feet, his undamaged hand pulling a knife from his boot.

It seemed like a dream. Everything was well, everything was fine, Ruby was safe in her arms, her powers faded and her control returned, and behind her, a screaming man lunged, the tip of his blade aimed for the back of Ruby's unprotected neck.

Some force, be it sisterly instinct, hunter's instinct, or simple, human generosity, compelled Yang's hand to moved towards the knife, everything moving so quickly she hadn't remembered she'd lowered her aura.

The blade went straight through her palm and out the back of her hand, the tip of the weapon not even a centimeter from puncturing Ruby's pale neck.

Yang went tight as a spring, then she stepped backwards, crying out at the ceiling as lancing pain ran like a shockwave down her wrist and up her arm, unable to feel or command her fingers through her hand's agony. Ruby stared up at her, the whole thing like a dream, not comprehending her sister's pain until she glanced at the maddened claw her punctured hand formed.

Blood poured from her sister, and Ruby was thrown to the ground as Roman stumbled towards the door, glaring at Yang. "You _stupid_ _goddamned bitch!_ I could have _killed her right there!"_ He shouted in a peaked fury. Their eyes met for a brief second as Roman held onto the doorframe, the animosity between them mutual and promising, then Roman seemed to remember who he'd been aiming for.

All at once, the already dark room turned darker still, and red and yellow eyes began to emerge from walls as a violent howl began to build from the rising girl. Ruby glared up at him with a furious expression, and he had to twist away to not get caught staring into her eyes again. He had to do something, if he wanted to live he had to _act,_ he couldn't take her like this, the chance was missed, he had to _go._

He ran. The boat tilted around him like it was battling a churning storm as he pushed full throttle down the hallway, away from death itself. She summoned Grimm. She summoned _fucking Grimm._ He hadn't handled a Grimm in _years,_ and yeah, he could handle a few by himself, but this wasn't just a _few,_ this wasn't just a _Grimm,_ this whole thing was coming crashing down around him. Roman had to steady himself against a wall as his mind threatened to black out from dizziness and blood loss, before the sound of roaring reached his ear. He was almost out… he just had to keep telling himself he was almost out as he sprinted, clutching his arm.

If he was going to get out of here alive, if he was going to see Neo again, if he was going to have any chance of making all of this up and restoring his empire amidst this wreck of a night, it would be by getting away from that damn girl. Tonight was a goddamned mistake. He'd well and truly fucked himself, he was too desperate to get her off his shoulders…

Cinder would be pissed. He could deal with that. _Not_ the Grimm.

With all his strength, he slammed one of the vault-like bulkheads behind him, twisting the wheel to seal it shut with a desperate gasp. He bought himself some time. Who knew _how_ much, but maybe just enough. He laughed to himself as he ran. He was finally out of her clutches, no longer feeling the tips of teeth and fangs in his flesh, he wanted to howl with glee, but he had to push forward.

He hadn't felt this desperate, this _scared_ in a long time. Not since he started plotting against the old boss, not that the perverted bastard didn't deserve everything that had come his way, but power didn't care how it was used or who used it, power existed and accumulated and was executed with impunity, and that old pervert had had a _lot_ of it.

Roman leaned against a wall, clutching his bleeding arm with a groan, ears perked up to hear for the oncoming claws. Thinking about it… the old bastard woulda been thrilled here. The punch-happy blonde was right up his alley, he would've spared the Grimm girl a night or two if he could have. Something about _danger_ aroused that old idiot, it was why he liked hunters. It was why he had went after _Neo._

Neo... Roman pushed himself off of the wall and willed his aching legs to carry him further. Just one more hallway… Roman had inherited all that power with his takeover, and he'd thrived in it, but he'd gotten complacent. When Cinder came in and proved the sort of power she carried, he'd obeyed to protect his own skin, and to try and keep that power on a leash, he'd made a poor move…

That girl, Ruby Rose, was it? She was powerful. Monstrously so. Roman grit his teeth as he turned down another hallway, blindly seeking escape. It figured, he had the perfect plan to keep her locked down and everything… and she was simply _too strong…_ and her damn friends at that. But even without the other kids, what chance did they have? She'd escaped without them, she'd taken over the boat… heh, there'd have been a _lot_ of dead Faunus...

Fresh air. He smelled fresh air! He turned down a hallway and let out an excited laugh as he saw the way out.

* * *

Police vans left the scene, packed to the gills with the White Fang that had been knocked out by the fight. Police searched the area, digging through rubble and poking their heads into rooms the Fang could have been hiding.

One by one, the Beacon students, plus Penny, were given a mug of hot coffee and a slap on the back, with a line forming at Pyrrha for selfies.

"Shee, in Mishtral, I woulda been tosshed in with thoshe guysh." Sun spoke around a mouthful of donut, pointing to the line of White Fang being held at gunpoint to be sent to the slammer.

"Hey, we don't think _every_ Faunus is a terrorist." A young officer smirked, bumping drinks with the monkey boy.

"Wasn't saying you did," Sun spoke after swallowing, "but I had a bit of a reputation in Mistral, so they always took me, just to make sure!" He grinned.

Penny, far away from the action, kept a neutral expression as the tall, Atlesian man in a suit questioned her. "Yes, I am aware my actions were against orders." She spoke calmly, her tone as professional as could be.

"Yet you chose to act anyways, you _know_ how the General will be!" The man warned her, his younger, bald-faced assistant nodding in stern agreement.

"The General's orders may preserve me, but in times where it may interfere with my purpose as a hunter, I see it as a necessary breach of protocol in order to save as many lives as possible." Penny held her hands behind her back, her fingers wiggling just out of view, wanting to go hunting for her friend. "One of which is still missing."

"Penny, this exercise was to help you learn about new emotions, and scout out Vale for your return during the Vytal Festival. Your hunter programming is secondary to your growth."

"In that, I will respectfully disagree. My emotional learnings have only further convinced me that I made the correct decision tonight; had I ignored my emotions, I would be feeling guilty over my perceived failures as a huntress and a friend." Penny nodded her head reaffirmingly, and the two men glanced to each other.

"... You made a friend?" The younger asked. Penny smiled broadly.

"Yes, I did."

"Is she nice?" The older man asked, his tone easing.

"Yes, very!"

Elsewhere, Jaune watched the line of more injured White Fang being taken by a line of ambulances. He watched for a smaller one, a boy, holding his hand, but sighed as not a single one fit the description. Had he escaped? He couldn't be _dead_ could he?

A hand clapped down onto his shoulder, causing Jaune to jump, and he looked to Nora with a quick, questioning look. "Y'know, in hindsight, all of us worrying about going to jail makes us look _so_ dumb." She grinned, tugging him into a one-armed hug.

"It was a reasonable assumption to make." Ren pointed out as he stepped up to Jaune's other side, somewhat hesitantly resting a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I am more than pleased to be wrong this time, however."

"Hah, yeah, definitely." Jaune hid his worry with a smile, turning to glance over his shoulder as Pyrrha and the white-moustached Duermoor police chief both gave a two-fingered peace sign while smiling from a scroll picture. "... Pyrrha looks like she's having fun."

"She's not." Ren sighed softly, making Jaune glance his way with more confusion.

"Look at her! She's smiling! She gets to do celebrity stuff. Heck, she's half the reason we weren't arrested."

"Look again, numbnuts." Nora pointed to Pyrrha's legs with a frown. "She's closed for business." Jaune stared, mystified at Pyrrha's thighs, which were pressed tightly together. "She's got looser legs when she's happy."

"She also tightened the her corset about her breasts, she tends to show more cleavage when she's relaxed." Ren added thoughtfully, only to get a painful swat to his rump.

"I _knew_ you were looking, you philanderer!" Nora accused, making Ren snort. "I bet you're all over Yang's boobs too!"

"I will not deny it, but I will also be the bigger man and not call you a hypocrite in turn." Ren added with a huffy tone.

"... You kinda just did, though." Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"That's the point." Nora and Ren said as one in the same, dry voice.

" _Hey!"_ A new voice called from behind them, " _Help! We have injured here!"_ The six teens and the police officers turned to watch Weiss and Blake make their way down the loading ramp from the top of the ship. Blake leaned heavily on Weiss, her adrenaline fading, causing the lethargy and pain to return.

JNPR, Sun, and Penny all raced to meet with the two, but were muscled aside by police officers. "We have ambulances in the waiting, we need ID right- oh my god it's Weiss Schnee." One officer interrupted herself in shock and awe.

"What happened in there?! Blake, are you okay?" Jaune asked, instinctively reaching out to touch her face, but retracted the instant her ears flattened. Huh, that was going to be weird to get used to…

"That asshole who started this whole- _this-"_ Blake waved her hand all around, unable to focus on one offense in particular, "got me. Woulda killed me too if it wasn't for Ruby." The moment the name left her lips, she knew the amount of time she had left to keep her secret under wraps had shrunk considerably. Penny passed straight through the gathered group of friends to slap her hands onto Blake's shoulders.

"You have seen her?! She is safe?!" Penny asked, smiling in that far-too happy way that made her seem… special.

"Safe?... Yes." Blake spoke tentatively. Though Penny did not seem to get the hesitant inflection in her tone, the rest easily gave her a wary look.

"Is she okay? You said she saved you, she freed herself?" Sun asked.

"I-... Yes, she did, we-"

"Hold up a second missy." The white-moustached police chief announced himself gruffly, tilting his bald head in confusion as he tugged his belt up. "First thing's first, we were told there is a hostage being held, and the leader of these anima- Fang members is still on that boat."

"Y-yes." Blake responded, her heart beating, how could she say this without throwing suspicion onto Ruby?

"There are Grimm smuggled on the boat." Weiss answered immediately with a flat, even expression. Blake felt her stomach unknot in relief at Weiss's seamless lie. "We are not sure how they came to be released, but Ruby took Blake into the the crew quarters, where we found her unconscious, then left to go after the crime boss."

"Ah." Ren spoke up, dropping a fist into his open palm in realization, "I had heard what sounded like Grimm howling before, but the fight pushed it out of my mind. I suspect Beowolves." He nodded, pleased with his deduction.

" _Yes,_ and our other teammate went in there to go after them both. Weiss brought me here and is going to go back in to provide backup. You don't have to worry, sir, our friends will take care of the Grimm problem and apprehend the man behind all of this." Blake looked up to him, trying to look as confident as possible, but the Chief simply shook his head.

"Now listen here, kitty, the police are on the scene, I cannot possibly justify endangering students, even if they _are_ hunters. So you get sit your tail down on a stretcher and let us handle the rest." The chief turned away before Blake could respond, and none of their friends missed the way both Weiss and Blake went wide-eyed with horror.

"Wait-"

"We got reports of Grimm inside the ship!" The chief shouted to his subordinates, hands on his hips as he looked pleased with himself. "Bring out the anti-Grimm gear, we're taking care of this! We'll designate two teams of four, don't bother calling in hunters. We got the Fang, we can get the Grimm, get that Roman Torchwick, and spring the hostages inside too! I smell promotions and raises _all around!"_ The police officers cheered, the prospect sending many of them into high spirits.

"You don't understand, we- sir!" Weiss called after him. She quickly turned back towards the boat and made a move towards the ramp, but was intercepted by an officer. "I have to go get my teammates!" She stomped indignantly.

"No can do, miss Schnee, you've done enough tonight. Take it easy! I bet the boys and girls would love to hear you sing!" The officer offered jovially, only to get met with a trembling, icy glare.

Sun carefully came up to both girls, trying to smile confidently as they both strode away with frustrated expressions. "He's right, ladies, let's relax. Ruby and Yang'll be brought out no problem, if it's just some Grimm-"

" _It's not the Grimm I'm worried about!"_ Weiss shouted, making the monkey boy pause, his expression falling at the heiress's frustrated expression.

Blake looked to her teammate with a small frown, her eyes lidding in thought. Ruby and Yang were still in there with that gang boss, and Ruby… who knew what she was doing, or what she was even capable of right now? She desperately wanted them both to come out of that ship alive, in one piece, she wanted this situation behind them, she wanted to be back in their bunks after an uneventful Sunday… she couldn't help but feel her stomach pit from the knowledge this was all her fault. Her own pain, her team's pain, _all of this…_

She couldn't lay the blame with the White Fang, she was the one sticking her nose into her old business after leaving it all behind, she couldn't blame Ruby for keeping a secret… Blake grit her teeth, her ears laying flat on her head.

"Over here!" A medic called, waving at Weiss and Blake as he pulled on a pair of gloves. Blake's frustrations and guilt were soon joined by pain as an alcohol swab dabbed at her face, then simple annoyance as a cold compact was tied around her cheeks with a cloth. As if her ruminations could dare get by without humiliation as well. When the medic tried to guide her back to an ambulance, she swatted him away grouchily, glaring until he left.

Blake sighed thickly, and twitched as a hand slid around hers. She glanced to Weiss, who was staring at the concrete blankly, that intelligent mind of hers trying to think, but still held her hand. It was not affectionate, nor romantic, or even friendly. There was a demand for comfort in the way she squeezed Blake's hand, and Blake quietly returned it.

Neither put much thought to it, Schnee and Faunus, hand in hand, trapped in confusion, guilt, and mutual worry over the same pair of people. It could have been touchingly symbolic if either of them acknowledged it, but at the moment, neither of them could find the will to care about their backgrounds and their people. They simply clutched one another and hoped for the best.

"Hey…" Jaune's voice got their attention, making them glance back at him in quiet agitation that he was interrupting them. The boy approached them empty-handed, Crocea Mors sheathed, his frown both curious and afraid. "Look, I know you went through a lot, Blake, I know we said we'd be here for you, but… I gotta ask…"

"You gotta or you just can't resist?" Blake asked tiredly, knowing that the question was bound to come up eventually, but she was still no happier about it. She let out a deep breath, and Weiss looked up to her, both asking themselves the same question: did they be honest? Did they dare reveal anything about Ruby?...

Jaune nervously stroked the back of his neck, trying to wear an easy-going smile, but his twitchiness told another story. "Well, I mean, I can't resist, but can you blame me?" He came closer, and Blake had to resist the impulse to throw him off when a hand squeezed her shoulder… he was a friend, despite her worst feelings right now. "You were kidnapped, then traded for Ruby… what's this all about, Blake? We're worried."

Blake was silent for a couple of seconds, and she closed her eyes. Where was Ruby? Where was Yang? The fight was over, the night was coming to a close, she just needed her last two girls and she would be content. "... After all this. I'll tell you all everything, it's only fair."

"Tell us that you were White Fang?" Penny asked with a tilt of her head. She squeaked as Sun slapped a hand over her mouth, Blake shooting her a _vicious_ glare as JNPR silently stared at Blake, then her ears, then Blake again. "... Was I not supposed to say anything?" Penny asked behind the monkey boy's palm, making him give an aggravated groan. "... I have made a gaffe!" She gasped in horror.

"Was Ruby White Fang too?" Nora asked, looking confused as she poked her temple. "Is that why she wears those goggles?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Weiss snapped, only to earn even _more_ confused looks. "She… ugh, it's too much to go into, can this please wait?!"

"We may not have to for much longer." Ren spoke up, pointing. The eight of them looked up as a red-haired man ran out onto the deck of the ship, running alongside the railings with an arm wrapped up in a white dress jacket. He raised his uncovered arm and waved to crowd below.

" _Hey! Pigs! Up here!"_ He shouted, sounding relieved, not even looking all that offended when every last officer pointed their pistol right at him. Blake let loose a very small, angry growl.

"That's _him…"_ She hissed, managing to look pissed through the swelling of her face. " _He's_ the guy who kidnapped me, _kidnapped Ruby…"_ Her allies reached for their weaponry one by one, Nora letting loose a small, dark chuckle.

"... But where's Ruby and Yang?" Jaune spoke up. Blake's gaze softened. There's no way he could have-

" _Roman Torchwick!"_ The chief shouted, looking viciously amused at his sudden appearance. " _Put your hands in the air and give yourself up or we_ will _shoot!"_

" _I surrender!"_ Roman shouted back down, weakly raising his other arm a few inches above his chest, wincing as blood ran down the skin of his forearm. The officers still had their pistols on him, none making the move. " _Did you idiots not hear me?! I surrender! Somebody get up here and throw my ass into jail! GET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"_ He shouted, his face warping to an annoyed snarl, but then his eyes flicked towards the door he'd rushed out of.

"He's surrendering…?" Weiss whispered, her brow knitting together. He'd managed to tear himself away from Ruby, and Yang if she caught up… and he'd escaped, and was surrendering? He seemed like the sort who wouldn't turn himself in if he won… "... He didn't kill them…" Weiss whispered her thoughts, drawing confused looks from her fellow hunters. "He's surrendering because they're alive…"

"You mean Ruby and Yang? That's good, right?!" Sun asked excitedly, smiling in a cruel way at the surrendering crime boss. If he could get just a minute alone with the guy…

"... … … No…" Blake's ear strained towards the ship. It was subtle, the sound of scraping metal in the distance, straining steel. She and Weiss shared a quick look, a flash of understanding. "... Grimm are coming." Blake stumbled back, a sudden fear gripping her. Not just the Grimm, they could handle just the Grimm…

" _Get ready!"_ Weiss ordered loudly, and Roman stared at her, then the door.

The surrounding police let out a collective gasp as the first of them sprang out the door, an Ursa Minor, still the size of a patrol car and armed to the teeth, charged Roman, yellow eyes flashing as the man ran. Then a Beowolf, then another wolf, a tide of creeps intermixed with wolves, Boarbatusks, and more Ursas thundered out of the the door. Windows shattered as more Grimm, gnashing, howling, roaring their triumphant incursion into the midst of the populated city pushed forced themselves out of every possible exit on the boat.

The night was suddenly filled with gunfire, small calibre bullets cracking bony armor or embedding itself into black flash, drawing pained, or at least annoyed, snapping from the mindless beasts. The bullets paused the horde for only a brief second in their pursuit for Roman, who ran for the bow of the ship, before they turned their heads towards the police.

The fear of a single man was like a beacon to the Grimm, drawing them from their mindless wandering to participate in a ruthless, cold murder, but the fear of an entire crowd… the only comparable thing was the smell of a feast, the subtle nuance of anger, or sorrow, or disgust interwoven with the mass terror.

The police were used to human criminals and small numbers of Grimm, not horde infestations the likes of which they'd only seen on television. Seeing them tear through metal through weight and numbers alone, throwing themselves off the ship's helm, surging forth like a black wave…

Even the student hunters trembled as the hundreds of red and yellow eyes turned to face them. The salivating horde of malice spotted a juicier buffet than a single man could ever provide, and without restraint, threw themselves over the ship's side, pouring onto the concrete in great black clumps, only to burst apart and surge towards the firing police officers.

And that was it. The greatest calamity that could befall a city: panic. The chaos of the White Fang was nothing compared to the horror the Grimm could cause, auraless humans turning tail and fleeing as discipline cracked and collapsed under the sudden terror, the creatures of Grimm chasing them down with jaws outstretched and lashing claws.

Without warning, ice spread across the battlefield, washing over the Grimm in a great wave, trapping their limbs or sending them careening uselessly into each other without traction under their feet. Weiss clutched the heavy orb of ice Dust she'd scavenged from the axe-wielding maniac, and focused once more, the Dust orb all but popping as its power was used to construct a long, glacier-like wall along the deck, corralling the Grimm with the hunters as the police officers fled.

Green blades and laserbeams flashed into the crowding Grimm, tearing them apart and burning them while they still had their attention elsewhere, and Penny all but danced towards the horde, her expression murderously neutral.

Jaune saw what was happening with little comprehension, he could just see a roiling wave of black monsters clawing at ice, howling in a rage… and then his grandfather snapped in his ear: ' _do something,_ girls _are watching!'_ " _Sun!"_ Jaune suddenly bellowed, making the six other hunters blink in surprise. "Take Blake and get her somewhere safe!" He ordered, looking to the wounded catgirl in a panic. "Her aura's gone, you can join the battle afterwards! Everyone else…" Jaune pulled his sword and shield into a ready position, barely understanding where his bravado came from. "Weiss, stay back and keep up the glyphs! Ren, go in and protect Penny! Pyrrha, Nora, you two will be our midrange, grinding them up as they try to get closer to me and Weiss!"

"And I presume your intent is to protect me?" Weiss asked, eyeing Jaune closely, as if he _might_ have grown the slightest minutia of promise since she'd last seen him.

"Yes'm! Everyone get in there, and _give 'em hell!"_ Jaune held Mors up, the sword flashing in the moonlight.

Whether it was his words or the fire in his voice that inspired them, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren each ' _aye'd_ in agreement and split from the group to do as they were told. Sun took Blake by the upper arm, giving her a calm, but confident nod, leaving her feeling painfully weak. The mess just got worse and worse… and she would be of no help. She hid a cry of indignation and anger as she was lead away.

Ren's form turned dull and monochrome, his expression losing anything resembling emotion as he dove into the writhing mass of black limbs, pushing towards Penny in a whirl of blades. His semblance made keeping calm easy, the Grimm were already unsophisticated, idiotic, and with all the combat sense of an angry blender, but they were non-threatening to those they could not sense.

Penny, the odd girl Ren only knew by name, was a different breed of fighter. The way she moved, the way she fought, there was an steel-sharp confidence in everything she did that served to make her undeniably deadly. Her flying blades controlled a large area around her, cleaving through the Grimm before firing a laser into another, but she was _not_ infallible. She had to spin away from the Grimm, moving with the grace of a ballerina, or perhaps an ice-skater, when their sheer numbers pushed through her defenses and threatened to overwhelm her.

She tore her arms out of gnashing teeth and took ahold of grasping claws, the Grimm's relative youth making them significantly easier to keep a handle than if they were older. Grimm youth knew nothing more than how to rush towards a humanoid target and dig their claws and teeth in, strategy was traded away in favor of bum-rush tactics and using their oppressive numbers.

In most cases, the young Grimm were only effective because they worked alongside the older, smarter Grimm, but even without them, the abnormal _size_ of this infestation gave them a significant advantage.

An ursa minor threw its weight onto Penny, trying to buckle her underneath it as Creeps swarmed in to dig their teeth into her legs, but the girl's expression never faltered. Her swords dug into the Ursa, her aura flaring to keep the creeps at bay, but she briefly emoted surprise when the Ursa flew off of her back. Her eyes turned to meet Ren's light gray eyes, and it took a moment of comprehension to realize he must have been using his semblance.

He hit the floor, his color returning, and Storm Flower hosed the attacking creeps with Grimm-slayer rounds, sending them scattering or wilting into black puddles. He twisted to the side, kicking upwards to pop a wheeling Boarbatusk into the air, and he brought it back down with twin, emerald fangs, making it whine pathetically before a simple twist of his wrists ripped it in half.

Green laser beams blasted the ursa into a smoking, burning pile of dying Grimmstuff, and Ren and Penny immediately pressed back to back, the surrounding Grimm pushing inwards, blocking off all escapes, a faceless horde of sharp cruelty and unblinking eyes, barely kept at bay by bullets, lancing plasma, and swirling blades.

Hot pink explosions went off in the distance, the sound of crunching bone and shattering limbs filled the air, and Grimm bodies were thrown high overhead as Nora repeatedly twisted and pivoted in place, an electric current flowing through her limbs to power each mighty hammer blow to send the wave of Grimm back in on itself, the shockwave coming off her swing powerful enough to send Creeps flying away.

While Yang was fury incarnate, her wrath wrought through an inferno of flame and fists, Nora was a storm of mocking laughter, no anger, just _amusement_ as the pathetic creatures continued to push in on her and get blown back with cruel, pulping blows. Lightning lanced off of her as she stepped forward and hammered a Beowolf's head off of its body, a sonic boom sending its remains, and all surrounding Grimm, tumbling back like pieces of paper caught in the wind.

She cackled madly, her whole body alight with electric joy and delight in the violence, at extremes with the pillar of discipline behind her.

Pyrrha's expression was chilly resolve carved in stone. She barely twitched, she hardly blinked as, before her, the Grimm came, she saw their claws and their teeth, and when they drew too close, every measured cut struck a lethal blow. Heads carved from necks, chests torn open, limbs hewed with impunity, Pyrrha lacked the flash and strength of her more Grimm-oriented comrades, but the queen of the ring was a blockade in and of herself. Not a single Grimm slipped past her notice or her blade, and her rifle found its mark whenever the Grimm assault lulled.

Her spear dug into an Ursa and pulled it back, away from Jaune and Weiss with, at most, an annoyed sigh, her hand raising to beckon the stray crates to follow her whims and slide into place around her, forming a wall for Jaune and Weiss to hide behind.

Pyrrha's abilities were honed in the ring, against humanoid targets. Her semblance was powerful, but even at its best it was to supplement her high-grade combat skills. In a world full of metal and steel, the Grimm were all natural, their substance virtually unknown, but definitely not any form of metal. Each one of her attacks was aimed by her arm, but lead by her weapon. Every swing was to compliment Miló's pull, allowing her far stronger blows than normal, and her shield often moved with a flick of her eyes, rather than a shifting of her arm.

Even if Weiss, Yang, Nora, and Penny brought an explosive, destructive presence to the battlefield, Pyrrha's steady slaughter of the oncoming Grimm was jaw-dropping in its own right.

Like landmines, sigils lit up across the battlefield, marking an area for death, before dispensing Dust-powered energy to blow a hole through the horde of Grimm. Explosions of heat and flame, pillars of freezing cold ice, sudden vacuums of inescapable gravity, and bolts of lethal lightning lit up the battlefield as Weiss kept her distance, Myrtenaster flicking like a wand as she scattered and destroyed the Grimm as a living artillery platform.

Her very presence gave off a blend of nature's powerful majesty and fantastical magic, as her rapid casting left her with little time to gird herself against her semblance's effects. Her very being frosted over as a wintry blast froze the Grimm solid, and then turned into suffocating steam as fire washed over another portion of the battlefield. She was panting, ecstatic, but panting, adrenaline allowing her to keep up the nigh-endless strings of sigils and ignore the overtaxing it put on her.

Jaune stood firm in front of Weiss, watching and feeling the surging powers around him with steady breaths. He surveyed the carnage their quick, temporary team was strewing across the dock, almost breathless with amazement. The movies didn't do it justice, hunters were the supermen people lauded them as and _more._ They were _kids,_ they weren't even adults, just _teenagers_ standing their ground against seemingly hundreds of oncoming Grimm, and they were _succeeding…_

… Right?

Jaune stepped forward. His arm was like a gun, his eye the sightline, his upper arm the hammer, his forearm the bullet, his mind the trigger. The Beowolf, young as it was, was still a head taller than him, its body shaped like it had muscle underneath its black flesh, its teeth and claws no less dangerous than an adult's. Against a target without an aura, it was death itself, animalistic fury combined with a disturbed, anti-sentient righteousness, it could have easily slaughtered its way through a group of unarmored men before being put down…

And it fell into two halves before Jaune, letting loose an almost saddened howl as Crocea Mors cut straight through it. He bit back a laugh, aura was _something else._ The strength, the defense, the ability to stand against these monsters and _succeed_ after spending his entire life worrying about them, it was _easy…_ Easy. Too easy.

Part of him liked that. Another part couldn't stop picturing that Faunus boy, couldn't stop thinking about the fingers he'd taken… he hadn't meant to, but it had been _easy._ Jaune grit his teeth, a backhanded shield strike stopping a Boarbatusk mid-roll, sending it back so he could close in and quickly dispatch both it and a Creep. Pyrrha was doing great keeping them safe, Jaune could easily work with these small batches, but he knew he couldn't join them out there.

He wasn't that talented, not yet. He had a _long_ way to go, and this was a fine start, but _just_ a start. He was stronger than he'd ever been, but in terms of being a hunter, he was still bottom rung. But even a bottom rung hunter was leagues above a top rung civilian, or a boy… Jaune shook his head. He couldn't do anything about it now, but he grit his teeth. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He _couldn't._ He was supposed to protect people, like Ruby said, and right now, he had to focus on Weiss's safety.

As soon as Blake was safely high up on some cargo crates, given a view of the battle below, Sun threw himself into the action with a happy, self-assured yell. Life was about the good fight and the better thrill, of feeling adrenaline in one's veins and using it to keep the world at large safe. Maybe Sun was more obsessed with the adrenaline part, but he could easily keep people safe while he was having a good time!

The twin Bangs formed into Ruyijingu to send the Grimm scattering as they tried to surround him, shotgun blasts giving him extra momentum and firepower as he rapidly spun his weapon around him. The Grimm hardly had a chance to get close, and the moment they did, they found the boy was no less dangerous in close range, his fists and his feet packing indelicate strength and breaking the Grimm's limbs with ease.

Sun spent his life in Vacuo, he'd handled street toughs, martial artists, gladiators, and hunters with his bare hands, he _thrilled_ in the hand-to-hand challenge, supplementing the speed and power of Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang by giving him a short-range option when getting his nunchucks took just a little too long. The Grimm got even less mercy then the bastards trying to steal his milk money, _nothing_ deserved it less, and he was more than pleased to share that sentiment with the surrounding beasts.

He happily threw himself wherever he needed to be, helping Jaune keep Weiss safe, sliding around Nora to keep the Grimm off her back, joining Ren and Penny in keeping the largest mass locked down…

But none of them saw what Blake saw.

They were _slaughtering_ the Grimm. It wasn't even a contest, the Hunters, in their large numbers and with a strategy to maintain their effectiveness, were wiping the young Grimm out with little worry… so why weren't they winning?

The cat girl could only watch with sweat on her brow as, for every Grimm that was killed, another two seemed to take its place. Each Grimm that was killed didn't disperse into a cloud of Grimm ash, rather they shrank to the earth, raced back to the boat, and more and _more_ seemed to spill out of the hull. It was… useless. Blake had _heard_ of the epic Grimm hordes of old, she'd seen pictures, she'd seen movies, but this…

This seemed well and truly fruitless. Just when she'd thought there was a lull in the growing tide of monsters filling the dock, a fresh wave of darkness crawled out the doors, pushed through the windows, poured onto the hunters below…

This… wasn't natural. How many Grimm could fit onto one boat? How could they sit still and quiet while a battle had been happening so close to them? Of course she knew the answer, as much as she tried to deny it, as much as she tried to think: ' _This isn't her fault.'_

How was it possible for her to produce so many Grimm? How was it possible for her to replace them _this fast?_ Ruby… her little leader, was she truly… _this?_ Truly a _monster?_ Blake had assumed that the display she'd seen on the boat was the height of her power, but this was a completely different level. Even if she could only summon young Grimm, if they were as truly endless as they appeared, they would overwhelm the tiring hunters in time.

Blake found herself breathing loudly, a panic overtaking her, but she had to calm herself. If they saw her… she had to escape. If they saw her, she'd be killed, she had no aura, she was _defenseless,_ she had to _get out,_ get to the police or… or leave entirely. Wait for it to blow over and… and wait for the reports of her friends' deaths.

Ice fingers held Blake's heart as she watched quietly. She had seen Grimm attacks before, repelled more than a few herself, but this was completely different. Where they came from, why they were here, the sheer _number_ of them… even as her friends gave their most impressive displays, it was only a matter of time. The Grimm could easily win through attrition, and the great number of them here…

Her eyes flicked towards the deck of the ship. _That man_ hung onto the bow, watching, untouched by the Grimm, who were busy going after her friends below. He sat there, resting, making Blake's teeth grit as he somehow avoided the retribution he so _richly_ deserved…

Something else caught her eye. A little gasp caught in her throat as she watched the young lady walk out onto the bow, her face a mask of peaceful rage, sharpened in anger, but not gnashing or writhing in a need to harm. The steel below her feet disappeared as the grimm pool that followed her moved with her every step, vomiting out Grimm almost endlessly. Dozens upon dozens at a time, the red-eyed monsters all but leaping for freedom from whatever realm they spawns from. The slayed Grimm were seemingly sucked right back into the pool, and Blake glanced to her friends down below…

They didn't know. _They didn't know!_ If they knew, what would they- what _could_ they-... Blake needed to do something, but _what?!_ She was useless right now! She had no aura, could she shout, could she _scream?!_ She couldn't push through the horde by herself…

 _Ruby…_ the girl was striding across the deck, seemingly unaware of what she was doing or what was happening around her, she marched towards Roman as the crime boss scrambled to a standing position, his eyes turned away from hers. She… she was going to kill him. That look on her face, it was not the sweet look Blake had grown used to, it was cold, ugly, craving revenge… Adam's face.

And then… than _Yang…_ Blake reached out feebly as she saw her partner race out of the boat's hold, leaping over the emerging Grimm, crawling on top of them as she went for her little sister. The Grimm either ignored her or took a swipe, but despite the blood on her wrist and face, she seemed to still be going strong.

" _Ruby!"_ Yang cried out, leaping from the top of an ursa to land on her little sister, closing her arms around the advancing girl's torso. Ruby froze, her entire body tensed up like a spring, and a low, inhuman snarl escaped her. "Ruby, _stop, please!_ This isn't like you! This _isn't you!"_ Yang rasped, her entire body bogged down with fatigue, but Ruby didn't respond. She moved forward, regardless of the weight on her, her hand closing around a black scythe pole as her eyes locked onto the cowering man at the bow. "Ruby…" Yang whimpered, only to get shrugged off.

Yang fell with a gasp into the dark puddle trailing her sister, splashing in the black, viscous liquid as it grasped at her limbs, needles and fangs burrowing into her aura to try and puncture her flesh, but Yang threw herself out with a howl, almost tackling Ruby to the floor.

The sudden action halted Ruby for just a moment, causing the wild dispersal of Grimm to pause, letting the hunters below quickly dispense of a good portion of them before working on the rest. Yang held Ruby tightly, squeezing her sister's wrist, trying to hang on as the shadows sprang up around her, grasping at her body to pull her away. "This isn't _you…_ you don't _want to kill._ Not even _him._ Let the police take him! Anyone but _you…"_

"He. Needs. To die." Ruby spoke in a simmering voice, while Yang gasped and pleaded when the Grimm claws threatened to pull them apart.

" _You can't!"_ Yang shouted, her grip redoubling as she tried to keep her sister from making the wrong choice. "If you do, you'll be a _killer,_ you want to _protect_ people, remember that?! Even _him,_ I want to murder his ass too, but let's just send him to jail! Okay?!" Yang offered, panting heavily as Ruby stood still, then growled. "Let's go back to Beacon…" Yang pleaded tearfully, pulling her sister against her chest. "Let's go be with our team, be with our family, no more of… _this…"_

"... I'll kill him." Was Ruby's only answer, her eyes unmoving from the man.

Yang sniffled loudly, nodding in resignation… and pulled her fist back, her presence exploding with heat as she sucked up the entire day's worth of damage, and _roared_ as her fist went for Ruby's head. She missed. She buckled forward, hitting empty air with the armor-crushing punch, Ruby squatting beneath in in an easy dodge. Ruby looked up, Yang gasped in terror, and the Grimm beneath them both surged.

The blonde's scream filled the air as she was thrown from the ship, the screech of a Nevermore combining with her crying as it bit down on her, carrying her over the deck in its beak. The massive corvid flew towards empty skies with its prey, only for a sudden explosion to rock its body and send it careening for the ground. A black sigil caught it in mid-air, ensuring it was thrown behind the wall of ice.

Yang gasped as the world around her rushed by, only for it to come to a stop, once again suspended in a pair of strong arms. "Hey, doin' alright?!" Sun asked in an utterly thrilled voice, holding Yang to his chest as they sprinted towards Weiss and Jaune.

"Ruby!" Yang gasped, her hand outstretched. She barely looked at the boy holding her, she could only see the outline of her sister disappearing in the darkness on the deck of the ship. "Take me back! I need to get my sister!" Yang beat on Sun's chest, and was dropped behind Jaune for it. Weiss raced to Yang's side, and the blonde girl stood with a groan, her body aching as she looked to the ship. "Ruby!..." She wheezed once more, leaning on the Schnee heiress.

Jaune looked back at the two of them, quickly returning his attention to the fight to keep an Ursa at bay just enough for Sun to throw the beast onto its back and deliver two rounds straight to its face. "Sun!" Jaune shouted, "Go get Ruby, I'll keep them safe! If she's on the ship, she won't last long by herself!"

"Got it!" Sun sprinted towards the boat, running across the backs of the swarming Grimm.

Yang tried to shout after him, her teeth grit as she realized what was coming. " _Don't!_ You don't understand! _Sun!"_

"Yang, it'll be okay! We'll get your sister out of there!" Jaune tried to smile reassuringly, but but his face fell when he saw both Weiss and Yang's expression.

"You don't understand, it's not _at all_ what you think!" Weiss pointed Myrtenaster at Sun's back, desperately trying to think of _something_ that could make him stop, but she didn't have the will to test her luck in hitting him while surrounded by so many Grimm. "Ruby is- we have to work as a team because-"

Sun's feet hit the deck of the ship, his staff swirling around him, knocking Grimm back as he raced towards the flicker of red amidst the sea of black. "Ruby!" Sun called, battering the Grimm swarming around him aside, his teeth grit as he raced towards her. How was she so calm?! She was _walking_ away from the danger, the Grimm more concerned with Sun than her…

Sun had a bad feeling as he pushed aside the Grimm in front of him and threw himself towards Ruby.

" _Ruby!"_ Sun shouted louder as he came in close. It was… an odd feeling, the closer he got, the darker it seemed to get, he could barely hear his own footsteps, but he couldn't give up now. He barely knew the girl, but she seemed like somebody who was good to know, if not just because she was close to Blake, and Sun very much wanted to be in that cat's good graces.

Grimm hit the deck, dying from the skull-cracking staff strikes, and Sun had a clear path to the young huntress. He just had to reach out and grab her, to drag her back to the dock, to _survive_ this night, and they'd be clear, mission successful!

" _RUBY!"_ He shouted one more time, trying to grab the girl's attention before he grabbed ahold of her hand. She seemed to be heading for that crime boss guy, but Sun didn't care. He ran forward, but skidded to a halt, only because she had. She stood still, the Grimm around them… watching?

Out of nowhere, a Beowolf seemed to pop up from the floor, roar in his face, and wrap it's claws around his head to squeeze, but a blast from the end of Ruyijingu tore its head apart and it hit the floor, leaving Sun panting as he stared at the shadowed deck… why… why was it so dark? Why were they waiting? Why was Ruby just standing there? Why were _Grimm_ coming out of the goddamned floor around her?!

He didn't have time for this shit! " _Ruby!_ I gotcha babe, c'mon, let's-" Sun ran across the heads of the emerging Grimm, feeling teeth at his calves as he tried to grab her, but then she turned to look at him. Their eyes met. She wasn't wearing her goggles, and Sun felt his entire body violently itch, reeling in disgust and horror as he stared at something he didn't fully understand. " _Ah!"_ He shouted as he lost balance, falling towards the open maw of an Ursa, but a hand around the back of his neck kept him up.

He yelped as he was flung clear of the horde, hitting the plain deck of the ship and rolling towards Roman, groaning in shock as he pushed himself up quickly to stare at the girl slowly approaching.

That… _that_ was Ruby. He recognized the way she looked, they'd met hardly a day ago, he knew that was her but… but those eyes. _Those_ weren't human. Those weren't normal. Those veins were grotesque, she had the appearance of some big screen monstrosity, but _far_ too well done. She looked _sick,_ she looked _vile,_ she looked _evil…_

And the Grimm dragging themselves up from around her feet made his brain squeal to a halt. Was she _summoning Grimm?..._ This was _her_ fault? Sun tried to work it out in his head, but tried to not stare at her, her eyes left him feeling vulnerable, she had the air of a super predator, something greater than the hunters or the Grimm, something far _far_ more dangerous.

He felt small, he felt weak just looking at her and being around her. It was a feeling he didn't like, a feeling he couldn't understand… he worked all his life to not feel this weak, so he grit his teeth, he lifted his head, and he stared above Ruby's head as he held the end of his staff to her throat, making her stop her advance.

"Ruby, tell me what the hell is going on!" He ordered, his skin crawling, his fingers tight around Ruyijingu, his finger on the trigger, despite the warring impulses telling him to not shoot and to just put a bullet in her, he kept himself calm, calm as he could be, he had to _think._ Their objective was to _save Ruby,_ but everything about the situation pointed to _her._

"I'm going to kill that man." Ruby's tight voice was filled with lethality, a promise of death, neither quick nor painless, and Sun grit his teeth as he kept his eyes off of her.

"You _can't,_ he surrendered to the police!" A hand closed around the far end of Ruyijingu, and Sun instinctively tugged, but the staff did not budge in her hand. It was like trying to pull a twig buried in concrete: the harder he pulled, the more fruitless it seemed. "Ruby… I don't know what's going on, _what the hell are you?!"_ He demanded.

"I-" She faltered, not moving from where she stood. Sun quietly glanced out of the corner of his eyes, watching her face as best as he could manage. The stone-cold fury faltered, her lips quivering, her nose wrinkling. "I-I don't know…" She whispered, looking down at herself, at the pool beneath her feet.

Sun pulled Ruyijingu from her hand, leaving her grasping in surprise at empty air, and he spoke aloud. "Then _stop._ Your team is here for you, everyone is here for you!" He pleaded, unable to believe he was in this position. "Your sister, Jaune, _his_ team, that weird Penny chick, _Blake…"_

"Blake…?" Ruby whispered the familiar name, her heart swelling with emotions. The girl she was trying to find, to save, to bring back home… the girl who ran because of her, the girl who got hurt because of her… "Blake…" She looked up, and her eyes locked onto Roman. The man who hurt them both… Her quivering lips peeled back into a cruel snarl, and her heart hammered, the howling in the back of her mind going _wild_ with the promise of his death. Her mind went blank, consumed by a dogged fury, and she let loose an echoing war cry.

She lurched forward, hands extended towards Roman's neck, and the end of a staff cracked against her face. Her aura pulsated as she hit the floor, falling into the ink formed at her feet, disappearing into the darkness with a miniscule splash. Sun stood stock still. What the _fuck_ did he just do? He was trying to stop her, whatever state of mind she was in, she'd barely been in control, _now_ where was she?!

… What did he just do to _himself?_ Sun backed up a step, looking over the side of the boat. The docks were clearing, Ruby's uncontrolled summoning had stifled just enough to let the teams of hunters clear out a large number of them, though they were still surrounded. He could make it to the dock and get the hell out, all of this _bedamned…_

The Grimm still on the ship's deck stared, unmoving, glaring, frozen in place with Ruby's disappearance. That was… _good,_ right?

Sun looked left, then right… he could grab the criminal dude and leave now. He could-

Something whisked by his throat. In the moment, he'd barely felt it, his aura didn't know how to respond to the odd sensation. He turned his eyes to see Ruby's hateful glare passing by, a big, black, lightless scythe in her hands. Everything went numb, his senses went dull, the world around him felt strangely monochrome and bleak.

His aura popped around him, and he felt… distant. Cloistered. Nothing would move, even as he tried. He was in a panic. He could feel the cool air, see the night sky, hear the battle around him, but he couldn't move. The panic was the worst part, because his heart pounded, but he couldn't even try to raise his aura. It felt like something was missing in his chest… like a fire had gone out, he couldn't feel the warmth.

Wow. The little bitch had faded him in one stroke. He hadn't even realized it. This… this sucked. This sucked. He couldn't move. She was leaning over him, staring into his eyes, and he could barely gurgle as fear flooded him. He couldn't move, his body was turning icy cold, his mind was screaming and throttling, his heart hammering in his breast. He was dead. _So_ dead. Beyond dead.

She'd tear him apart right here, he couldn't even fight it, he couldn't even look away, he could only stare into those eyes that promised his demise, and breath more and more frantically. All around the two of them, the Grimm were beginning to pant and snarl in delight, looming ever closer, surrounding them both, enclosing him in the darkness with their red eyes dominating his vision.

He… couldn't… he couldn't die here… no, no this wasn't how it was supposed to end! He'd just gotten to Beacon, _damnit!_ Why like this?! Had _everything he'd done been for nothing?!_ Did it really not _matter?!_ Just one little swing across his neck and _he was going to die?!_ This wasn't _fair._ He was a hunter, damnit! He was meant for greater things than this! He wasn't _supposed to die!_

Yet, all he could do was grind his teeth, tear up, and feel his lungs burn as he couldn't keep his breath. He was dead. He couldn't escape that. Not now. Not ever. No matter how much he fought to move his fingers… why was she taking so long?! She could have at least made it _quick!_ That was what made him the most afraid, that it'd be drawn out.

Why were they just _staring?!..._

Ruby, quietly staring down at him, eyes locked onto his, seeing his pupils dilate, the sweat form across his numb body, feeling the storm of negativity in the back of his mind… the boy was a feast. Anger, fear, sorrow, disgust, he was everything the Grimm craved, and the beasts in the back of her mind shrieked in delight, knowing they had the boy _cornered._ He was _theirs_ to kill, _hers_ to kill! It all _powered her,_ every bad thought and ragged breath from his lips made her heart beat anew, gave her _power…_ it was glorious, it was _magnificent,_ she'd never felt so _strong…_

Quietly, she stood, taking her eyes off of him. The voices and impulses telling her to _kill him_ while he was vulnerable wailed and gnashed in anger that she left him alive… but Ruby ignored them. She had a much better person to kill. The Grimm around her howled, moving in to finish the job themselves, but her scythe flashed around her by, tearing them to shreds in just a handful of easy strokes, limbs and heads flying, dying screeches filling the air as she ended their existence as easily as she'd granted it.

She stared down a second longer at Sun. A hate filled her, then a nostalgia, then a _command._ She left him alone, she _knew_ it was for the better. She had to focus on the things that _needed_ her attention.

The tip of her scythe scraped along the deck of the ship, the miniscule screech of tearing metal filling the dockyard as Ruby panted in anticipation of the coming kill. The man lay there, shaking, watching her with utter fright, and Ruby felt herself grin. This man, who had caused her so much pain… he deserved this… he _needed_ this… _the world_ needed this… how… _delightful_ a feeling to be _**doing good…**_

She raised her scythe, and a second later, peeled herself out of the bent metal handrail surrounding the deck, lifting her eyes to meet Nora and Ren, both watching her with expressions of confusion and terror.

 _ **More…**_

"Ruby…?" Nora piped up, her eyes briefly locking onto Ruby's before she had to turn away, both she and Ren going pale as they tried to understand what they'd just seen… it wasn't just her eyes, her veins were now a sickly black, all across her body, the tips of her fingers nearly blackened by the influx of Grimm.

"Ruby…" Ren spoke up, barely able to keep a straight face as a chilling quiver ran through his his jaw, shaking his voice, "We need him alive, Ruby." He turned to stare at her, but the moment their eyes met, he felt… isolated, small, weak, and helpless, unable to do anything more than stare in horror as the little huntress stood, the black scythe in her hand twitching in a threatening way.

There was moisture on her cheeks… he only barely noticed before he turned away.

" _I need him dead!"_ Ruby countered, her voice dropping an octave, but still carrying that bratty tone she got when she was being stubborn. " _You won't get IN MY WAY!"_ She flew towards the couple, the power behind her kick-off strong enough to warp the deck of the ship, and the pair had to dive apart to avoid the singing blade of her scythe, the eerie keen leaving a harsh ringing in their ears. " _Why won't any of you let me kill him?! He deserves it_ he deserves it _HE DESERVES IT!"_ She roared, chasing after Ren as her shadow spat out an Ursa, one was far larger, _far_ more heavily armored than a minor. She threw all of her hate into it, and the towering bear's roar shook the ship.

Ren recovered, whirling in place to throw his hands out, expanding a barrier in front of him to catch Ruby's overhead blow. The scythe crashed into his aura, purple sparks igniting between the two of them, and Ren felt such an incomprehensible _weight_ behind the weapon that he was forced to one knee as Ruby's glare tore into his eyes.

He sucked into a deep breath, and Ruby's face slackened with surprise as he simply disappeared. Where in- she hit the deck, looking around swiftly. Roman was still watching, his expression somewhere between thrilled and shocked, Nora was backing away as the Ursa Major bore down on her, snapping, snarling, trying to corner her.

Ren was…?

Piercing _pain_ erupted across her back as a pair of emerald fangs slammed into her from behind. An attack from the rear should have been more than enough to take down a hunter, as their focus was often on their front, but just as with Ruby's overwhelming strike, the strength of the aura was so powerful that Ren felt like he was striking solid rock.

She was not thrown aside, she only barely trembled from the strike, but she turned with a devastating swing that only caught air. Ren, kneeling beneath it, watched the air ripple before his very eyes, the scythe's dirge sending a fearsome tremble down his spine. He leapt away, and in an instant Ruby was on him, swinging rapidly, so hard that the blade cleanly slashed through the hull of the ship, but he twirled away as he felt a presence behind him.

The Ursa Major unceremoniously rocketed towards Ruby, roaring in pain from the vicious hammer blow that had sent it flying, but its bawling was ended by a confused squeak as Ruby's hand snagged it by the throat out of the air. She grit her teeth, an inarticulate scream bursting from her lungs as she slammed the beast to the deck of the ship.

"Holy shit, what…?" Was all Nora could say as she ran to Ren's side. Ruby was swinging her scythe wildly, tearing the 'poor' Ursa apart in her rage, and the pair took an unsteady step back as Ruby turned her eyes on them. "R-Ruby… Ruby, what are you _doing?!"_ Nora demanded, wondering if she'd regret getting the enraged girl's attention.

" _I…!"_ Ruby's breathing was unhealthy and unsteady, she was hunched over like an animal as a patch black pool sucked up the remains of the Ursa, " _I don't know!_ I just need to _**kill him!**_ I can't…" She gasped, as if her lungs had been empty of air, "I _can't-"_

"We can help you, Ruby!" Ren called out, the couple slowly inching towards her, hands raised as if she might take them, and allow herself to be lead away. "We're your friends, we'll do whatever it takes to help you, but you can't kill him, we need-"

Her screaming interrupted him, and Ren, looking away to avoid the girl's eyes, felt the next blow before he even heard it. Pain erupted across his stomach, and he lurched forward, barely able to keep himself from falling flat on her face, but it wasn't enough to keep him off his knees. Nausea, the pain of a blade passing through his stomach, Nora scrambled off her belly from where she'd thrown herself to tackle Ruby away from him as Ren sucked in deep breaths, trying to keep his aura stable.

" _You bitch! Don't you touch Ren!"_ Nora shouted, her brute strength allowing her to wrestle with Ruby over her scythe until a furious glare, followed by brutal knee strike, sent Nora sliding across the ship's deck, squeezing her stomach. It felt like she'd gotten hit by a _cannon,_ what sort of wheaties were Ruby eating in the morning?!

Ruby threw herself at Nora with a heart-rending roar, so lost in her own rage that she could do nothing but mindlessly pursue, but strong as she was, she was still able to be outsmarted. It was a move Ren had done to Nora _loads_ of times when they'd sparred, it was infuriatingly simple and easy to fall into if you weren't thinking, and that's _exactly_ what Nora expected from Ruby right now. The scythe fell towards her like a lethal pendulum, and Nora dropped her hammer.

She stepped in, grabbed ahold of the scythe's shaft before its full weight could hurt her hands, stepped back as the girl's momentum still hurtled her forward, pivoted in place, and flung Ruby, with Ruby's unknowing help, off the boat. The little Grimm girl wailed in shock as she was flung down to the pavement, away from Roman.

She stood, pulled her scythe from the ground before it could melt away, and let loose a reverberating, unholy _howl,_ the world around her seeming to shrink and fade in its own terror from her rage, and she twisted in place to find Jaune, Pyrrha, and Penny staring her down.

"R-Ruby…" Jaune spoke in a calming voice, lowering his shield as his eyes flicked from Ruby's eyes to her feet. What the hell was he even facing? "Ruby… let's calm down, okay? Let's calm down, so we can go home. Your sister would-"

She crashed into him like a freight train, her shoulder packing more power than Pyrrha's car did, and Jaune found himself airborne before he hit the ground with a painful _crack._

Ruby turned, then immediately found herself tossed back. The pain _didn't hurt,_ not as badly as she'd make _them hurt!_ Her weapon arced towards Pyrrha's neck with all of the tact and skill of an amateur axe-wielder, and the gladiator had none of it. She weaved beneath the blow, and Miló slashed at Ruby wordlessly, two quick strikes that the Grimm girl had no chance of parrying.

"Ruby, you must be calm." Pyrrha spoke in a monotone, an unbroken statue of discipline as simplistic dodges allowed her to close in and keep slicing, Ruby's overly powerful, but ultimately amateurish, flailing doing nothing more than making her an easy opponent. "Penny, bind her!" Pyrrha ordered quickly, her shield smacking Ruby on the nose, leaving the girl reeling. Ruby lunged, hands around Akoúo̱'s edges. "Penny!" Pyrrha called out louder.

The red-haired huntress did a simple pull, something that should have loosened her shield from Ruby's grip, but she would have had better luck trying to pull it from a mountainside. Ruby's grip was so strong, it actually made Pyrrha's aura spring up desperately to keep the girl from bending Akoúo̱. Pyrrha's foot thrust into Ruby's face, but Ruby moved faster than she expected, quickly dodging and burying her teeth into Pyrrha's ankle to try and hold her still, but the autumn red aura made that attempt futile.

Either way, the bite _hurt,_ and Pyrrha couldn't help but feel shocked at how badly it made her ankle ache as she pulled it back into position. " _Penny!"_ Pyrrha shouted more desperately.

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Summons Grimm]_

 _-System Message: "93 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour";_

 _-Attributes: [_ _ **Summons**_ _**Grimm**_ _, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_ _ **{PRIORITY STATUS SET TO**_ _ **TERMINATE ON SIGHT**_ _ **}**_

 _-Reset Definition: "Rose, Ruby": [Rollback to 1 HR ago]_

Penny stood, frozen in place, her swords hovering ominously, but uselessly, around her as Pyrrha kickflipped away from Ruby, striking her chin with the tip of her foot to knock Ruby back a step. She was a _rock,_ and Pyrrha's foot hurt as she steadied herself. Jaune ran to her side, looking haggard and afraid, but as one, they ran in with a war cry, forcing Ruby to dodge around their crossing strike and deliver a numbing punch to Pyrrha's hip, causing Jaune to step around her and bash Ruby's chest with Mors' shield.

" _Ruby! Snap out of it! It's me, Jaune!"_ The blonde cried out fearfully, trying to avoid looking into the girl's eyes as his sword went for her. Ruby's only response was a shrieking cry, and the haft of her Grimm scythe struck his stomach, sending him stumbling back from pain. "W-we're friends!" He wheezed, holding his stomach. "Remember?! I threw up on your shoes and cleaned them off! You gave me your lucky pencil for the test! We've trained together, we've eaten together, damnit! _Don't you remember?!"_

Ruby glared at him, and all at once a flow of tears ran down her cheeks, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop _glaring._ "Y-yes…" Ruby spoke through her teeth, bringing her scythe up to bare as he and Pyrrha both stepped into a simultaneous defensive position. " _I-I can't…_ I have to _**kill him,**_ I-I'm _angry… and scared…"_

"We can help you, Ruby! You just have to trust us!" Jaune stepped forward, despite Pyrrha's warning glance, his hand outstretched towards the girl. "C'mere… c'mere, I'm just gonna hug you, I'm just gonna-"

She screamed in pure rage, making his body shake as she suddenly whirled towards him. He didn't get through… what the hell was going on in her head?! Jaune gasped as she closed in, the massive black scythe angled to cut through his groin, but he found his shield suddenly pulled by some invisible force out of the way, launching him to the floor as Pyrrha closed in.

" _PENNY! NOW, PLEASE!"_ Pyrrha shouted.

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Summons Grimm];_

 _-System Message: "205 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour";_

 _-Attributes: [_ _ **Summons Grimm**_ _, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_ _ **{PRIORITY STATUS SET TO**_ _ **TERMI**_

 _-System Message: [CRITICAL ERROR]_ _ **;**_

 _-[TASK INTERRUPTED: emotional duress detected; suggested course of action: suspend emotional drive for logical processing.];_

 _/ Ruby is my friend; I will not kill her. :(_

Ruby fought like somebody who had just picked up a weapon for the first time. There was no skill, no _attempt_ at tactics, she closed in and swung wildly. Her hunter training was non-existent, she had _brute strength_ going for her, and Pyrrha noted that she had a _lot_ of it. It was easy staying on the offense, but Ruby never fell back on the defense. Pyrrha had to work to dodge the lightning-fast strikes, close in, and get a few quick slices of her own, but Ruby just kept swinging harder and faster, screaming louder and angrier, never giving Pyrrha the chance the opportunity to go in for a more powerful blow.

A new roar took both of their attentions, and Ruby leaned forward, her veins bulging across her body, visible even through her black tights. She roared as she took a hammer blow to the head. The concrete beneath her feet cracked, the thunderous sound made Pyrrha's teeth rattle, and Nora could only stare in surprise as Ruby _tanked_ Magnhild with her Aura-clad skull, screamed _louder,_ and used her scythe like a vaudeville hook to slam the hammer maiden to the ground.

Nora yelped as Magnhild dragged her away from Ruby's next overhead blow, and Pyrrha panted as she moved in to continue the fight. It was a matter of attrition. Whatever state of mind Ruby was in, she wasn't smart enough to utilize her scythe as anything more than an axe. She could outlast her.

The tip of Miló's spear forced Ruby back a step, and Pyrrha rushed in to try and capitalize on Ruby's losing ground. Her sword slashed half a dozen times, making Ruby whimper and wail, and Pyrrha knew the battle couldn't last much longer. She parried a sloppy strike with her shield, and slammed Ruby back once more, away from the rest of her team.

She couldn't let Ruby close in, with Penny standing, staring dully at the fight, Pyrrha was their best line of defense. Ruby had the strength to kill her friends, even if she couldn't call up the talent.

Another cry, and Pyrrha silently prayed _this one_ wouldn't end up on the floor, and Yang surged past her, her hair shining like molten gold as she slugged Ruby across the face. " _Ruby! You stop this RIGHT NOW!"_ Yang shouted at the top of her lungs, her fists like furious pistons as she hammered Ruby over and over again, stone-crushing blows sending Ruby reeling and shrieking backwards. Yang was… not well, Pyrrha could tell that much. She and Ruby were both howling and crying, almost the exact same in terms of temperament. Pyrrha flew forward and blocked a sloppy scythe swing with her shield, deflecting most of the power to her side to rain in blows of her own. " _You've never beaten me! You never WILL! Quit freaking out, damnit!"_

Pyrrha didn't know if Yang was talking to Ruby or herself. As Ruby tried to pull herself back up to stand, she was floored by a pair of emerald fangs digging into her back's aura, letting loose a pitiful cry as Ren stood up, strong, his lip and eyes quivering, but finally a part of the fray once more.

Ruby moved to stand, but a black glyph appeared beneath her, and she shouted in pain as she was sucked to the floor. Weiss stepped forward, sweating as she focused Myrtenaster's tip on the spot Ruby lay, keeping the glyph going, breaking the cement as Ruby's aura refused to sputter and disappear. Ruby's howling reached a new level, and Jaune and Nora both moved into position with their allies.

"We have her?!" Jaune wheezed, watching Ruby tremble and try to fight her place on the floor.

"F-for a little longer, we need to act d-decisively b-before I have to l-let go!" Weiss spoke through grit teeth, and Nora gave a nod.

"With that glyph, I can probably hit her pretty hard." Nora grit her teeth, her levity gone, and a quick punch sent her reeling back as Yang snarled.

"That is my _sister!"_ Yang's fists were so tight, an abnormal crack came from her knuckles.

"Ow! Crap, I was just going to break her aura, _not her!"_ Nora snapped, and Jaune shook his head.

"Yang, we _need_ to get through her aura before we can do anything else! If we knock her out, we might be able to get her to help, but as she is right now-"

"If anything, I can keep this up." Pyrrha nodded, looking to her friends. "We should summon help. Ruby doesn't have the right mind to fight us. She is using none of her skill, but I don't know how much aura she has left."

"Somebody needs to get Penny back in the game, and Sun off of the ship." Ren added.

"I-" Jaune worked his jaw slowly, "I'll do it. I won't be much help against her. Just give me the opening I need-"

" _Now."_ Weiss ordered tersely, her body trembling from the strain of keeping Ruby in check. Jaune said no more, racing to shake Penny as the black glyph dissipated.

The four hunters stood in a row, waiting for Ruby to rush them so they could separate, surround, and attack, but Ruby stood, slowly, only emitting a small, seething growl. "I'll show you _skill…"_ She snapped, her arms quivering as her black veins bloated in an unnatural way.

"Think she heard us?" Yang grumbled. Ruby lifted her black scythe, and it began to spin around her. Quickly, violently, a twirling black death that sang its dreadful song to all before her, the wind whipped up from the powerful spinning sending chills across the hunters' bodies.

It was a bluff, it _had to be._ Ruby was too infuriated to focus, right? Yang and Nora flew towards her first, their eyes on the spinning blade, simultaneous roars escaping them both.

Yang slid to the left, Nora to the right, the both of them closing in in a pincer to take her down. Both missed the Grimm pool as it sprung up beneath Ruby. Limbs, half-formed mouths, and squealing rage escaped the pool, the two huntresses suddenly found themselves caught and surround by grasping claws.

Yang quickly flailed, blasting apart the beasts trying to hold her, but Nora found herself carried away as an Alpha Beowolf, easily twice her height and four times her weight, that slammed her to the floor and loomed over her, slobbering like a rabid dog as its jaws spread, and it lunged for her head.

Green sickles stabbed underneath its jaw, and Ren hauled the monstrosity off of his woman and threw it aside, glaring with all of his anger at the creature threatening his lover. "Nora, are you okay?!" He demanded, more than asked.

"F-fine!" Nora squeaked.

It was just a second too late. She had appeared behind Ren as suddenly as a bolt of lightning, the spinning scythe wheeling towards his back, and Nora reached out, trying to gasp a warning, but Ruby struck.

Ren's emerald aura flickered and disappeared, the boy's expression one of shock and wonder before he hit the ground, struggling to breath as his body reeled from the devastating blow.

" _REN!"_ Nora screamed, throwing herself to her feet to force Ruby back with an enraged bodycheck. She could still feel the lightning in her veins, she could feel the _power_ of her anger guiding her, and Ruby was _right there._ Nora swung, hard as she could at the girl's head, but Ruby's strike was faster. Magnhild got caught on the black scythe's blade, which continued its arc, undeterred, towards Nora's chest.

The redhead was thrown clear across the dockyard, hitting the pavement as her pink aura sputtered, trying to keep together, but ultimately fading out as Nora lay still.

"N-Nora…" Pyrrha whispered, shaken as two of her allies lay felled. Yang struggled to fight the pool trying to consume her, and Pyrrha launched herself at the blonde, Miló slicing off limbs and allowing Yang to free herself. The two women shared a quick, worried look, and then glanced to Ruby.

The girl was standing before her partner. Weiss trembled, Myrtenaster shaking in her grip as she tried to backpedal, but Ruby closed in. Her hand wrapped around Myrtenaster's blade without fear, and she pulled it from Weiss's grip, tossing it aside without a care. Weiss gasped, trying to summon some sort of glyph to save herself, but the scythe blade caught her by the ankle. The heiress fell onto her back as Ruby stared her down threateningly… then turned away with only a huff.

That was it?... Weiss struggled to keep her wits about her as Ruby began a slow, deliberate march towards the boat, squeezing the Grimm scythe in a death grip as she continued towards her singular compulsion.

From her place among the crates, Blake could only stare. Three hunters lay defeated, unconscious, auraless, open to a fatal blow at any moment should she have decided to enact it. Weiss lay shaking on the floor, barely able to move from fear and simply being overwhelmed, and Pyrrha and Yang were recovering from the pool of violent Grimm…

This… _this_ was Ruby… she had so suddenly, so quickly overwhelmed _everyone…_ she was going to commit murder on an unarmed man just to satisfy herself. Even if the man was a criminal, even as Roman dragged himself along the boat's railings to try and escape, Blake couldn't help but be _scared_ for the man.

Blake was frozen. Her little leader… this was the girl she declared she'd follow, she'd save, she'd try and protect… she was a monster. Blake could only think of Adam as she watched Jaune shake Penny, trying to get her to come to her senses, and as Yang and Pyrrha ran to confront Ruby once more.

" _Penny!_ C'mon, we need you, Penny! Please!" Jaune shouted, the strange girl staring blankly ahead. "Wake up!" Jaune slapped the girl, and immediately regretted it. That aura was tough as steel… "Penny!"

 _-Sending new query at 13 MB/s: {"My BFF is a_ _ **Grimm**_ _! What do?!"}_

 _-Suggested Course of Action: {Exterminate with Extreme Prejudice}_

 _/ Expunge query, purge [Pre-Programmed Actions Against Grimm] from database_

 _/ I will create conclusions on my own._

 _-Termination successful_

 _-New sub-database created: [Learned Actions Against Grimm];_

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Summons Grimm];_

 _-System Message: "610 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour";_

 _-Attributes: [Summons Grimm, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _/ She must be stopped._

Penny blinked, staring at Jaune as she finally snapped to, and Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. "We need your help, Penny! Ruby's gone wild, and you're super strong! Can you get in there?!" He all but pleaded, earning a small, confirming nod.

"Protocol dictates that she be stopped, but I shall do so non-lethally." Penny responded calmly.

"Guys, I got-!" Jaune stopped, staring. Yang lay on the floor, trembling, crying openly as she tried to grab Ruby's ankle from afar. Pyrrha almost drunkenly dodged a blade swinging for her neck, Akoúo̱ limply hanging in one arm, her other arm flopped by her side, Miló lying several feet away. Pyrrha closed the gap, getting around a scythe blow, trying to shield bash Ruby, but the girl had stepped around Pyrrha, forcing the older huntress to leap over the responding scythe strike.

In a way, it was thrilling. Pyrrha could only barely keep the thoughts from interrupting her as she pushed against Ruby, driving the girl away, then dodged a flicker-strike that could have decapitated her. Miló flew from the floor and dug into Ruby's back, making her smack the blade away with a pained shout, but Pyrrha made the sword twirl around to her side. Even if her arm had been paralyzed, she could still fight.

She could still _struggle._ She hadn't had a proper bout in what felt like a long time. Fighting against overwhelming forces, somebody who was dodging her attacks and counter attacking with such immense strength, tearing beasts out of the ground to catch her off guard, the two trapped in an intricate dance of blades… when was the last time she had a good challenge? Pyrrha was aware this was not the healthiest reaction to their current situation, but her heart _beat,_ her veins _burned,_ she felt _sweat_ on her brow… all against a scythe-user. Pyrrha grit her teeth, half-stepping backwards to weave out of range, then moving forward to watch Miló get deflected away so Ruby could quickly move to Pyrrha's side. She blocked the pole, she ducked beneath the blade, then had to do it once more as Ruby swiftly moved positions.

The whistle of flying blades grabbed their attention, and Penny threw herself into the fight without a word, her eyes locked intently on Ruby as her swords spun and fired again and again, forcing Ruby back under dozens of angled blows that would have rendered a lesser combatant confounded on how to defend.

Ruby, however, was simply too durable. Wherever the monstrous durability came from, it hardly seemed to be stopped as she twirled her scythe around herself, knocking aside blades and both girls before swiftly leaping over Penny. Ruby swung downwards, the scythe whisking across the girl's torso, but Penny did not fall. Her neon-green aura held strong, and the redhead directed her swords to surround Ruby, spin, and dive, trying to catch the maddened huntress off her guard.

* * *

This… wasn't how this was supposed to go… they were supposed to save Ruby, they were supposed to go home, they were supposed to be a _team_ again… Blake could only watch in fear as Ruby summoned more Grimm—in fewer numbers, sure—but the beasts emerged, took the spinning blades with yelps of pain, and barreled down on the two redheads harassing her.

Was this really what it all came down to…? Blake shook as she watched the fight, barely able to keep her wits and her breath from fear. They hadn't even finished Cherry's Tail… she was supposed to be Blake's representative of a good human! Why was this happening to them?!...

* * *

The multitude of flying blades was quickly wearing on Ruby's nerves, and she forced herself into Pyrrha's physical space to violently headbutt her in the nose. Pyrrha fell back, holding her face as Ruby readied a strike, but found herself fenced in by green blades firing red-hot laser beams directly into her aura. It _hurt._ It was getting worse, too. For all their efforts, they _were_ wearing her down, but she couldn't _stop._ That man _needed_ to die! He _had to!_ For all the evils he committed, for all the pain, the anger, the sadness he caused, he owed it to them to _**die.**_ Why couldn't they understand that?!

Black fingers grabbed ahold of the swirling blades, pulling them out of the air, forcing them to the ground to keep them still, but the blades struggles, sliced, and poured hot plasma into the grasping limbs. Ruby, in desperation, raced towards Penny with a scream, her hand closing around the redhead's throat to keep her still as her scythe readied behind her.

She could _end this._ She could _**kill him.**_ She just had to stop these two! Ruby grit her teeth, staring into Penny's eyes as the girl stared back. This weird little _thing_ trying to get in her way! How idiotic was she, acting the way she did?! Ruby showed all her teeth as the girl's eyes shimmered, her expression breaking out into fear as she struggled and whimpered pathetically in Ruby's grasp, trying to look away, but Ruby's eyes were inescapable.

She just had to swing, she just had to put her down… she just had to swing… to put her down… swing and put her down… that was all… that was _all…_

Why couldn't she?...

It had… _hurt_ when Sun was taken down. It had hurt when she faded Ren and Nora. She'd wanted to scream when she'd put Yang down. Every swing of her scythe _hurt._ Everything _hurt._ Everything made her angrier, even as she worked towards her goal. Why couldn't she… why did she stop here?! She could _**kill him…**_ she could… she could… _she could…_ why were they in her way?!

Ruby didn't know why she was crying again. Ruby didn't know why she was frozen here, watching Penny struggle and feeling _pained._ She just… had to _**kill him…**_ then it'd be over…

"Ru-by…" Penny managed to speak, shutting her eyes, her voice sounding so _odd_ as she was overtaken with fright. "I-want-you-to-know-that-ev-en-if-you-kill-me-you-were-a-good-friend."

She could just… stop… she could have just taken their hands and stopped. Then there'd be no more of this pain… as the anger, the sadness, all of it sated some… _part_ of her, but it hurt. It didn't hurt like it was spicy, it hurt like she was eating razor blades. It filled her stomach, but it cut into her. There was a part of her begging for it all to stop. Staring at Penny like this hurt. Her eyes were hurting people. The Grimm were hurting people. Her _friends._

Ruby gasped, dropping Penny suddenly as a pain overwhelmed her, filling her mind and her stomach, black liquid seeping from her ears and from her mouth as it swelled within her. She had to _**kill him.**_ She _**had to.**_ She **had to. Had to.** _ **Had to. Had to had to had to had to had to had to had to had to had to had to HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO**_

 _ **KILL. HIM.**_

Ruby clutched her head, before screaming to the skies above as the vicious, violent, _furious_ command repeated in her head again and again. The _pain._ She had to _stop it._ She had to _**kill him.**_

She trembled as she fell to her knees, her hands breaking through the Grimm pool's surface to take ahold of her black scythe, and she barely felt it as a spear tried to puncture the aura around her gut. She had to go _now…_ She charged Pyrrha, blindly screaming, swinging so hard and fast the girl barely had time to back away, and still got caught in the residual shockwaves, nearly knocking her off balance.

It _hurt._ _It hurt._ Hitting Pyrrha _hurt,_ but she _had_ to if she was going to _**kill him.**_

She didn't even know why she _craved_ it, there was a promise of something, but everything _hurt,_ and she kept moving without wanting to. Her body flew forward, grabbing ahold of whatever it could, swinging, attacking, barely _human_ now while she had to watch.

She couldn't escape it. She had been so close before, when Yang was comforting her, but then _**he**_ interrupted them… he'd hurt Yang. _She'd_ hurt Yang.

Pyrrha fell to the floor, panting in pain, pulling herself up to see Ruby just… standing there. She was shaking. She was panting like her heart was about to burst. Ruby… Ruby did not look well, and Pyrrha knew she had to capitalize. She threw herself to her feet, stumbling towards Ruby, Miló sloppily rising at her command and flying towards the girl, but it was battered aside by an insulted backhand, and Ruby's animalistic cry made Pyrrha step back as the girl stood there and shook.

She'd hurt Yang. Her big sister, she'd _hurt her._ She'd tried to kill her… she'd tried to kill _Penny…_ Weiss had been so weak, she'd held back, but Yang… Penny… Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren… Sun… she was hurting them. She was hurting people, her _friends,_ her _family_ she couldn't stop… why was this happening?...

* * *

Why? Blake could only ask herself the very same question, her entire body tense, her everything _hurt_ as she stared at Ruby, unmoving, barely responding when Pyrrha shouted at her. She was like Adam. She was _worse_ than Adam, she was a monster, a beast…

She was an uncontrollably violent force, attacking friend and foe alike, she was evil… wasn't she? Blake grit her teeth. Nobody was dead… not yet. Nora and Ren still twitched, Weiss had her back to a wall, unable to comprehend what was happening, Yang _tried_ to crawl forward, Penny was pulling her swords off the ground as she stood, Sun… Sun was feebly trying to sit up… they weren't dead…

Blake sucked in a deep, dramatic breath. Ruby stood still, her aura, black and vile, rising up around her… and collapsing dramatically, the howling and wailing fading to small, scared whimpers. Pyrrha tried to move closer, only for Ruby to suddenly, angrily throw her back, screaming like a feral beast. She wasn't in control, but… there was _something_ still inside her that was Ruby, not killing, only barely able to keep her from murdering her friends…

Blake surveyed the battlefield, swallowing thickly and painfully. So this was the night everything fell apart. She'd wanted a pack, and she got a monster for a leader… but she wasn't Adam. Even with all her sudden insanity and violent strength, she wasn't Adam…

Maybe… maybe she should have left. Maybe she should leave now. This was too awful, too complicated… Blake stood on shaking legs, caught in a flux. She could go be alone for a while… she could avoid Vale forever, go home, forget this ever happened, never see these people again…

It would be… easy…

Blake's eyes caught movement on the deck of the ship, and quietly widened as she saw him.

* * *

Every ship came equipped with at least two of them, and this cargo ship was no different. Roman's good hand struggled to undo the latches on the trapdoor keeping it hidden, and once they were popped, he smacked the button. The trapdoor opened, and a harpoon gun rose from the ship's innards, specifically designed to tag and kill Grimm.

The mounted weapon peeked over the ship's side, completely unknown to the teens below. Hell, you couldn't trust kids to do this sort of job. Even at his lowest, Roman had no choice but to get involved and save everyone's asses, it seemed. The man hid an amused chuckle, weakly pressing against the harpoon gun's stock as he lined up the shot.

He'd seen hell tonight. He'd seen the worst the Grimm and mankind had to offer in one, violent little girl. He was done. He wanted no more of this… _plot!_ Whatever Cinder promised couldn't have been worth this. Maybe he should have waited, maybe even _Cinder_ stood no chance. It was hard to say. Right now, Roman didn't care, he'd do at least _some_ good before he was tossed in the brig, or killed, or whatever. It was hard to care with this much blood loss.

If Cinder's benefactor wanted this girl, she'd just have to wait for another one to emerge somewhere. Maybe it was a once-in-a-lifetime deal, but if it happened once, it could happen again. Roman just wanted to see this night over with, no matter what.

He lined up the shot, the sights locked onto the Grimm girl as she stood, quivering on the dock, lashing out whenever somebody tried to get close. She was tired or something, maybe she'd finally gone insane and couldn't do anything. Either way, didn't matter. Roman grit his teeth, put on a small, cold smile, and pulled the trigger. The thunk of the harpoon was all he needed to hear.

The spear flew true. One dead little Grimm girl coming up…

* * *

Ruby twitched. Everything had gone sideways, and her side hurt. A weight pressed down on her, keeping her against the cold concrete. Everything was a daze, a fury welled up in her gut, threatening to spill over, demanding she take action and attack whatever dared to knock her down, but it all turned to useless simpering as Ruby opened her eyes.

She was pale. Pale, beautiful, and dark-haired as she always was, the most beautiful girl Ruby had ever met, laying on top of her, keeping her on the ground. That anger swelled again… Blake had attacked her? But Ruby pushed the thought aside, much to her own rage. No… no, this seemed wrong. This was _all wrong…_

"B-Blake…?" Ruby whispered, finally speaking. Everything was… tired. She was so very tired. She swallowed thickly as those yellow eyes gently opened, then slammed shut. Ruby felt a hand pull her head into the black-haired Faunus's breast, and something felt… all-too-wrong.

What had she done? All of her friends, her family… what had she done to them? She'd hurt them… badly. All because she wanted to kill that man… she was mad, but she kinda forgot why.

"H-hi…" Blake whispered. Her voice was weak, filled with pain, and Ruby cringed, wondering what she had _done_ to Blake…

They kept trying to stop her, kept trying to give her a way out, but she… hadn't accepted. She'd just remained angry, let herself be overwhelmed by it… now they were all hurt…

"Blake…" Ruby whimpered. She couldn't stop herself. Everything was coming out at once, pushing anger aside as she was filled with regret over what had transpired. In Blake's loving, warm grip, things felt wrong… things felt right, but how could she possibly forgive herself? How could they forgive her? "I-I'm sorry…" Ruby felt hot tears roll down her face, and Blake's gentle fingertips stroked her cheek. "This wasn't- I-I didn't-… I hurt so many-"

"Shh… shh…" Blake whispered weakly, stroking Ruby's hair, her voice soothing but distant. Ruby trembled quietly. "It's okay…"

"This wasn't supposed to happen…" Ruby's voice was filled with regret, and she couldn't stop herself from crying. Weak, tired, pained sobs, but Blake held her closer, clutching her as tightly as she could.

"S'okay Ruby… you're better now. Right? No more craziness?" Blake asked with a joking tone, but it sounded so forced.

"... No more…" Ruby managed between her sobbing, clutching her friend as tightly as she could, trying to find some relief from everything that had happened, but her mind kept replaying the memories of what she'd done… "I'll give up… I'll go home, never hurt you again, _any_ of you, I promise… no more… no more…"

"Shh… none of that…" Blake all but sighed in defeat. "You have so much to d-do…" Blake's voice shook. "It's okay… I know you'll d-do better… b-be a huntress, and s-save people…"

"I can't save _anyone!"_ Ruby wept, her hands moving around Blake's body for a tighter hug, but her hand bumped something hard and metal. Ruby's eyes opened up as she felt the metal rod, down to where it rested, embedded in Blake's side. Ruby lifted her head, fighting Blake's weak attempts to stop her, and stared at Blake's back.

A long, metal harpoon had punctured Blake's left kidney, red blood pouring freely from the wound, soaking into her shirt, staining Ruby's hand, leaving Blake so _pale…_

"B-Blake… no…" Ruby shook, her eyes wide. She couldn't feel anything but heat, and a sudden, overwhelming terror. She touched the harpoon, then Blake's side, glancing to the older girl as her eyes unfocused and looked at nothing in particular, a pale smile on her face. "No… no _no… Blake!..."_ Ruby pleaded, but the cat girl just let out a mirthless chuckle.

"It's okay Ruby… you're safe. You can do something about this crazy world we live in. Just… be good, okay?" Blake met her eyes, smiling gently, before having to look elsewhere when Ruby's gaze threatened to tear her mind apart again. "I believe in you."

"Blake!" Ruby squirmed out from underneath her teammate. The entire dockyard was horribly still and quiet. Pyrrha, Penny, and Weiss each stood on shaky legs to stare as Ruby knelt over her teammate, screaming her name over and over again, her black veins dissipating slowly but steadily. Jaune raced over, trying to hold Ruby's shoulders, but the girl fought and cried with everything to stay with Blake. The remaining hunters ran over, trying to grab any cloth they could spare to staunch the wound, while Jaune tried to cover Ruby's eyes.

It was the only thing he knew how to do, it was the only thing he could think to do. She was back… right? He had to care for her, it's all he understood as an older brother. No matter what, he had to care for her.

Atop the boat, Roman leaned over the railing, teeth grit. _Fucking hunters…_ idiots, every single one of them. With a pained groan, he forced himself up. This whole night, an utter disaster, down to the very last detail. What was left for them to do? He'd be captured and jailed in an instant. He snorted to himself and considered his options…

Blank. For the first time in forever, he felt totally blank. Beaten, broken, his operation stopped, his hopes dashed, his decisions in question… he groaned, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He sharply looked to the girl with two-toned hair, her expression uncomprehending as she stared at the scene below them.

"... Neo…" He murmured, staring at the little lady. "You weren't supposed to come." Her frown didn't surprise him, and he shook his head. "Fine. Have it your way. Think you can carry my weight?" He tried to ask teasingly, but it was more pleading than anything.

She just shrugged and easily lifted him onto her back.

* * *

The skiff, barely hovering off the ground, popped open before it could even land. Ozpin threw himself out of the pilot's seat, racing past the multitude of policemen and the White Fang they'd captured, along with a pair of very worried-looking Atlesian men, only barely aware of the hunters tailing behind him, trying to keep up.

Grimm, in _his_ city?! What idiot waited to tell them?! They were _hunters,_ damnit, this was their _job,_ the call should have been made _long_ before it got left to some stray students! _His_ students!

He grit his teeth, and behind him, Glynda sensed the change in her headmaster. Kindly, whimsical, friendly Ozpin was no longer here. Good. They had students to save, Grimm to slay, and a city to keep secure, this was no time for silliness. She took a shuddering breath as she struggled to keep on his tail, Port, Oobleck, and Taiyang trying to keep up, adrenaline serving as a substitute for the sleep they were surely missing.

Hunters from across the city would be responding to the Grimm outbreak call, but Beacon, first and foremost among them, sent its finest. Ozpin's cane was barely perceptible as he shattered the pillars of ice keeping the dock enclosed. He could only imagine what horrors would be-

The teachers skid to a halt.

The dock was clear, not a single Grimm in sight. The only thing moving was his students, plus one. Four of them–whom he knew as Yang, Nora, Ren, and Sun–were being tended to by the promising blonde boy, Jaune. They had their eyes open, and seemed to be speaking, but not moving. Fade paralyzation, most likely. A redheaded girl he didn't know had tensed up at his appearance, but stepped aside when he marched towards Pyrrha and Weiss, who both knelt over a dark-haired figure.

"Call an ambulance!" Ozpin ordered one of his subordinates, running over to Blake, surprising his students with his seemingly sudden appearance.

"P-Professor- err, Headmaster?!" Weiss squeaked as he slid in by her side, staring down at Blake with an expression of shock and fury.

" _Hello miss Schnee I hope the night is treating you well what happened?!"_ He demanded all at once, leaving her stammering. One of his students had been harpooned, that much was clear. A red cloak was wrapped around her middle, around the harpoon, trying to keep the blood in, and Ozpin felt Taiyang kneel by his side to inspect it.

"Where is Ruby?" His voice was calm. His body language was not. The father was forming a fist as the headmaster inspected Blake, touching her cheeks, then feeling her pulse, her soft, pained groans and heartbeat letting him know she was just barely hanging in there.

"There…" Weiss pointed to the deck of the ship.

Both Ozpin and Taiyang stood as Glynda took their place, and both leapt to the deck of the ship.

Ruby stood at the bow, her cloak gone, making her look so much smaller. She leaned over the edge, watching the water, showing full defeat in the face of whatever horror had happened tonight. Taiyang raced forward, just barely getting her attention by calling her name before crushing her in a hug, and her silence was broken immediately by crying, sobbing, and apologies.

Ozpin stared around at… everything. The torn metal, the scratches, the defeated students, the crying girl, his students, his teachers, his dock, his _city…_ it was true Grimm sometimes were illegally transported on cargo ships, or snuck on, but the reports he'd heard… there was simply no way, no other explanation for the sheer amount. He looked to Ruby, clutching her father for comfort, and he let out a small breath.

Had he been wrong?...

… No, his gut never steered him wrong, he _knew_ a good soul from a bad one… so what had happened? Where had it all fallen apart?

He supposed there was only one way to find out.

The tap of his cane got Ruby and Tai's attention, both looking to the headmaster as he approached with an ethereal calmness, his sharp eyes peering into Ruby's goggles as their eyes met.

There were a thousand questions to be answered, and he was sure there were many he would not be pleased with… but the girl had to make a case for herself. He bowed his head to her, and spoke plainly.

"Ms. Rose, I believe we need to have a very long talk."


	17. Truth and Reconciliation

Everything sort of faded in and out, like she was waking up from a godawful hangover, or a sleep she'd needed for a couple of days. Maybe both. It certainly came with the full body ache of both, but the nausea was definitely leaning towards a hangover.

The fact that her lower back was screaming for mercy was new, and it made fading back into unconsciousness all the harder, but she was well and truly exhausted, and her dulled mind managed to shut down despite her body alerting her to the danger it thought it was in.

It went on like that for a while, and it took a sudden tightening of her stomach to truly rouse Blake. She stared up at the ceiling, internally pleading that her queasiness subside, but eventually it passed to leave her wondering where she was, why everything hurt, and what that annoying beeping was by her side.

… _Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Steady, constant, and a pain in her ass. Blake finally recognized the sound from the stories on the radio. She turned her head, finding it less strenuous than her stiff neck suggested, and stared at the black screen and the wiggly green line. She sucked on her dry tongue and sighed at the heart rate monitor.

Okay. Hospital scenario. Judging by the thin sheets, cheap mattress, and paper-y pillowcase she rest her head on, she was the patient. Made sense. Her body _did_ hurt. Like… bad. Her lower back, stomach, and her face were each telling her that she'd screwed up _somehow_ in their own, petty ways.

She trawled through the last memories she had, and all she remembered was a night that could not possibly have happened. It hurt to remember, it hurt to _think._ She was somewhere between wanting a drink of water and throwing up in a bucket if anything passed her lips, but that was probably the Numb Dust's after effects. There was a commonly cited statistic that stated that one in three people experienced extreme nausea after a dose of Numb Dust, and Blake was absolutely tickled pink to realize she was one of them.

Blegh.

Blake closed her eyes again and willed herself to fall back to sleep, but either all the feelings were too much or she'd slept enough already, she couldn't force herself to sleep. After a solid five minutes of pitying herself, Blake opened her eyes and looked around the dark room.

Blank, manilla walls beyond a drawn back curtain, a window to her far left, an empty bed to her far right, and a television hanging from the ceiling in front of her. Absolutely amazing. Hospitals _sucked._ She sighed, using her left arm–as her right felt unusually heavy–to lift the sheet she was underneath. She wore a white hospital gown with a blue star pattern across the front. So fun, _so festive._ Blake _truly_ felt sparkling.

Her right arm had some sort of bracelet around it, with thick wires running to the monitor nearby. She wondered where her clothes were as she lifted the neck of her hospital gown and stared down between her pale breasts. She squinted, staring at the mass of blue and black flesh to the left of her belly button, as well as the red, angry skin around it, and realized the black squiggles protruding from her body were _stitches._

For like… surgery? She kinda remembered something… _bad_ happening. Real bad. Harpoon-through-her-torso bad. What concerned her more than that–because let's face it, she was alive, the harpoon didn't matter–was she had stitches. She had wires holding her together. She dropped her shirt and laid her head back, groaning at the sudden sick feeling coursing through her.

She was all tied together, and it was a funky, _funky_ feeling realizing that.

She breathed out her nose and wondered if she could find the TV remote to distract herself.

She didn't have much time to look around before the door to the room opened, and in walked an older, plain-looking human woman with unflattering scrubs and a clipboard she was currently engrossed in.

She looked up, their eyes met, and the women looked surprised at Blake's responsive stare. "Calling Dr. Haime, Blake Belladonna has woken up in room 118." She spoke into a radio clipped to her shirt, then walked forward, putting on a pleasant smile as she moved to Blake's side. "Hello Ms. Belladonna, how are you feeling?"

Blake felt no urge to speak due to the weakness in her belly. Instead, she offered the nurse a middle finger.

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "I'll… assume that's a remark on your condition." She mumbled as she scribbled on her clipboard, and Blake sighed.

The doctor came in about twenty minute later, after Blake was brought some orange juice and crackers to nourish herself on. Despite her stomach's insistence it would refuse anything it was fed, she managed to keep the meager meal down as the man walked in.

"Hello miss Belladonna, my name is Dr. Haime, how are you feeling?"

He was considerably more amused by her profane response than the nurse was.

"Understandable. You went through a lot last night, from what I've heard." He pulled a chair up by her side and addressed the clipboard the nurse had passed off to him. "So, let's get the elephant out of the room: I wouldn't suggest taking up alcoholism now, seeing as you only have one kidney left."

Blake blinked at him and rested a hand on her stomach where the scar was. She opened her mouth and spoke, the words coming out like a rusty wheeze, " _One_ kidney?"

"Yes ma'am." The doctor adjusted his glasses to read, "You suffered traumatic damage to your kidney last night as a result of taking a harpoon through the back. While I think how selfless you hunters can be is incredible, the fact that you were completely drained of aura put you in our care. We had a lot of mess to clean up in there, but given a few weeks–maybe even sooner if your aura reasserts itself in the next couple of days–you should be able to do basic physical activities on your own. And, as I said, I'd be careful about overconsumption of alcohol, and you should be protective of the one you have left. You may experience higher blood pressure and lower kidney functionality later in your life, but a yearly check-up should help alleviate that."

"Cool." Blake blinked slowly, a frown crossing her face. "... So last night really happened?"

"I'd assume so, yes. From what I've heard, you and your fellow hunters had a tough fight down in Duermoor last night. Most everyone else got away with a quick, easy check-up. Those that faded were resuscitated almost immediately after the battle, and were up and moving, regaining their auras a few hours after some sleep. You definitely caught the worst of it, but you pulled through. Your face should fully recover, your ear will have a minor chip in it for the rest of your life, and, unfortunately, you should expect scars on your stomach.

"Plenty of those already…" Blake murmured, looking back up at the ceiling. Everyone was okay, though. Right? "So… Weiss is okay?" Blake asked, flicking her eyes back down to the doctor, her ear lazily twitching his way.

"Miss Schnee is physically fine, though I believe she had counselling scheduled at Beacon to ensure she is mentally well."

"She'll pull through." Blake spoke in a tired, but assured tone. "And Yang? How's Yang?"

"Yang… Yang Xiao Long, right." The doctor bobbed his head. "Due to a stab wound to her palm, she suffered some mobility issues post aura-healing, being unable to form a proper fist. However, she is undergoing some minor physical therapy, and we believe she'll return to one-hundred percent."

"Good." Blake nodded, feeling a little better at the news. "And Ruby?"

The doctor paused, thinking for a moment. "Ruby… who?"

"Ruby Rose." Blake clarified in irritation, and the doctor shook his head.

"Two hunters weren't treated last night, Ruby Rose was more than likely one of the two." He answered with an apologetic shrug, and Blake let out of a grunt of annoyance.

"What about Sun, then? He recovered as well?"

"Sun Wukong… yes, full resuscitation. He was paralyzed a little longer due to suffering fading from the neck and an abnormal disconnect from his soul, but he showed dramatic recovery once fed."

Blake smirked, unwilling to chuckle in case it hurt her, and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Good."

"Mhmm. Now that you're awake, be sure to call us in if you need us, and let us find you that remote…"

* * *

" _Reports are saying that, just last night, a team of student hunters from Beacon Academy stormed the Duermoor Docks with the intent of rescuing a student that had been kidnapped by the White Fang, and was being held hostage. However, unbeknownst to the hunters and the police, the cargo ship the White Fang had intended to use had been carrying a large number of Grimm. Thankfully, with the hunters' intervention, the Grimm were swiftly exterminated with few casualties, mainly on the White Fang's side."_

" _Police reports have identified the kidnapping victim as Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee's partner at Beacon, and this incident directly follows Weiss Schnee's poisoning from the day before. The incidents are believed to be connected: with the White Fang attempting to attack and sabotage Weiss Schnee at every turn."_

The view changed from the two reporters at their desks to a view of Weiss Schnee, sitting in a Beacon Academy press room and looking tired, perturbed, but with a sharp gaze that did not betray how shaken she was from the night's events. " _Whatever the White Fang's intentions with my partner were, their plans have been foiled and Ruby is safe. I have no intention to caving into the White Fang's terroristic actions, my tenure at Beacon will continue regardless of what they do."_

" _Brave words from Atlas's beloved princess."_

" _Ruby Rose could not be reached for comment, and the other student hunters have denied to comment on the incident, though one Jaune Arc told our reporters,_ 'I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I think we all did.'"

" _Vale has had twelve Grimm incursions in the past twenty years, but never on the scale seen last night. It was lucky we had hunters there to help prevent the Grimm from reaching our city. Police Chief Dugo of the DPD referred to the incident as 'terrifying', and said that the number of Grimm was easily over one-hundred. Analysts reviewing the security footage that could be recovered counted around two-hundred Grimm, all young, but still deadly."_

" _There is an ongoing investigation to determine exactly how the Grimm managed to board the boat and pass inspections, as well as where the ship came from, and where it intended to go. While the notorious crime boss Roman Torchwick continues to be at large, his operations took a heavy hit last night, and recovery may be impossible."_

Blake changed the channel, mindlessly flipping through stations to find something easy to concentrate on without having to focus too hard. She needed a distraction, one that was comforting and mindless, to avoid overthinking the night before. She finally found an ongoing soccer match, and laid back to watch the players race after the ball.

It was something, and Blake didn't want to admit she was bored out of her skull while she was healing, but that was the truth. She hated the sick tent back at camp, she _hated_ being confined to a mattress with nothing to do… she hated that she was stuck with her feelings.

She hated that it was _over._ Now that it was all done, mission accomplished, objective achieved, she now had to handle the consequences. Getting her face beaten in and a harpoon through the gut were physical consequences, she'd heal… she didn't know if she could take much heartache, especially since there was so much ground to cover. She wondered…

Did Weiss still even like her? Weiss _despised_ the White Fang, and now, she had all the more reason to. Blake, being a former member, had acted against her, hell, _she_ was the reason Ruby was kidnapped…

And that lead to Yang. Weiss may have suffered distantly as a result of Blake's past actions, but Ruby had been _captured,_ and unleashed, and nearly killed all of them… or had the opportunity to. Blake breathed out in frustration. Yang was the angry sort, and her little sister had become the primary victim of a _lot_ of bullshit because Blake couldn't handle the suspense.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut as a pain ran from her stomach through the rest of the body, and she quickly considered hammering the call button, but the pain subsided, and Blake let out a tired wheeze.

Just one kidney, huh?... She'd certainly gotten away with a rather light consequence, all things considered. Guts, stomach, uterus, all were right there as well. Hell, her _spine_ could have easily been damaged, and Blake was not fond of the idea of being a vegetable. She at least had another kidney to work with.

… She didn't really have another chance with her pack. They either accepted her, or left her behind, and Blake couldn't help but feel it would have been better for them all if she was abandoned. Then they couldn't hurt each other, there wouldn't be that stink of mistrust between them.

Blake frowned to herself. And after all of this trying to decide whether she trusted them or not… she liked them. She sincerely did. Now all the big secrets were out in the open as far as she knew. Blake sniffled silently to herself, wondering where she'd go now and what she'd do with herself. Maybe she'd just go home… call it quits and take time to recover with her parents…

… Give up like she'd told them they had.

She was only seventeen, and she had a lifetime of regrets behind her. The things she'd did, the people she left behind, the innocents she'd hurt… … … and she never got to fool around with Yang's boobs either. That one left a deeper crater in Blake's gut than she ever thought it would.

Blake quickly distanced herself from those thoughts. There were far more important things to consider, like how she'd apologize for getting the pretty blonde's little sister in a crime boss's hands.

The door to her room opened with a tiny squeak, and Blake glanced over curiously, expecting the nurse who stood there with a small smile, but not who came in after. "Blake, you have a visitor!" The nurse said chipperly. Blake blinked, watching as the heiress swept in with the grace and beauty of somebody who spent their life on the high throne, not fighting Faunus and Grimm.

If there was one thing Blake always appreciated about Weiss, it was her fondness of dresses and skirts. She wore a lovely, pale turquoise ensemble, a sleeveless dress with a flowing white sash, a gorgeous silver necklace with a snowflake brooch resting on her breast, a pair of white heels that clicked with every step and added an extra two inches, and pure white stockings to accentuate the shape of her legs…

The girl strode in like a queen entering her castle, full of a cold confidence, exuding a cool aura that made her seem so untouchable… Blake was briefly awe-stricken, just to see her friend wearing herself so well, so soon after their fight, while Blake felt so wretched. It reminded her of why the Schnees inspired so much awe, fear, and hatred. Weiss alone simply strode in and commanded the room, though in all fairness, she had an audience of one.

And a small, black, plastic take-out box in her hands.

Their eyes met. Weiss's icy blues met Blake's fierce yellows, the two girls born entire worlds away, on opposing sides of an aggressive spectrum, their entire worlds so contrasting yet so intertwined… both runaways, escaping the sins of their organizations to find themselves, and the strength to change things for the better.

Blake didn't know what to say, or how to even start. A lump formed in her throat as the royal young lady silently walked over, her pale face a mask of neutrality, as if last night hadn't utterly shaken her world.

"Weiss…" Blake murmured, the heiress setting the take-out box on the nearby patient table. Nimble, pale fingers pushed Blake's hair out of her face and straightened her sheet, Weiss's expression remaining flat as she ritually fixed disorder and dirtiness. Blake almost felt ignored, except that Weiss periodically looked into her eyes and examined her features closely.

Then, without a word, Weiss carefully, tensely put her arms around Blake's shoulders and leaned in for one of the most alien hugs Blake had ever gotten. Despite how strangely forced it was, Blake couldn't help but feel her chest swell, and tears well up as she weakly returned it. "... You look awful." Weiss said bluntly, the sheer obviousness of the statement making Blake laugh until it hurt.

That is it say, Blake laughed once, and her stomach immediately threatened her if she kept it up. "You should see my stomach. I'm going to have one helluva scar."

"I'm sure." Weiss stood up, brushing off her dress after the awkward hug. "But you're okay?" Weiss asked, her voice quivering the tiniest bit at the question, and Blake offered a gentle nod.

"Lost a kidney, kept everything else. Said I should be out in a couple of weeks." Blake couldn't keep a smile off her face. She was quietly reminded that, for all her flaws, she did quite like Weiss as a person.

"Good." Weiss walked away to pull a chair to Blake's side. As emotionless as her expression was, it had become all the more obvious that it was little more than a mask. Try as she might, Weiss couldn't hide her emotions as well as she thought, her eyes glimmering, her lips pursing, her nose twitching… "Those of us who participated in the fight last night were given the day off from school. I still went to class just to make sure we had notes, but Yang's been…" Weiss trailed off, her brow furrowed. "Yang wants to come talk to you too, but she's… working out what to say, I think. I cannot speak for her so-"

"So speak for yourself." Blake advised, turning her head to watch Weiss more closely. "If she wants to talk to me, I'm sure it'll be soon. I really hope she's not the sort to avoid conversation. So… talk to me." Blake shrugged, opening her ears, but quietly dreading what Weiss might say.

The heiress took a deep breath. The moment of truth, Weiss's opinions, her thoughts, her feelings… Blake braced herself. She squeezed the sheets she laid on and tried to keep a brave face as Weiss breathed out. "Blake, I am not a _stupid_ person. I clearly need to pay more attention to my surroundings-" she said, eyeing Blake's ears, "- but I know what my family has done. I am familiar with the business practices and decisions the Schnee Dust Company has made over the years regarding the welfare of its workforce, especially dealing with the Faunus. I came to the conclusion that it is our fault the White Fang is who they are, I'll hold no false assumptions believing otherwise."

"It's not entirely your fault." Blake said calmly, and Weiss shook her head.

"The Schnee Dust Company has further ingrained the idea that the Faunus are second-class citizens in society through its practices and policies. While the Faunus' slavery under Mistral is over, we've done little better in treating the Faunus with respect. The White Fang were an inevitability, one my family has a hand in creating." Weiss closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. "When I was eight years old, my two year old cousin died in my aunt's arms from strangling poison."

"... Werbern Schnee…" Blake spoke the name slowly, her fingers going rigid, and her gut involuntarily tightening, leaving her cringing from the pain. "... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Weiss added perhaps a little too quickly, but then her eyes fell downcast, and her shoulders rose, then fell in quiet distress. "The man who did it was condemned officially by the White Fang, but our family perpetuated this incident as a part of the White Fang's doctrine: kill the Schnees at any cost. It was the first time my family was targeted with murderous intentions by the Faunus, so at the time, I believed it. The only time I was ever affected by the White Fang was through riots outside my concerts, attacks on my family members, and the disruption of my family's business. I've… had difficulties adjusting to the idea that the White Fang can be good people."

"And that asshole you and Yang met probably didn't help…"

"Not at all. However, I am willing to concede that my particular circumstance places me in a position in which my side of the facts are skewed…" Weiss said clinically, swallowing a lump in her throat after a brief cough. "By which I mean, I may be wrong, but only because I haven't interacted with somebody who would inform me of my inaccuracies."

Blake smirked, "Completely not your fault, of course."

Weiss blushed terribly, and gave Blake a flat look. " _Anyways…_ I… do not like the White Fang, at all." The two shared a quiet stare, Weiss looking for a reaction on Blake's face, but the catgirl simply answered with silence and quiet resignation. "However…" Weiss continued, staring into Blake's eyes. "However, I have made a decision regarding you; I find you impulsive, annoying, frustrating, and your intentional attempts to fluster and humiliate me are… _all_ those things and more, but… you are a member of my team. I find you quite palatable in one-on-one occasions, and the dedication you have towards us as a whole is indicative of a strong team inclination, and you are an especially refreshing reprieve from the energy of our other teammates."

Blake blinked her big, yellow eyes slowly, staring at Weiss and replaying what she'd said through her head… then she shot the girl a small smile, and answered, "I like you too, Weiss."

The heiress drew herself up with a blush, and proceeded to bluster and grumble at Blake with an adorable half-heartedness. " _Either way…_ I have decided that, should we continue being allies in Beacon, I will hear your side of the story, so long as you promise to hear mine." Weiss finally managed through a blush, and Blake let out a strained chuckle.

"You're absolutely serious? You're okay with… _me_ and want to know what I did?" Blake's question sounded teasing, but only because she worked so hard to hide the fear in her voice. Weiss's silent, curious nod dispelled much of Blake's fear, but there was still much of her history that could have changed Weiss's mind… but the agreement was made. Blake licked her dry lips, wondering where to start, when Weiss suddenly perked up.

"Oh! Before it has a chance to cool." Blake's thoughts were interrupted when her teammate grabbed the black take-out box off the stand by her bed, and she watched as Weiss opened it, inspected the contents, then held it out to Blake. Inside the box was a pile of hot fries and fish on top, with a couple of plastic cups for dipping sauces. "I wasn't sure what exactly you liked, but you said you liked fish. I hope you're okay with cod?" Weiss asked tentatively, as if their entire friendship was built upon the success of this one dish, and Blake's smirk grew.

* * *

Being the embodiment of a living bonfire, Yang defaulted to exuding two emotional auras: 'come gather around, be warm and merry, and grow cozy and happy with me,' or, more worryingly, 'come gather around, and be burnt to hot ash as my temper flares and my mood grows destructive.'

Currently, the aura Yang exuded fit squarely in the latter, though the blonde managed to keep an even expression and body language as she marched down the hospital hallways, and still had the nearby professionals and their patients brushing shoulders with the walls to give her a wide berth.

She had it all in her head; a conversation she thought she'd have with a far different black-haired woman, but apparently she was destined to practice with Blake.

The room number snuck up on her in her furious marching, and it took a mental command to make her legs stop, and back up to the door. _She_ was in there. Yang took a deep breath… the girl responsible for the past few days' heartbreak, the girl who reminded her so much of _Raven,_ the girl who had put Ruby in so much danger…

Yang had every reason and every _right_ to be angry. This girl who had nearly torn them asunder, who put their hearts and minds to the test… she grit her teeth just thinking about the night those accusations came out and the truth burst forth, and she grew _angry..._

She grasped the room's doorknob to barge in and say her piece, her heart hammering, her mind racing, but her hand would not twist.

… Would Blake be well enough to talk? She'd suffered pretty badly, even if Weiss and Yang both had been assured she could take visitors. Maybe now wasn't the time, Blake probably needed peace and quiet, and Yang, more than anything, wanted to be loud and obnoxious. Maybe another hour or so of pacing and thinking.

A passing nurse contemplated intervening with the strange blonde, who was currently banging her head against the wall, but shook her head and continued on. She wasn't a goddamned psychiatrist…

"Yang?" Yang stopped and gave Weiss a grumpy look. The young Schnee was poking her head out the hospital door, giving her teammate a flat look. "You're making a lot of noise, can you please get in here?"

"Not yet! I'm still thinking!" Yang insisted stubbornly, but Weiss simply shook her head and sighed.

"When have you _ever_ thought this hard about anything? Just come in." Weiss shut the door.

Yang sweat, pushing herself off the wall to approach the door. Her hand settled on the knob once more, and a hundred conflicting thoughts ran through her head. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to be sad, she wanted to be happy, she wanted to go back to bed… she breathed out, cleared her mind, frowned… and opened the door.

The room was like every other hospital room Yang had woken up in in the past, except this time, she was the visitor. Only two other people were there: Weiss, sitting by the bedside, looking to Yang expectantly, and Blake, laying in bed, looking… expectant. Afraid? Sad? Resigned? She looked all sortsa crappy, and any sense of moral righteousness that Yang evaporated into pity with a quiet frown.

Yang looked remarkably girly in a bright red skirt, cut more dangerously short than Weiss's, and a yellow women's polo that emphasized the glory of her figure. She tied the casual beauty of her outfit together with a pair of flowery flip flops, managing to look more like a young, teenage woman than the muscle-bound huntress she truly was.

"Goddamn." Was the first thing Yang said to Blake, walking in and letting the door shut behind her. "You look like crap." Blake simply smirked.

"You should see my stomach." The catgirl said in forced joviality, tensing up as Yang came by her side to look over her.

"Sure." Yang nodded, feeling… strangely awkward about how calmly they were interacting. Like nothing had changed, even though _everything_ had changed… "Show me."

"... Now?" Blake asked with palpable embarrassment.

"I don't think this is the time." Weiss said flatly, and Yang snorted.

"I don't care. C'mon Blakey, show me the scars." Yang crossed her arms over her bust. Despite her words, she did not smile, they were dancing around the issue and they each knew it. " _Hoo,_ that… _that_ is ugly."

" _Please_ cover it." Weiss ordered meekly, hands over her face as Blake just grinned.

She was was at least modest with a pair of plain, white drawstring hospital pants, but even if she wasn't, it wouldn't have distracted from Blake's wound. The bruise and the stitches were far more gnarly than anything Yang had ever suffered, and the blonde couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle. "That looks like it hurt."

"It still does." Blake looked almost smug about it, but she meant it. She suppressed a grin at the way Yang cringed, even the bruiser wasn't immune to its grossness. "When I try to flex, a little puss starts to ooze out around the stitches, and it _smells."_ Blake crinkled her nose, but beamed at the way both Weiss and Yang blanched.

"Okay, that is _enough."_ Weiss held her face, hiding the way her cheeks turned green.

"Want me to show you?" Blake said teasingly, and Yang rapidly shook her head.

"Keep your gross fluids _in."_ Yang laughed, despite looking utterly revolted, and she and Blake both shared a quiet smile. Yang hadn't seen Blake this… _goofy_ in a while. The Faunus girl… well, the newly-discovered Faunus girl was always so serious, seeing her grin and tease in such a friendly manner made Yang calm down.

Blake's subdued giggling was nice, and Weiss reprimanding her for her 'breach in social whatever' made things… normal. More than normal. Blake was opening up, Weiss's bossiness was more bearable and encouraging, it was like they were friends. That… made Yang feel a lot better, even if there was still something that needed to be discussed.

Blake covered up, Weiss scolded Blake, and Yang decided it was now or never. "So, like…" Her smile faltered, their conversation died as her eyes unfocused and sought something other than her friends' faces. "You know how 'bastards' are kids who never knew their dads, or whatever?" The awkward silence made Yang clear her throat in embarrassment. "I'm like that, but with my mom. Right after she gave birth to me, she healed up and left. Went to who-knows-where, doing who-knows-what, and the entire time, left me to my dad to be raised."

"Ah…" Weiss crossed her fingers, and Blake's good cheer turned to a small frown.

"I'm sorry." Blake examined Yang's face closely, waiting for her to continue. It wasn't _weird_ for Yang to bring up new topics on a whim, but this was much more personal…

"That kept me awake for years." Yang crossed her arms over her breasts in a rare defensive posture. "I tried to weasel any information I could outta my family, but... All they told me just made me feel _worse._ She was one of those people who believed that 'power was everything', 'might makes right' and all that, so I wondered if I wasn't good enough…"

Yang continued with a deep breath, "Like, it got to the point where I was doing stupid crap behind my dad's back, like digging through his mail and his room. It was… _nothing_ compared to when I find out he and Raven lived in a different house. It had apparently burned down, but all I cared about was that Raven might have left _something_ there, so while we were home alone, I put Ruby in a wagon and dragged her there..." Yang trailed off, clearly struggling with her younger self's stupidity. "Like, at the time, I'd _heard_ about the Grimm's obsession with living in human wreckage. I didn't think anything of it, 'cuz I was a dumb kid, so when I arrived, what did I find?" She asked, causing Weiss to raise her hand.

"Was it Grimm?!" Weiss asked.

"It was a rhetorical question, Weiss!" Yang's serious mood faltered with a smirk, and the heiress blushed. "But, yeah. Grimm. _Lotsa_ Grimm." Yang made a pair of fists. "I mean, that's the thing, right? All it takes is one dumb move for you to be Grimm-fodder. Ruby and I should have been ripped apart, but my uncle Qrow appeared outta nowhere and killed everything. If he hadn't been trailing us, we would have been dead, we _should_ have been dead… that's stuck with me for a long, _long_ time."

"From that point on, I decided I couldn't let my hunt for my mother hurt the rest of my family no matter what. I said 'screw it,' and focused on the family I still had, that _hadn't_ left me behind. Blake, when you left…"

"No, no no _no."_ Blake blanched, clutching the bedsheets in tight fists, her frown deepening.

"All I could think was 'it's happening again.'"

"I didn't leave because I was trying to hurt you…" Blake insisted, watching Yang's expression completely sink. It was… disheartening, far more because it was _Yang,_ and Blake felt a flash of guilt through her heart, and pain in her stomach. "I wanted to protect you from the White Fang, I was just trying to-"

"And what if _Raven_ was trying to protect me too?!" Yang spoke the name with a heated bitterness that implied Yang was far from forgiveness. "I don't even _know_ why she left, I never got a note, or a message, or _anything_ from her! I don't even know her damn signature, or the _sound of her voice._ She one day decided I wasn't good enough, and hasn't even _tried_ to get to know me." The resignation in her voice left Weiss' and Blake's hearts in their throats, as well as the realization that, even if Yang won with her father, she was in good company with parent problems.

"She sounds retarded." Weiss said in an angry voice, then went more pale than usual. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Can it, I don't care." Yang sighed, and Weiss squirmed in place while Blake stared at her own knees, wondering what she would have put Yang through if she'd actually successfully left her life.

"Yang…" Weiss lifted her head to look up to the blonde with a small, understanding look. "Let me try again. Your mother, Raven, she's… not well in the head if she doesn't think you're strong."

"Or good enough." Blake picked at her bedsheet idly. "I mean, yeah, you're pretty, you're smart, you're strong, but you're more than all of that. Even if we went with the whole 'might makes right' thing this Raven person likes, I think you'd lead us, and I think we'd get along just fine with you as our leader."

"You and Ruby both lead with your hearts." Weiss added on, watching Yang grumble at the overflow of compliments. "You might need our mindfulness to keep you in check, but you've both made me feel right at home in a place far _away_ from home. Granted, you probably didn't have to try terribly hard, considering _my_ family situation, but… you know what I mean."

"But I _gave up."_ Yang grouched, her expression growing further somber. "Ruby never did, _she_ found Blake."

"She got herself captured in a deal she had no idea would end with me alive." Blake calmly corrected, shivering at the uncomfortable realization. "I _like_ Ruby, but she gave herself up with zero information or back-up. Besides that, it's not like _I_ expected to cross paths with you again. It… might have been better for you to have all stayed at Beacon."

"And let you be killed?" Weiss added on with a grimace.

"Yeah, no chance kitty-cat. Even if I was pissed, I wouldn't have allowed that." Yang lifted her head.

"Right, yeah." Blake nodded, an uncomfortable feeling going through her body at the little name. "No offense, but after getting called 'kitty' and 'cat' by that asshole in the cheap suit, would, um… could you guys just call me Blake? Like, I know I have cat ears, but…"

"Oh, yeah." Yang rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, sure, Blake. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know you didn't, just…"

"Yeah…"

"I know most Faunus are okay with it, but-"

"It's not like you go, 'hey human, nice skin,' right?"

Blake snorted, and Yang grew a weak smile. "Please, your skin's not even the nicest part of you."

"Yeah, yeah, I've gotten cow jokes before." Yang waved it off, but Blake shook her head.

"The tits are great, but it's your smile I like." Blake spoke earnestly. Weiss glanced back and forth between the two as Yang's smile grew, her eyes elsewhere as her cheeks grew red.

"Okay, c'mon dude, that's laying it on a little thick. What, are they stuck on romance channels in here?" Yang glanced to the TV to hide her face.

"And hey, I might as well say it, it's… nice having somebody who's willing to be honest. I'm good at playing the guessing game, but it can be exhausting." Blake watched Yang's posture as the girl loosened up, and shrugged.

"Just better to get to the point, I think." Yang answered.

Blake grinned. Yang seemed a little better, idly rubbing one leg against the other, her arms slipping beneath her chest, once again gracing Blake's line of sight with glorious Yang boobage. Blake counted it as a victory, and admired for a second or two before looking Weiss's way, as the heiress was watching her very carefully. "You alright, Weiss?" Blake asked.

"Yes, just," Weiss's eyes flicked to the top of Blake's head, "contemplating."

"And what, exactly, are you contemplating?" Blake asked with a twitch of her eyebrow, smirking at Weiss's nervous blush.

"I know this is a _very_ personal thing to ask, and I don't mean anything by it, but you have to understand, I _am_ curious, and for the most part, things seem to have calmed down, so I just thought… I mean, we _are_ friends, we _should_ be honest with each other, and you are my first Faunus friend, and-"

"You want to pet my ears?" Blake asked tiredly.

"They're so fluffy and cute!" Weiss squealed. Yang glanced over, not saying a word, but waiting for Blake's answer with open curiosity.

Blake mulled it over, as if it might have actually been a major offense, but rather than scowl or roll her eyes, she raised a finger to tap her ears. "Lightly dig your fingernails into the base, especially around the scalp, I have more feeling there. Don't get too rough, I _will_ bite."

Weiss put on an excited grin, Yang gave Blake a questioning look, and earned a silent nod. They each took one ear, digging their fingers into the thin hairs and soft skin, leaving Blake in a mixture of annoyance and amusement at their excited expressions.

It was to the immense delight of both Weiss and Yang that Blake could purr. Of course, Blake wouldn't let them know that she did it on command, having taught herself how to; it would have been rude to ruin the magic for them both.

The chatting slowed as they gathered around Blake's bed. For the first time in a long time, Blake felt safe. The girls by her sides had suffered because of her misguided actions, they had sacrificed sleep and well-being to find her, and protect her. While they had abandoned the search, they had come back for her once she was found. Weiss had walked into a stronghold of people who would have murdered her and gloried in her death, and Yang had kept her cool enough to keep Ruby and Blake both safe where she could.

It wasn't perfect. They weren't perfect. None of them and nothing about their situation could be called conclusive, or fairy tale, but together they had done something phenomenal. It wasn't for some greater purpose, like equality or supplies, it was for each other and for Ruby. Blake ached to know where Ruby was, and why she wasn't here, but she suspected Ruby had a lot to answer for… she hoped it would come out in Ruby's favor.

But right now, watching Weiss try to figure out the TV remote to watch something other than Mistral soap operas, and looking at the scar in Yang's palm, Blake felt something she hadn't in a long time: at peace. She was… happy to be here, happy to between people who weren't filled with a darker, more malevolent desire. They were just girls… peaceful, but prepared. Driven, but by a noble righteousness. Flawed, but endearingly so.

The White Fang, not to mention that Torchwick guy, were unlikely to go away, but Blake could distance herself from them. She had been given a new perspective on what was important, as much as she wanted to reform and change her old organization, it couldn't be done in one night, and dying wouldn't help anyone, especially not herself. She had been given time to reflect as she healed, and she decided that may have been for the best.

"Check it out." Yang grinned as she held a lump of brightly-colored, squishy material in her damaged hand.

"... Clay-Mold?" Blake blinked, staring at the soft putty curiously.

"Yeah, I gotta take a couple of minutes every few hours rolling and squeezing this stuff around. Helps me flex my palm and stuff, gives me something to do." Yang grinned as she quickly made a Clay-Mold snake.

"Ever eat that stuff as a kid?" Blake asked, reaching over to press a finger into the slender lump, leaving a deep impression.

"Oh hell yeah, I think everyone has at one point. I know _Ruby_ did." Yang snickered.

"I didn't." Weiss said idly as she flipped the channels. "Does this place get anything but daytime television and the _news?_ Music channels are popular for a reason…"

"You're such a liar, Weiss." Yang accused, drawing a glare from the heiress.

"I am _not…"_

It was pleasant, and Blake let out a small yawn. The wave of lethargy that hit made her frown a little, she was getting comfortable and her body was telling her to rest… she wanted to wait for Ruby to arrive, to come tell her that everything was okay, she didn't _want_ to go back to bed.

"Want us to leave you to sleep?" Weiss offered, watching the way Blake's eyelids fluttered. Blake pouted, but Weiss shook her head. "You need your rest. We'll come by soon and find you a scroll until we can get your old one." She glanced up to Yang, waiting for the blonde's confirmation, and Yang stood, but hesitated to follow. "Yang?"

"Can I have, like, five minutes?" The blonde asked, earning a curious blink from Blake, and a frown from Weiss.

"Blake needs her rest." Weiss reminded her, and Yang nodded.

"I know! It won't be long, so… chill, alright?" Yang grunted. Weiss watched her closely, then quietly went to the door.

"Five minutes." Weiss said forcefully, and stepped out, leaving Blake and Yang alone.

Silently, slowly, Yang locked the door behind their teammate, and continued to face the wall. Blake watched Yang's back, watching her muscles tense, then relax, her shoulders rising and falling as the girl struggled to find something to say. Eventually, however, she turned around to walk back over to Blake's side, and sat in Weiss's chair. "So… what's the plan now?"

"Hm… sleep when you let me." Blake answered playfully, but Yang didn't look satisfied.

"I mean with life, Blake. What are you going to do once you're out of the hospital?" Yang didn't meet Blake's eyes, and Blake gave her her space by staring up at the ceiling, sucking on her own tongue in thought.

"Well, I'm an outed criminal, an outed _terrorist,_ a run-away, a likely target for White Fang 'intervention,' as well as other racists wanting to send a message, so… dunno." Blake sighed deeply, looking up at the ceiling, "I hadn't thought about it beyond the fact that I kinda just… wanna be with you guys again. Weiss was right, you guys made me feel at home. I struggled so hard with that because I was hiding my secrets, I didn't want to be burned again. But, in the end, it felt right." Blake closed her eyes, her mind muddy and her expression tired. "If being with you guys means being at Beacon, I want to go back to Beacon, but… I don't even know if they'll have me again."

Yang nodded. Blake turned to read her expression, and could see the plainly written worry across her face. It was something she obviously had hidden, and it was… odd seeing how down she was. "So you _do_ want to come back?" Yang looked to Blake weakly. It was so strange seeing Yang… _not_ strong, seeking an answer she was afraid of. Blake reached a hand out to take Yang's hand, and squeezed it gently, smiling.

"…Yeah."

Yang held Blake's hand, almost in a death grip, and she let out a tiny, ragged breath of relief. Yang leaned forward, in such a state of relief and joy that she quivered and hid her little whimpers with loud gasps. "Okay." Yang finally said in a shaking voice, her face hidden under her voluminous hair. "Okay, good… good." Yang turned to look at Blake, revealing a smile that was honestly pathetic with how happy it was, and Blake felt a tingle of delight seeing it. "If there's some committee thing, or a meeting, I'm gonna try and put in a good word for you. We want you back."

Blake's smile said it all. "I'll try not to disappoint. Thanks, Yang."

"No worries, Blake." Yang leaned in, and Blake's heartbeat raced as she came closer. She kept herself from blushing as Yang pecked her cheek, an action so simple, yet so full of affection, that Blake felt her toes curl. "I should let you sleep."

"It'd be appreciated." Blake smirked, her cheek feeling tingly where Yang had kissed her. "I'll see you soon?" She asked hopefully, and Yang nodded.

"Soon as I can come back. Promise." Yang nodded.

"And Ruby too?"

At that, Yang went quiet. Blake didn't so much as blink as she awaited the answer, but Yang hesitantly nodded. "She's been with Ozpin all day, I guess trying to figure out what happened, but as soon as she's out, I'm sure she'll want to come see you."

Blake nodded, not liking the way Yang refused to meet her eye. It was doubtful that Ruby would be let off lightly… there needed to be a trial of some sort, questions asked, decisions made regarding her actions, her _existence…_ that girl… "She'll be okay, Yang." Blake spoke up, pushing down all her fears to hope for the best.

Yang turned to give her a quiet, gentle smile, before she flipped off the light and left the room.

Blake took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and sunk back into her dreams.

* * *

The recording played once more, the number of times it had been rewound forgotten by this point. Everyone present watched, faces lit by the grainy video footage on the holographic screen.

The harbor was in utter chaos for the umpteenth time today, the hunters fighting the White Fang, the Grimm fighting the hunters, the hunters fighting Ruby, it replayed over and over and over again. Each camera offered a different perspective, but the same story, and the high-octane action had long dulled the six viewers' adrenaline as they went through the same beats.

When the footage ended once more, the night coming to a close with the arrival of the Beacon professors, Ozpin spoke up amidst the darkness. "I think we've seen enough." He said, typing a command onto his personal computer, the window blinders rolling up slowly to allow the afternoon sun to pour in, making the occupants wince at the drastic change in ambience.

The mood was somber. Last night's events had shaken the hunters drastically. Their home city had very nearly had an outbreak, an outbreak so large it could have easily turned the whole Duermoor area into a human slaughtering ground, the neighboring districts possibly swallowed whole, causing widespread, unstoppable panic, alerting every Grimm on the continent to their distress.

It could have lead to an apocalyptic event for the city of Vale, one that would have taken the intervention of the other major kingdoms to even _hope_ to reclaim. The student hunters that had intervened were being applauded for preventing the catastrophe. There were talks of medals and banquets, but only a handful of people knew the absolute truth of what had happened, and how it had started.

"Ozpin, where is it right now?" General Ironwood's holographic figure asked, his expression stonier than ever as the implications of the night's events weighed on his mind.

Glynda answered in tired, somewhat-irritated voice, "Miss Rose is with Peridot right now, acting as a temporary teacher's aid."

"And Professor Peach is capable of handling it alone?" Ironwood asked, only to provoke an angered frown from Taiyang.

"Her name is _Ruby,_ she's not some _thing,_ and Peach is safe." The blonde man answered in an extraordinarily stern voice, drawing Ironwood's eyes. The general remained stoic, but he did close his eyes for a moment as his nostrils flared. "Ruby's fine. She's _safe."_ Taiyang insisted.

"My apologies for offending you, Xiao Long, but my concern still stands. An inner-city incursion of that size is not something I can take lightly." Ironwood looked up to Ozpin as the headmaster adjusted his spectacles in irritation, but it was not directed towards Ironwood.

"You are right to be concerned, James." Ozpin crossed his fingers in front of his mouth, frowning. "It's not an event I can take lightly either. It's why I have specifically requested your council in this matter: Ruby Rose has shown an extraordinary amount of promise as a hunter, but this event shows that, should she lose control, she is far more dangerous a threat than we had previously predicted. So…" Ozpin stood, taking his cane so he could hobble-pace behind his desk, allowing his mind to focus. "What do we do with Miss Rose?"

"Ruby requires more study, if you ask me." Oobleck spoke up, tightly clutching his Thermos as he heavily leaned against a wall. He drummed his fingers on the wall anxiously, having spent the past thirty-eight hours awake, subsisting purely on excessive amounts of coffee. "We know very little about her abilities, much less _her_."

Professor Port, sitting near-bonelessly in a chair, suddenly leaned forward, indicating that he was, indeed, alert. "The old hunter in me says that such a powerful, potential threat should be hunted, but termination is out of the question." He glanced up, his bushy mustache wiggling in thought. "I agree that she needs to be studied."

"Atlas can provide many Grimm-study facilities," Ironwood offered calmly, hands behind his back, "we could easily house her, _and_ contain her in the event of another outbreak. She could offer us much information about the Grimm, which we would freely share with the rest of Remnant."

"You want to turn my little girl into a lab rat?!" Taiyang asked furiously, but he managed to keep his seat. He squeezed the arm of his chair, threatening to crush it into uselessness, but he kept a check on his anger, and merely left a few indents in the metal. "She's _not_ a Grimm, she is as human as the rest of us, just with- _you know!"_

"We do. And that's why I believe she may be best suited for study." Oobleck said calmly, refusing to meet Taiyang's eye as he looked out the window with a frown. "It does us no good if we remain completely clueless about her capabilities. _Everyone_ last night was blindsided by the amount of Grimm she produced, and the strength she gained once she was taken over."

"We've been hands-off all these years since she seemed containable by even a singular hunter." Port spoke, "Last night proved that she is _beyond_ a single hunter's containment. She fought Pyrrha Nikos to a standstill."

"Not to mention one of our best student hunters as well." Ironwood frowned, wondering just how close Penny had come to accidentally unveiling herself. "One-on-two, Ruby outclassed a world-class gladiator and one of Atlas' most preeminent hunter prodigies. Having read the reports, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were also more-than-capable hunters, as were Sun Wukong and Yang Xiao Long. She came perilously close to going unopposed."

"... She didn't _mean_ to do any of it though." Taiyang made a fist, so much like his daughter, but rather than fume and rage, he fought to think. "Putting her in some lab for the rest of her life is going to kill her. Maybe it's selfish of me, but the only person who knows Ruby better than me is Yang; she'll just- she'll _completely_ fall apart if she's being poked and prodded for the rest of her life!"

"We are not heartless, Xiao Long." Ironwood reminded him calmly. "We would treat her well, we have no interest in punishing her for her unfortunate circumstances, but we need to learn more about her. She is a danger to everyone around her and herself as well, letting her walk freely could invite another incident, especially now that we know somebody was _deliberately_ targeting her."

"Not to mention was aware of her abilities." Glynda added, her eyes moving down to the girl's file on the desk, her fingers drumming against her riding crop. "Roman Torchwick seemed intent on securing her; if I had to guess, he either wanted revenge for his defeat, or intended to weaponize her."

"But…" Taiyang sucked in a deep breath, his entire body beginning to quiver as what they said weighed down on him, and he planted his face into his palm. "It's cruel, isn't it?" He frowned, trying to keep back a wave of emotion, trying to repress rage, sorrow, and disappointment threatening to overwhelm him in the moment. "I know there were risks bringing her here, but… if anything, can't I just take her back home? All Summer and I wanted for her was to just live a good life. This… this is…"

Ozpin stared down at his desk as his mind went to war behind a flat expression. He knew a good soul when he saw one, he had never seen Ruby as an enemy, or something to be put in a jar and poked at. However, he had a role to play. He was an administrator, and a source of authority on all Grimm-related matters. Last night was a _fluke._ Two hundred Grimm should have left behind a massacre, his students had done their jobs _perfectly,_ perhaps better than even grown hunters could have.

Nobody here could deny Ruby's capabilities after what they had seen and heard. Ozpin couldn't make excuses, the extreme circumstances surrounding Ruby had nearly turned her into a one-woman city-killer. It was simply too much to excuse, and he had known that even before he'd contacted Ironwood.

Even so, he was uncomfortable. The safe option would have been to put her into a lab from day one, but Ozpin did not like to play safe; a short-term solution to a problem plagued with unknown factors couldn't have possibly ended well. There were plenty of fictitious stories of a young superweapon being raised in a sterile, controlled environment and going insane. Even if Ozpin had a logical, analytical mind, he couldn't shake how _wrong_ it felt to condemn a little girl to a lifetime of being a test subject.

"Tai," Port spoke in a gentle tone, resting his hand on the blonde man's shoulder to try and keep him calm, "cold as it may be, it's vital we protect ourselves and our citizens-"

" _I know that!"_ Taiyang snapped, holding his face in disappointment. "But she _just got to Beacon,_ you're talking about my _daughter,_ the last thing I have of Summer…"

"Xiao Long, when we became hunters, it came with the understanding that we may be separated from our loved ones. Your connection with Ruby Rose doesn't make her any less dangerous." Ironwood spoke clinically, only to earn an unimpressed glare from the blonde man.

"Speaking as the only other person in the room to have a child," Port rumbled, running his fingers through his facial hair, "I know full well the horrors of potentially losing them. Ruby will still be alive, she'll still be contributing to society, she'll be helping hunters know more about their job, their _enemies!_ She could revolutionize hunterhood for the coming generations! That's far more than many can say!"

"If you think about it, she'd be contributing more in Grimm studies than we could have ever dreamed!" Oobleck spoke reassuringly. "She's not really losing anything, she _does_ want to help people."

Taiyang opened his mouth to refute the professor, but it was Glynda who spoke up for him. "She'd be losing her opportunity to be a hunter." The woman said with a sharp sternness normally reserved for her students. The five men turned to look at her for her suddenly cold tone, and she looked away from them in sudden pity. "I've had little faith in her enrollment here since the beginning, but I have spoken to her candidly. She wants to distance herself from her powers and save lives with her bare hands. Considering her ample ability to take lives, I can understand where her desire comes from."

"And much like transferring flame from a sweltering bonfire to a wet torch, that desire would quickly die if we stripped away her the motivation fueling her." Ozpin looked up at the slowly spinning gears above his desk, and he nervously brushed his fingertips together. "James, I will be speaking from the heart. What I say may not sound logical, but please bear with me."

"I've tried before, I'll try again." The general answered, his ever-present professionalism making it difficult to sense his snark.

Ozpin gathered himself up, and looked to Taiyang as he spoke. "When I met Ruby Rose, she made it clear what she wanted to be, the place she wanted to become it, and why. For all her ill fortune, Ruby is selfless, perhaps as a _result_ of her affliction. I found myself impressed; I had met with her under the pretense that something awful had happened, and that it would get worse, but she truly was a different caliber of person. She has little faith in herself, and yet, she works just as hard as the rest of our students in an effort to make up for her perceived shortcomings. I believe it's because she is in the place where she can make her desires a reality."

"Remarking purely on my personal observations," Glynda interjected, her eyes closed, "we have seen what is, presumably, the peak of her power last night. She has avoided similar incidents throughout the rest of her life, with other incursions resulting in single-digit numbers of Grimm. Her personal willpower was tested last night, harder than it ever had been, and it took _extreme_ circumstances to lead to the near-catastrophic event that occurred."

"It is possible that removing Ruby from Beacon could lead to less restraint." Ozpin surmised carefully, linking what he knew and what he predicted step by step.

"She works as hard as she does because she wants more out of life." Taiyang confirmed, sitting up straighter. "I'm not saying she'll let loose if taken away, that's not what Ruby would _ever_ want, but Beacon has done wonders for her." He began to count off on his fingers. "She's made friends, she's making an effort to talk to people, she doesn't hide away in her room or spend all day training, she's smiling, she's studying, she's doing her work, she's trying _so_ hard-"

"But we aren't trying to decide what's best for her." Ironwood's voice cut in coldly. He did not meet their eyes, and instead, stared at the floor. "We're trying to decide what is best for Remnant, and difficult as it may be, that sometimes means one person doesn't get what they want. Often-times, it means people have to lose certain privileges, or the possibility of achieving their dreams. I have no doubt that Ruby Rose has the potential to be a great huntress, but she is so much more than a huntress, so much more than a human, so much more than _Ruby Rose._ We have to stop talking about her in this manner and address her for what she truly is: what do we do with the Niggurath while she is still in a controllable state?"

The question left the room damningly quiet. Though Taiyang was tense, and turning red at the name, he remained quiet as the surrounding people fell into an awful, frustrated silence.

* * *

"Alright everybody, remember to send me a notice when you want to use the tumblers this week!" Professor Peach called over the ringing class bell. Students were quickly rising from their chairs to grab their books and bags. "The soft earth Dust is due for inspection _by eight-o'clock Friday!_ Team leaders, keep a record on what each team member contributes to the project! Enjoy the rest of your Monday!"

The crowd of third-year students exited with a cloud of relieved chatter following them, and Professor Peach took the glassware she'd been using for her demonstration to the sinks. "Ruby, would you clean the desktops please? Take your time, I've got no more classes today."

The silent girl, wearing her school uniform and her ever-present goggles, stood up from her chair, shoulders hunched as she went to the closet to grab spray bottles and clean rags. She was meticulous in cleaning the tables, first scraping the spare dust into disposable bags before wiping down the wood, ensuring each desk was shining.

"I tell ya," Peridot began, carefully washing and wiping each piece of her equipment, "having to reschedule these classes to be later is the _worst._ Students get rowdy and anxious to leave, but I gotta put out these assignments. By the way, were you paying attention, Ruby?" She looked over her shoulder, and saw the short girl nod her head. "Good. Soft earth Dust is a pain in the tuchus to put together, but it can save you _hours_ of setting up camp later. My ex thought packing the stuff was a waste of time until we ended up on a mountainside in Atlas, and he was almost begging asking if I'd packed it. Nothing says 'come prepared' like subzero temperatures on hard rock."

Ruby nodded, moving onto the next desk.

"'Course, I don't expect you'll ever have to scale the Prages mountain range in your life. I was on an expedition to gather some minerals near the top. A new species of bacteria'd been found in the Prages calderas about a decade back, and the only reason people started looking was 'cuz the rocks I brought back carried some abnormal microfossils." She sounded pleased as punch with herself at that, and Ruby nodded. "That's the thing, Ruby. Sometimes, the little things you do carry a lot of meaning, and you don't even realize it. It'll catch somebody's eye, and they'll wanna know more. S'why I love teaching, it gives you kids the chance to see something amazing and ask questions about it."

Ruby nodded.

Peridot hummed to herself merrily as she worked. She had to keep her chin up, she had to try and keep a positive attitude. For the most part, it worked, but every now and then the facts and the figures last night had produced crept into her mind, and all she could think about was how close they had been to disaster. She kept glancing at her mechanical arm, flexing its fingers while thinking about the people that could have been killed, the students that could have been lost…

The moody girl with the black bow had taken a harpoon to the gut, but she was still alive. That, in itself, was a miracle. The professor took a calm, relaxing breath so her mind would stop racing with the deadly possibilities, and she slid a hand into her pocket to tug out her wallet. She listened to Ruby shuffling about, washing tables, as she stared at a picture of her son, already a full-grown man, with a girl-slaying smile and some of the best equipment he could get his hands on. She reminded herself that he was coming back home in about three months, and took another relieving breath.

Though her students were fine, if shaken, there was one whose future was still in question. She glanced over her shoulder at Ruby, who was slowly running a rag around a desktop, her head hung low. She was quiet, but she was not calm. The girl had a war raging inside of her, she could hardly touch a flask of Dust without it immediately igniting, and Peridot couldn't blame her.

Peridot whipped around when she heard shattering glass and watched silently as Ruby stared at the ground, where a stray beaker had fallen. It was probably an accident—a simple, mindless nudge while she was distractedly cleaning—yet Ruby didn't seem frightened of her mistake, she offered no apologies, her body simply sagged in resignation, and she knelt down to clean it up with her bare hands.

It was a pitiful sight. Peridot crossed her arms, silently squeezing the tubes composing her metal forearm, and she quietly chewed her lip in thought.

Ruby paused in her cleaning when the professor appeared by her side, picking up the glass shards helpfully. The older woman smiled at Ruby, but Ruby couldn't return the smile herself. Her lips parted, the word at the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed and stood, taking the glass to the wastebasket.

"There, all cleaned up." Professor Peach said optimistically, not even feeling a twinge of agitation for the broken equipment. She'd give Ruby a pass, at least for this one. "Thanks for the help, Ruby, this is so much faster with an assistant. How ya feelin' about helping me grade? I can't let you grade anyone in your year, but…" Peridot trailed off as Ruby stared down at the broken flask.

"... I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered.

"Oh, it's no big deal, they're only a couple of lien in town." Peridot waved the issue away with a smile.

"... sorry…" Ruby repeated. It was softer, a little more tight. Peridot's smile waned as the girl's head fell, and her chest shuddered. "'m sorry… I'm really sorry…" Ruby lifted her goggles just the slightest bit to rub her eyes on her sleeve, and Peridot immediately found herself in a panic trying to figure out what to do. "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…" She crumpled in place, squatting while holding her face, shivering with tiny, pathetic sobs. She repeated herself again and again, having lost the strength to keep it all in, and Peridot watched in a quiet numbness.

What could she say? 'It's not your fault?', 'You didn't have a choice?', 'You'll do better next time?' Her kids could be dumb, emotional little drama-queens, but they weren't idiots. People had a mighty ability to sniff out bullshit platitudes and half-hearted niceties, and kids were often over-exposed to the stuff by adults trying to leave some lasting mark or excuse their own cruddy behavior.

Even worse, what good was it trying to lighten the consequences? Peridot didn't know what would happen to Ruby, she had classes to teach while the damn meeting was being held. She could speculate, but she liked none of the ideas she came up with, and trying to pretend what had happened last night wasn't deserving of the highest scrutiny was insulting, to both the girl and the very idea of justice. Peridot wanted the best for her kids, that didn't mean they could get away endangering humanity without due process.

Peridot was realistic, despite her optimism. She wanted the best for Ruby, she wanted Ruby to have a second chance, she wanted Ruby to prove she could get past this… but she was not a member of law enforcement, she was no judge. Ozpin was the only one who could make the call, hopefully with proper council from good people. He was not an unfair man, but his dedication to the Kingdom of Vale was far deeper than his love of any one student.

… Though _he_ wasn't the one having to watch Ruby fall into a spiral of despair. Or… maybe he had, when talking to her about what had happened last night. Even still, Peridot was the one in charge of Ruby, and for everything she had heard, everything she had witnessed, what she saw was not the start of an apocalypse.

Ruby's hiccuping sobs turned into a shocked gasp as she felt a weight around her shoulders, and Professor Peach's cheek against the back of her head. "C'mon Ruby, none of that." She said in a consoling voice, but Ruby's crying only intensified.

"I-I'm sorry!" Ruby gasped for air, and she felt her goggles get pulled off her head by a mechanical hand to let her tears run freely. "I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!_ I so sorry… I-I'm-I-" Ruby sucked in deep breaths, her lungs on fire from crying so much, and the professor pulled her closer, humming a consoling lullaby.

"It's okay honey, just let it all out. You don't gotta hide anything from me." Peridot said in her most gentle voice. She clung to the girl, refusing to let her suffer alone. Being a parent, a teacher, and a hunter, it would be simply criminal to leave the girl to her self-demonization.

Ruby's squeaking apologies and broken whimpers went on and on, and Peridot held her until they faded into shaking breaths and gasps for air. Peridot didn't know how long they knelt there together, but, eventually, the girl was silent, leaning back into her for comfort.

Peridot stroked her shoulders, and beckoned her to stand, with Ruby staring down at her feet, shivering. Peridot tried to give her a sweet smile, but she herself was too wracked with worry of the unknown to put her full heart into it. "Ruby?" Peridot spoke up, causing the girl to silently look up.

Peridot winced and turned away, making Ruby gasp, and quickly pull her goggles on, looking even more miserable at her forgetfulness. "Sorry…"

"No more of that." Professor Peach admonished, touching Ruby's chin. "How 'bout we forget the grading for now? Let's go into Vale and get some ice cream."

"... I shouldn't…" Ruby whispered, pursing her thin lips in anxiousness. "I-I'm a d-danger to-to every-everyone… j-just… k-keep me here, where th-they'll be safe and-" She gasped in pain as a metal finger flicked her forehead, and she looked to Professor Peach in silent shock.

Peridot simply smiled. "Girl, you need to shut your mouth. C'mon, I'll buy us a big ol' sundae. It's too nice-a day to spend all cramped up in Beacon."

Ruby shuffled fearfully, squeezing her hands together in a tight ball, and finally muttered, "W-won't the headmaster be mad?"

"He can shout all he likes, but he ain't ever findin' a better chemist than me. 'Sides, he'd probably wanna come for ice cream too. Once ya get t'know the guy, he's kind of a big kid." Peach winked, squeezing Ruby's shoulder, and turning her towards the door. "Now c'mon kiddo, we're burnin' daylight. Let's go get some sweets."

Ruby was marched out the door, a ball of worries and fears resting heavily in her stomach, but she didn't have the will to turn the professor down. She simply shuddered, and hoped for the best.

* * *

She stood there, with her red eyes trying to eat a hole through Pyrrha's reasoning. She raised her black scythe, and screaming like a banshee, flew towards her, so quickly that the air around them barely had time to catch up.

But Pyrrha moved. She spun in place, letting the scythe's blade scrape across the surface of her shield, while Miló drew a fatal line threw the air across her opponent's neck. The flash of pitch black air told Pyrrha she'd hit home, but her opponent was so much stronger than _that._

She pushed onto Pyrrha, howling until it was all the gladiator could hear. Akoúo̱ crashed against her foe's midsection, Miló spearing towards their stomach, but a crude backhand slapped the blade, and Pyrrha's arm, out wide. Here it was, Pyrrha's failure…

The redheaded huntress took a deep breath, picturing the moment in a series of minutes rather than seconds. Though her opponent used simplistic, telegraphed attacks, her sheer strength and speed meant even a simple, reactionary slap crumpled Pyrrha's defenses. Even with a shield in the girl's chest, the scythe simply traded hands, and fell upon Pyrrha's outstretched arm with a force that had sent the gladiator to her knees.

Her aura had held, the blow had not been fatal, but in the blink of an eye Pyrrha had lost all the feeling in her arm, Miló clattering against the floor as her fingers went limp. Kneeling on the ground, staring at her unresponsive hand, Pyrrha relived that moment: feeling totally overwhelmed, with no room to breath or evaluate. She had been fighting in a life or death situation, there was no braggart on the other end of that scythe, it had been a creature of immense aggression.

She remembered standing back up, that horrible feeling of an insurmountable challenge filling her gut, but then another oddity reared its head: excitement. She stood, her sword-arm refusing to so much as twitch at her mental command, but Miló obeyed her will all the same. She had been at the very edge, defeat looming over her like a cruel specter, and she had found joy.

So many times had a mouthy opponent threatened her with defeat, only to fall while Pyrrha hardly broke a sweat. She had, on too many occasions, psyched herself up in the locker rooms, only to find her opponents lacking. If they were strong, they were slow; if they were fast, they were dumb; if they were smart, they were unskilled; if they were talented, they were weak. Pyrrha had never considered herself the pinnacle of combat, but as she dug into the flaws of her opponents and exploited them, and improved herself so she would not do the same, she found them… lacking.

Combat wasn't her hobby, it was her life. She sharpened her mind, her muscles, her memory, and her reflexes night after night, at the expense of her social life. She had given up the world she knew best when the awful reality of her peaking set in, and she knew she had to find more than the next opponent.

She had never considered Ruby a worthy opponent. An intriguing weapon user, whose own skills and merits were far above average, who could teach Pyrrha plenty, but nothing about her told Pyrrha that she'd be anything more than a friend and a weapon mentor. Yet in a single night, Ruby had turned… _everything_ on its head.

Pyrrha found herself crippled, staring down her new friend in genuine terror, and she'd felt a smile on her face. She felt _insane…_ what sort of person was she to be so thrilled in the face of her own death? But after so long of finding so-called worthy opponents to be flaccid challenges, after throwing herself into practice from practically the day she could pick up a sword, she'd found somebody who gave her that feeling again.

Somebody who, if she'd triumphed over, would give her a belt, fame, money, and world-wide recognition, if only briefly. Somebody who forced her to deploy every possible skill she had, and come up with some on the spot when she was backed into a corner. Somebody who, while lacking in intelligence, was so strong, so fast, so _tough,_ that Pyrrha had to race to whittle her down before the next blow could knock Pyrrha out.

She had danced on the blade's edge of death and glory, only to be interrupted. While she was glad, as it meant they had 'fixed' the problem, the loss of such a demanding opponent left Pyrrha with a bittersweetness in her stomach that was hard to digest.

Her coach had told her, 'Do the smart thing, not the flashy thing.' in regards to winning, and they had done the smart thing, even if it was by accident. It left Pyrrha wanting, replaying the loss of her arm and the tactics of her opponent over and over again in her mind. What wrong decisions had she made? Where were her opponent's openings? How could she approach it from a different angle? She had so many questions, but no answers…

She stepped back, entering her fighting stance, gritting her teeth, and began to shadow-fight once more. Next time, she would not fail… not herself, not Ruby, not Nora and Ren…

A new light filtered into the training room, and Pyrrha begrudgingly lowered her stance and looked towards the door. She relaxed further when Jaune walked in, rubbing the back of his neck with a tired smile, his eyes on his teammate as he shut the door behind him. "Hey, sorry to interrupt." He offered a meek wave, and Pyrrha sheathed her weapons to bow her head at Jaune.

"No need to apologize, Jaune." She walked over to meet him, and he let out a relieved groan once he was sure they were alone. "Jaune?" She quirked an eyebrow.

The blonde boy approached her with a slow, heavy gait, suggesting the weight of the world had only recently been removed from his shoulders. His eyes were sharp and alert, but his awkward blinking suggested a lack of rest. He seemed to flinch at shadows, and nervously rubbed his hands together, and Pyrrha couldn't blame him for his anxiousness. "Ren's back to breathing normally," he finally said, "and Nora can wiggle her toes. Looks like there'll be no lasting effects. How's your arm?"

Pyrrha raised her hand and made a fist, and slowly rolled her shoulder as she tested its flexibility and strength. She seemed perfectly fine, and her confident smile confirmed it. "If not one-hundred percent, near it. A little training helps works all the kinks out."

"Yeah, well, I tried to tell Nora that, but keeping her out of Ren's bed so he can do breathing exercises is like putting horseshoes on the old mule." Jaune stroked his jaw subconsciously. "She kicks about as hard too…"

Pyrrha giggled, making Jaune grin. It was a relief to laugh again, even amidst the numerous unanswered questions between them both. "Well I'm pleased to hear they're both well. I can put my training on hold for the moment, we should go visit them in the hospital before they're discharged."

"Probably, we got a _lot_ to talk about." Jaune nodded his head, his eyes closing as he went deep into thought, drawing Pyrrha's curiosity. "Pyrrha, what do you think?"

"About what?" Pyrrha asked after some momentary confusion. There was much to think about, last night had been a night unlike any other. Her mind was filled to the brim with thoughts, making it difficult to focus on one in particular.

"Ruby." Jaune answered.

Pyrrha briefly tensed, but not for the reasons Jaune thought. She was wound, ready for combat, or training. All she could think about was lifting Crescent Rose and practicing the circle of death, or jabbing feebly at a powerful aura as screams of defiance filled her ears… she swallowed thickly. "I haven't sorted out my thoughts on Ruby just yet." She answered weakly, drawing a little nod.

"Me neither." Jaune sighed. "I hope Nora's managed to keep her mouth shut, at least. The headmaster was practically twisting our arms to keep us quiet."

"With good reason, I imagine." Pyrrha lowered her head. The fight that had thrilled her so much had quickly turned tragic. Poor Blake… and poor Ruby as well. It was infuriating knowing as little as they did, but orders were orders, and Pyrrha had come very far to escape the stagnation of her old life. "We could visit Blake while we're there as well."

"Hey, yeah, not a bad idea." Jaune cracked a smile at the thought. "If she can see people that is. Weiss and Yang are probably with her too, maybe… maybe we can ask them about Ruby."

Pyrrha nodded uncomfortably. It felt a little too much like prying, but… she was curious. Those eyes, the Grimm, that _strength…_ Pyrrha shuddered, the memories heightening her feelings once more. She itched to train some more, but she shelved that desire to follow Jaune out.

* * *

" _Please_ tell me this is a joke." Yang demanded flatly, though she couldn't dismiss the smile plastered across her face as she flipped the scroll over in her hand.

"Wh-what's wrong with it?!" Weiss demanded, crossing her arms over her modest bust. "I'll have you know that _that_ is a top-of-the-line scroll! Blake's old one was seriously compromised by some sort of security decryptor, it was cheaper to buy her a new one than restore her old one!"

"Weiss," Yang almost laughed as she waved the scroll at her teammate, "It's a _fish."_

Weiss's eyebrow twitch, and her cheeks filled with a rosy red as Yang held the cartoony fish by the head and the tail. She pulled, splitting it apart, the holographic screen briefly creating an image of a fish's skeleton between the two halves, before it faded away to read: _-'Welcome, new user.'-_ "B-Blake has a known interest in fish, I thought- I figured it might be relevant to her interests!"

"Somebody _could_ accuse you of being racist." Yang teased with an overly amused smile. Weiss sneered and argued petulantly as the two girls took a slow walk back towards the hospital. As it had been for the past week, Vale was sunny and hot, with only a few fluffy, white clouds resting in the perfect blue above.

The day was entirely distanced from the night before. It was happy, peaceful, lively, and comfortable, which made it significantly easier for the two girls to unwind. There was plenty more baggage to sort through, but for the moment, they were unfettered by duty or terror.

Weiss had wanted to get some tea, Yang wanted to sneak some beer so they could get plastered–with the passing implication they could make out once properly drunk. They ultimately compromised and went to get tea, only marginally to Yang's disappointment.

They'd made a point to step into nearly every shop that caught their interest as they explored Vale, with Yang making a point to show Weiss her favorites, even if they were out of the way, and they thoroughly explored a few that Yang insisted Weiss needed to see. Being an expert in the heights of fashion, Weiss examined every clothing, shoe, jewelry, and perfume store they came across with a critical eye, setting the poor staff on the absolute edge of their wits as the Schnee heiress ruthlessly examined their stock.

It was a great source of amusement for Yang, who honestly needed a laugh. She was already familiar with Weiss's perfectionism; watching other people freak out from having the _Schnee heiress_ make a surprise visit to their shop was hilarious. It was an interesting reminder of just how significant a person Weiss was. At Beacon, they were teammates, and it surprised Yang how quickly they'd become friends. To everybody else, she was still _the_ celebrity, a teen idol whose business decisions and opinions shook the industry to its core.

And she'd bought her new Faunus friend a fish-shaped scroll. Weiss was an honest, adorable little delight when she wasn't at arm's length. The stop in the electronics store was just to browse, but the instant Weiss had seen the fish scroll, she was fixated. Blake had an outdated model scroll, close to a decade old, and repairs wouldn't have been too bad if they didn't require special-ordering from Atlas.

 _Obviously_ the best thing to do was to buy their friend a brand, spanking-new scroll, and pay the little bit extra for a specialized one. Weiss was insistent, she'd even used her own lien for it. Yang didn't argue, but she couldn't help but tease…

The two young ladies walked through the garden-lined thoroughfare leading to the hospital's entrance, their joviality slowly began to evaporate as they entered the sterile halls of the large building. It wasn't as if a hospital was a fantastic environment to keep a casual, playful attitude, but the closer they loomed to Blake, the more they thought about what would happen to their team.

Blake was more than likely going to come back. She said it herself, she was set to recover in a few weeks, but it left the fourth member of their band, their leader at question. Yang couldn't help but feel… itchy at the loss of Ruby. She knew Ruby, she _adored_ her sister, she was fine following her. For all her nervousness, indecisiveness, and shyness, Ruby was a good person, and would thrive at Beacon, maybe even make more friends and become the hero she wanted to be. All Yang wanted for Ruby was to succeed…

… While Weiss quietly wondered if her friendship was meant to last. It was a strange thing, Weiss had made few connections in her life with such a strong, emotional effect on her. She had said goodbye to her beloved butler, Klein, with no tears shed. In fact, their parting was a sincerely happy one, in which Klein one-hundred percent supported her going to Beacon, and the two chat, joked, and prepared for the eventuality with the understanding that Weiss was going to a better place.

She wondered if she'd get the chance to say goodbye to Ruby. The stuttering little mess, a forgetful, silly little thing more interested in children's stories than utilizing her odd charisma… she was such a pain. Fully and truly. She had loads of talent, and skill that put Weiss to shame, she had a reasonable wit and enough intelligence that she wasn't offensive, but what made Ruby shine so brightly wasn't her strength or her smarts, it was what she said, and the sincerity she spoke it with. It was the deeds she performed fearlessly, even if they weren't in her self-interest, it was the honest and open goodness she exuded in her quest to become a huntress.

Weiss's social circle in Atlas had been composed of high socialites whose primary concerns were with petty things. Their own clothing, other people's clothing, something distasteful somebody had said, it had been an endless stream of gossip over things Weiss would have found more engaging if her acquaintances had been concerned with literally anything else. There were few people who had grown beyond a rich vapidness with an interest in improving themselves, be it through education or business, but for the most part, none of them had… suffered. They were entirely too willing to keep grudges over minor inconveniences, their perspectives too narrow to understand how harmful it was.

Ruby was different. She had forgiven Weiss for her own narrow-mindedness, and had shown her how incredible she could be in the process. Weiss had found somebody who made difficult trials seem so trivial, and was willing to show her just how easy it could be. She had found somebody who was willing to open their heart up and let her in, somebody unafraid to speak honestly with her…

Somebody who _wanted_ to impress her, who _wanted_ to improve themselves to her standards, not out of obsession, but out of companionship and a genuine desire to improve.

Even when they rubbed each other the wrong way, it was short-lived. Weiss hadn't had a friend like Ruby… Blake was still a large unknown factor, but her humor was often at another's expense, while Yang was so brash and… _boyish_ at times. Ruby was at least _somewhat_ subtle in the locker rooms… and terribly candid. It was easy to pity the younger girl, not that either of them would allow it to affect their relationship. Despite Ruby's admittedly harsher predicament, Weiss saved her sympathy for somebody who would want it.

She was at a difficult place with Ruby's possible expulsion: she might become the next team leader, or gain a team leader with more experience and sociability… but she'd lose an utterly interesting young lady whom Weiss had inexplicably grown fond of over the course of the week. If Weiss had to make a choice, she was leaning towards keeping Ruby as her partner, and her team leader.

With a nudge from Yang, Weiss awoke to find herself at Blake's door. She swallowed her nervousness, and with it, her thoughts on Ruby. There was little point to worrying herself sick, only time would tell what would happen.

They two entered the hospital room to a round of loud laughter, confusing the two girls as they stared at the four extra people around Blake's bed.

"It was only a _little_ kick." Nora insisted with a blase snort, earning a quick glare from Jaune.

"It knocked me on my butt! The doctor said it knocked me unconscious for, like, eight seconds!" He insisted with a pout, making Nora blow a dismissive raspberry.

"Oh boo hoo, you shouldn't be tickling my feet anyways! That's reserved for Ren!" Nora snuggled up to the boy's side, and Ren said nothing, merely turning to greet Weiss and yang with a curious glance.

"Ah, Weiss, Yang, welcome." He bowed his head, earning a grin from the blonde bruiser.

"Everyone's already here? Sweet! Means I don't have to bother tracking your lame asses later. Wassup, JNPR?" She strode forward, bumping fists, before focusing strictly on Blake. The catgirl looked up to Yang with a lazy smirk, still looking all kindsa awful, but her eyes were more alert thanks to some sleep and food.

"Nora and I both have made full recoveries and should be back in class by tomorrow." Ren informed with a pleased expression, while Nora, hanging about his shoulders, put on her toothiest smile.

"Though we're _probably_ gonna take the day off to recover!"

Pyrrha raised a hand before the question could be asked, "We are planning on bringing them an extra set of notes, however."

"A good plan." Weiss praised, moving between them in order to hold the little fish scroll out to Blake. Weiss kept a neutral expression, though she did quietly gulp when Blake looked… and continued to look without making a move. "Well? It's for you."

"I know." Blake responded, her eyebrow twitching thoughtfully. "I'm just wondering whether or not I should be offended." Her amusement only grew as Weiss blushed, and the cat had to grab the scroll out of Weiss's hand before it could be taken back.

"You said it yourself that you like fish, and your old scroll was far too old! If you don't want an upgrade–and, for that matter, some entertainment while you remain bedridden–then I can simply return it!" Weiss flustered and blushed, as all around her, her various friends hid their snickering. "I-it's meant to be personal! This way, it can never be confused for anybody else's. A-and-"

"It's cute." Blake interjected before Weiss could go on a tirade. The heiress watched Blake with big eyes, waiting for further judgement as Blake pulled the two ends of the fish, getting the same fish-bone loading screen, and a welcome. Blake hummed as she input her information and settings, while Weiss shyly divulged the new scroll's system specs and features that Blake could enjoy with her upgrade.

Jaune, in the meantime, ran his thumb along the scar in Yang's palm. "Does it hurt?" He asked. He was still growing used to aura's healing properties; its ability heal even dire wounds in short order, mitigate excessive pain, and even stave off infection were things that would have been useful for any layman.

"It's sore, and it's hard to make a fist, but the doc says I should give it a week and I'll be golden. In the meantime… Nora! Does this make me hot?" Yang held her palm up, grinning next to the ragged mark on her hand.

" _So_ hot." Nora confirmed, wiggling her eyebrows.

"That's what I like to hear!"

"Now, see, with this app, you're able to take recordings." Weiss's finger moved from button to button, beaming as Blake explored her new scroll thoroughly, "So you can use it during class in order to review what the professors said if there are gaps in your notes."

"Where's the app that lets me manipulate the photos I take?" Blake asked.

"Err, it's an option in the photography app. Right here…" Weiss showed her. Blake immediately took a picture of Pyrrha, causing the redhead to blink in curiosity as the bedridden girl immediately touched it up.

"From gladiator champ," Blake inverted the screen, grinning at the ease of doing so, "to puppy dog, with the click of a button." Pyrrha and Weiss both stared at the picture, which was Pyrrha's surprise-faced snapshot, but with the addition of a pair of floppy brown ears. The autumnal huntress stared at her altered photo, then immediately tilted her head like a curious Zwei.

"Can you change the ear colors? I do not like that shade of brown." Pyrrha pouted, while Blake snickered.

"Very funny, Blake. Do you want me to show you the actually helpful features on your new scroll, or…?"

Blake took Weiss's picture, and immediately applied a pair of white rabbit ears. Weiss breathed deeply, massaging her temples as Blake showed Pyrrha. "Incredible." Pyrrha said dryly.

"I think they fit." Blake grinned, while Weiss held up a finger.

"One," She began in that 'matter-of-fact' tone, "that is extraordinarily rude to take my picture without my permission." Then she raised a second finger, "And _two,_ I took one of those idiotic 'what sort of Faunus would you be' tests out of a magazine, and according to my choices, a fox's tail would have suited me." Weiss crossed her arms with a challenging look at Blake, whose eyes widened, her jaw dropped… "Come to think of it, that would make me look somewhat like Cherry from that Alfheim book."

" _Yes!"_ Blake squeaked, drawing a confused look from everyone else as she held the stitches on her stomach when they rebelled at the excitement. "Ugh… I mean… yeah. Though I'm sorta on the fence with that one."

"Why's that?" Weiss asked, watching the blanket above Blake's belly in case anything emergency-warranting seeped through.

"Back at the White Fang camps there wasn't a lot of electronic entertainment to go around, but radios and music players were popular and easy to get our hands on." Blake explained, growing less tense as the pain faded. "Finding a good music station was hard out in the middle of nowhere, but when we were nearer to a radio tower we could get some pretty basic stations: country–which only the old members listened to–some rock, but a lot of pop. You were on your musical warpath around that time, so we switched stations whenever you came on. In fact, our leader made it a camp _rule_ that you weren't allowed to get airtime. Thing is, like it or not, you had a talent to you, so while our leader was out, or busy, some of us sat around and put you on."

"... I had _fans_ in the _White Fang?!"_ Weiss asked incredulously, earning a big grin from Blake.

"Unbelievable, huh? Whenever we got magazines or posters of you, they were usually torn up, or used as target practice, though some of the members had a pretty harmless habit of taking the spares and drawing rabbit ears on you. I forget who started it, but it just became a thing. Whenever we had a picture of Weiss Schnee, she got rabbit ears. Sometimes buck teeth too."

After a moment of contemplation, Weiss reached up to touch her upper lip, looking perplexed by the news. Blake stifled a laugh, not out of pity, but self-preservation.

As the crowd of teens chat and relaxed, the door clicking open drew their attention. In strode a third blonde, smiling confidently, his neck in a small, cushioned brace, his tail flicking behind him. Following immediately after was a third redhead, wearing an equally wide, but simple smile, her pink bow bouncing on her head with each step.

"Hey hey party people, guess who's got a clean bill of health!" Sun waved to the crowd of fellow students, immediately getting a fistbump from Yang. "And hel _lo_ Yang! How's the hand?"

"Stiff, but recovering. How's the neck?" Yang smirked as he touched the almost collar-like brace with a forced grin.

"Helping with circulation or something, fine otherwise. 'Cuz goddamn, Ruby's got one hell of a swing on her!" His smile was not reciprocated. The name silenced the room, and Yang made a partial fist, quickly looking away. Any levity they were feeling was sapped, and Sun rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Alright, wrong subject to start on…"

"Speaking of Ruby, will she be coming by sometime soon?" Penny asked, missing the way Yang flinched. "I wish to inform her that the pictures I took of Zwei have gotten twenty-four views! More than double my usual amount!" Penny bounced in excitement, her smile unfaltering.

"Yeah, about that…" Yang rubbed the back of her head. She took it upon herself to inform Penny about Ruby's current situation. The odd girl's smile shrank, while Sun moved over to Blake's side, offering Jaune a quick grin in the process.

"How ya doin', kitty-cat?" Sun asked. Weiss opened her mouth to reprimand him for referring to Blake as such, but Blake merely pointed her scroll at him and snapped a photo.

"It hurts to laugh and breathe too deeply, I probably won't be on my feet for a while, and I am giving you wings. Do you prefer white feathers or black bat wings?" Blake asked.

"Uuuuh, how about-"

"Oop, don't care, you now have lizard eyes."

Sun just laughed, and Weiss quietly wondered if it was okay because Sun was also a Faunus. She had so rarely interacted with Faunus on such a personal level, she couldn't help but second-guess everything she wanted to say.

Penny, meanwhile, worked up an almost comical frown. "But will she be available soon? I cannot stay in Vale for long, my time is even more limited since I will returning to Atlas for review over my actions last night."

"I've…" Yang nervously flicked her hair over her shoulder, her eyes sinking to Penny's knees as a wave of frustration coursed through her shaking limbs. "I don't know what's going to happen to Ruby, or when. I'm sorry Penny, but it's not my decision, and I won't get to know until it's over with." She managed to keep a normalized voice, but she _hated_ not knowing what was going to happen to her sister.

"Oh. I see." Penny said sadly, squeezing her small hands together in disappointment. "Then perhaps I will text her."

"Yeah, yeah you should." Yang nodded, drawing into herself miserably.

Before she had a chance to get too absorbed in worry and self-pity, Nora spoke up. "Hey, Yang?" The redhead slowly pulled herself from Ren to give the tall blonde an uncertain look. Yang glanced at her in quiet annoyance, and Nora glanced to Ren, as if seeking guidance, but then barrelled onward. "Like, I know this might not be the best time, but we're still kinda freaked out and left outta the loop. What's up with Ruby? What… what _is_ she?"

The question once again brought silence to the surrounding teens. Yang gave Nora a strong stink-eye, but she didn't outright dismiss her or the question. Each of them stared at Yang, including Ren, who did not hide his curiosity, or Weiss, who was open to learning more.

Yang stared at the wall. Throughout her entire life, the subject of Ruby had been a very closely guarded one. Yang was Ruby's older sister, she encouraged and helped her however she could, as Ruby was still a person… but a person that had to be kept away from others. Yang wanted her to be social, to help her find friends, to _meet_ people, but everything, from her eyes, to her powers, to… to _Summer_ had to be kept a secret.

It was easy to excuse Ruby's most obvious oddity as just an eye-condition, but it still drew curiosities, and pleading to see for themselves. It just wasn't feasible, it _couldn't_ be laughed off, or regarded as gross and gnarly. Everything about her was like walking on eggshells, steering people away from Ruby's issues and making things awkward by coaching them on what not to say…

A part of Yang rebelled against the idea of saying even a word about Ruby, she wanted to reprimand them for daring to ask such a sensitive question… but another part of her was angry. Angry that these people, who had put in so much effort in rescuing Ruby and containing her, would be kept in the dark.

They were her friends. They were Ruby's friends too.

"... I was two years old when Ruby was born, so I don't remember much, just the stories. It was a big red flag that we were stormed in at our house when my mother, Summer Rose, went into labor on, of all days, Halloween night. It was the worst rainstorm Patch had seen in a century, the roads and bridges were pretty much washed away, so there was no chance we could make it to a hospital. Dad and Qrow took turns keeping me calm in the nursery while the other was with mom in the bathroom." Yang closed her eyes, remembering the story her drunken uncle had told her vividly when she'd pressured him enough. "They thought my mom had broken something while giving birth. There's usually blood and gross stuff, but the birthing fluids were like ink: pitch black, and staining everything. Uncle Qrow said he'd nearly had a heart attack when he'd seen it. Dad was scared to hell what was going to happen to Ruby _and_ my mom, but somehow, they pulled through. Those eyes y'all saw? Ruby had them since she was born. They aren't a semblance."

"But… that is an _absurd_ mutation for anybody to grow for _any_ reason." Weiss mused, arms crossed over her chest as mulled it over.

"Somebody can't just be _born_ with such a thing without some sort of outside influence." Ren spoke up, his expression flat with thought. "But no radiation, or Grimm I have ever heard of, could do that, could they?"

"That's the thing: we don't know." Yang said softly, her voice growing quieter until their ears strained to hear her. "We have theories: while mom was pregnant, she took a simple mission to go survey some territory that had recently been wiped clean of Grimm. There had been reports of an odd, unkillable Grimm in the area. Mom was restless, so she went with my uncle Qrow. They never told me the full details, but… mom got attacked by something neither of them could identify. Uncle Qrow found mom unconscious in the woods and took her back immediately, the Grimm seemed to have disappeared, but mom was… _ill_ from then on." Yang hung her head, her jaw working slowly. "We assumed it was some sort of venom, but they couldn't find anything physically wrong with her. Weird blood levels sometimes, some odd patterns throughout her body, but she could still function. Just, every now and then she threw up black, and she would be in bed for the rest of the day. No matter what they did, nobody could figure out what was _wrong_ with her. Everybody was scared to shit because Ruby was coming soon, and when Ruby was born, I mean… you guys saw her eyes; Uncle Qrow wouldn't tell me what happened right after other than that 'mom made us keep her.'"

"... It's a damn good thing you did." Blake piped up, getting a curious, but grateful look from Yang. "She's the reason I wasn't shipped back to the White Fang."

"Yeah… yeah. I mean, I'm happy we still have Ruby. You guys have seen how she is, the way she acts, what she _does…_ she's always been that way. She just wants to help out and love everyone. She's been my best friend for _years;_ hell, I talk to her about _everything_ , and it feels _good_ to know she has my back, but… at the time, mom took care of her, dad struggled to bond with her as a kid. Mom loved the hell out of her, read to her all the time, told her she was beautiful no matter how her eyes looked, and once mom disappeared, I did it for her." Yang tensed. Her eyes squinted, misting over, her lips compressing tightly as she did everything in her power to hold back the urge to cry. "I was eight, Ruby was six. Mom came into our rooms one morning and told us both she was going to be out on a mission for a while, and never came back. I knew something was wrong, mom was acting off the entire time, rushing to leave even when I asked for like, a hug or a book. She didn't _want_ to go, but she _had_ to go, and… and she _never came back._ Ruby didn't really get what losing mom meant for the both of us." Yang continued, her voice shaking. "But-but _goddamnit,_ I _tried._ Dad did too, but dad's not mom. I wasn't her either, but I tried to do what mom would have wanted, and _fuck me_ if I didn't get the best little sister with those _stupid fucking eyes_ and the _stupid fucking Grimm_ and-and she can't live a _normal fucking life_ because _who fucking knows why."_ Yang took a deep breath, her nose wrinkled as she snarled through the now flowing tears. The rest of the room remained respectfully quiet as she sniffled, wiped her cheeks, and glared in growing distress. "Ruby deserves better, I tried to raise her into the best goddamned person in the world, and lo and behold, by some miracle I got a pretty damn good little girl out of it. All this shit she's going through? I don't care how strong Ozpin is, or if it's for the greater good, she's _my_ sister, goddamnit, it's going to _stay that way."_ Yang grit her teeth, her fingers digging into her elbows as she tried to keep herself in control.

Weiss, silently, walked to Yang and put her arms around her. It was the barest attempt at a hug, from somebody who was not used to affection, but Yang more than made up for it by dragging the debutante into her grip. Blake _loathed_ her condition at the moment, and it took all of her willpower to not throw caution into the wind and join the two.

Team JNPR was quiet, watching, thinking, and remembering the night before through a new lens, while Sun bit his tongue to keep himself from asking further questions, or making light of it. Penny was silent and still, her eyes wide, unblinking, her mind racing.

"That must have-... _This_ must be really hard for you, Yang." Jaune quietly stroked his fore and middle fingers with his thumb, his expression soft and sad. Yang didn't answer him, but the truth was evident in her expression. It had been a short time, but Jaune had seen a lot of his sisters in Ruby: her innocence, her shyness, her boldness, her affection… he couldn't help but share in Yang's frustration.

Over the course of their trials and misfortunes, he had placed faith in the girl many times, and she had always come through for him. In a way, Ruby was as much a member of his team as Nora and Ren, but they shared duties as leaders. He glanced over at Weiss and Yang, then to Blake. They'd had no reason to trust in his decisions and ideas, but they'd granted it anyways, and if not for Ruby being a surprise opponent, they'd done well. They were his team too, they'd shared plenty of problems and solved them together, he cared a lot about what happened to them.

Judging by the way Nora joined the hug, and Ren offered an encouraging hand, while Pyrrha consolingly touched Blake's palm, his team felt the same way. He shakily stood, feeling like he had to say more, find the one thing that would bring them all hope again, but he was interrupted when the door clicked open. Nine sets of eyes turned to the door as a small, frail figure walked in.

Eyes went wide and hearts seemed to stop as Ruby looked up from the little container she was holding to stare at all of her friends, gathered in one place. Their eyes were pinned to her, watching her every movement. They all shared a similar moment of wonder: was she about to attack? Were they about to deal with Grimm? Had they come to a decision regarding her?

The little lady immediately shrank, her posture collapsing in on itself as she stared at her family, her friends, her _victims…_ she turned away from them, reaching for the door, but she paused long enough to stare down at the container in her hands. Head down, lips pursed, and not saying a word, she quickly scampered to Blake's side to put the box by her teammate's hand. When she tried to make for the door again, strong fingers closed around her wrist.

Ruby looked back at Blake, her face slack with fright and guilt, and the cat girl uttered a single word: "Stay."

The little lady flinched, shaking like a leaf in Blake's grip, before she found her cracked, pathetic voice. "I c-can't… I-I'm sorry…" Ruby pulled her hand from Blake's, turned to exit, and found herself almost tackled off her feet by Yang. "Y-Yang, I _can't!_ I'm sorry b-but I _can't!"_ Ruby wheezed.

"Stay." Jaune repeated. He stood, and while Ruby struggled, he embraced the two sisters to keep Ruby still. Ruby twitched as Blake's hand filled hers, squeezing the younger girl's fingers calmingly as Blake struggled to sit up enough to get some leverage.

"You should join us, we're having fun." Weiss whispered into Ruby's ear, her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"We worked so hard to drag your dumb ass back, we can at least enjoy it." Nora piped up, both her and Ren pressing in on the slowly growing hug while Ruby shivered in their midst.

"It's good to see you as yourself again, Ruby." Pyrrha snuggled in next to Jaune, smiling at her. Ruby's cheeks twitched, drooped, and she made a grieved sound. "We were so worried about you."

"Ruby!" Penny popped up by Weiss, her expression filled with pride and joy. "I am so glad we did not kill each other! The pictures I took have over twenty views!" Penny wriggled, touching Ruby's shoulder as she searched her scroll.

"Uh, hey!" Sun stood at the edge of the group, his head popping up where it could. "You hit like a goddamned _train,_ you know that? This is coming from somebody who's _actually_ been hit by a train!"

They pressed around her, their hands encircling and holding her, but not to capture her, or to pull her apart. They held her close, Yang especially, the older sister unable to speak clearly as she babbled incoherent questions, promises, and threats. They were warm, they were smiling, their eyes focused on her face, their words kind and gentle.

It wasn't fair.

They had seen her at her strongest, now they had to see her at her weakest. Ruby cried. She wailed as they pulled her closer, enveloping her in their comfort and love, and Yang wordlessly tossed her goggles aside to let the tears flow freely. She buried her face into her older sister's shoulder to hide from them, even as they shielded her from her own harsh reality with their hug. The noises she made were not cute, the faces she made were not pretty, and they each slowly sunk to their knees to let her rest, and to rest with her.

She was furious that they were being so gentle with her. She was relieved they held no grudge, but after what she'd done with them, she wanted them to be afraid so she wouldn't have a reason to come back. She wanted to be shunned and scorned so that her home would be a place to escape to, not imprisoned in, but they didn't push her away. All Ruby wanted was to go back to her dorm room, for things to go back to the way they were, she wanted to be with these people for as long as she could.

She loved them, they dared to love her back, and she suffered knowing it wasn't meant to be.

It hurt Blake even more, knowing that crawling out of her bed to join them would only exacerbate her condition. She stared down at her little leader, her newest friend, somebody she had placed extraordinary faith into and espoused her goodness, and watched her cry. She was so tiny in Yang's arms, she was so pitiful the way she cried, at the moment, she didn't look like some extraordinary hero or revolutionary, she looked just like a little girl who had been rescued from a kidnapping…

She was real. What a weird thing to think about, watching somebody cry and admit, ' _they're real.'_ Yet, after seeing her father hide his tears, and watching Adam distance himself from his emotions until all that remained was anger. Watching Ruby give her ugliest, hardest cry into Yang's shoulder was privately rewarding. With everything that had happened, Ruby seemed more alive than ever. From her ashamed silence entering the room, to her breakdown then and there… Blake sniffled.

She wanted to be there with them. They were her pack… even if she'd briefly abandoned them… even if she was, once again, a traitor to her cause… Blake quieted her thoughts as she saw the familiar figure on the other side of the room. Professor Peach waved at her from the door and mouthed, ' _watch her.'_ Blake nodded. The professor was trusting them with keeping an eye on Ruby?... Was she not supposed to be here? That… made sense, Ruby would still be under review.

Peach, Ruby, and, by extension, the rest of them were probably breaking the rules something hardcore. Peach left, leaving the teens to themselves, and Blake glanced down to her friends. They hadn't noticed, and the catgirl put on a tiny, sad smile.

"I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered shakily from the group hug. "I'm _s-sorry…_ I'm so _sorry…_ I-I c-couldn't- I-I'm just-"

"Shut up." Weiss ordered.

"B-but I-I jus- I c-can't- I-"

"Seriously, shut up." Yang ordered, her voice shaking as she gathered her little sister on her lap.

"I-... I-..." Ruby sniffled, hiding her face. She let out a shriek when a stinging sensation shot through her rump, and Nora huffed.

"Seriously, learn to take some orders." Nora grinned, pulling her hand from Ruby's butt at Yang's glare.

Ruby finally obeyed, but didn't stop whimpering. Her body slowly unwinding, her fingers loosening, she relaxed her full bodyweight against Yang, looking like a big, tired, miserable pile. Yang's hand delicately cradled the back of Ruby's head, and the entire room seemed to decompress as Ruby's breathing equalized. Nobody said a word, just kept a tight circle of arms and hands.

Yang broke the silence first in her most gentle voice. "You stayed up all last night, didn't you?" Her voice was full of playful admonishment.

"Y-you know I was… I-I couldn't s-sleep after… a-after what happened…" Ruby shifted her head, using Yang's shoulder as a cushion for her heavy head. "I-I'm sorry…"

"Shh." Yang ordered, swatting Ruby's backside. "Quit apologizing. Do you know how cranky you get when you're sleepy? I know last night sucked, but-"

"Yang, I _nearly k-killed you."_ Ruby hiccuped, fresh tears soaking Yang's neck as the older girl ran her fingers up to hold Ruby's head.

"Yeah… you actually kicked my ass pretty hard. Good job, Ruby." Yang joked, and immediately yelped when Ruby punched her boob.

"S-stop joking, damnit… stop…" Ruby shuddered, her body winding up once more as she lifted her head. She met her sister's eyes, _hating_ the way Yang immediately focused on her chin, and Ruby immediately stared at the floor between the two of them. "L-Last night should n-never have hap-happened… B-Beacon was my chance to g-get better, b-but all I d-did was hurt my f-friends, my b-big sister, n-nearly k-ki-kill a b-buncha people…"

"But you didn't!" Jaune piped up. He wasn't the only one to flinch away from Ruby's gaze, many of them tried to chance it and see what she was like under those goggles, only to find their minds reeling in mortal terror. Sun had to turn away entirely as his neck ached fiercely without provocation. "Just because last night was a complete mess doesn't mean you don't deserve to be at Beacon. We all make mistakes, it's-"

" _My whole life is a goddamned MISTAKE!"_ Ruby suddenly shouted in anger, making Jaune cringe.

Yang breathed in deeply, calming her pounding heart, and lightly tapped Ruby's nose. "You're being too harsh on yourself, sis. It's okay, I promise, you're still Ruby, you're still my little sister. You've got nothing to be scared of, okay?"

Ruby's head hung limply, as her hands encircled Yang's, and she bore her teeth in a quiet rage. "... I'm a monster…"

"Far from it," Ren interjected, "you're a-"

Ruby's head twisted his way sharply, and the words died on his tongue as his years of harsh self-discipline peeled away in an instant, revealing an expression of unbridled terror. "L-look me in the eyes… look me in the e-eyes and tell me I'm n-not a _monster!"_ Ruby spat, turning from face to face, looking for just one set of eyes that would meet hers, that could hold her gaze, that she could peer into honestly and without fear. " _Please!"_ Her voice grew tight, her face tight with sorrowful pleading. "P-please… tell me I-I'm not a monster… tell… t-tell me I can be _fixed…"_ Her glance around at her friends became more desperate. Some of them tried to speak up, to lay more half-hearted platitudes on her, but even a single moment under her gaze was enough to leave their heads curled down, sweating as they sought some anchor of sanity before her stare washed them away. "H-help me… _please…_ I'm so- I'm so _tired_ of it…" She whispered, her hands moving up over her eyes, hiding them from the world, from her friends. "I-I'm so scared… 'n angry… I d-don't want this anymore… I don't w-want to be _me._ T-take them away from me, I don't want to hurt anyone else…"

They had gone quiet. Yang moved to hug Ruby again, to try and replace words with her own warmth, but Ruby drew away. Many of them had suffered in a different ways: two had lost their family, one had lived with no family, and one's family could hardly be called as such. One had been isolated from her peers, one had no peers to speak of, and one had grown with no purpose until recently. One repelled himself from a greater purpose, and one had fled her purpose in fear. Each had looked at Ruby as a friend, one with no strings attached, whose naivety and innocence was something they'd each desired to preserve and prosper with. It reminded each of them of the little good things in the world, the sort of people they wanted to fight for and keep around.

In her pleading, Ruby had disrobed that sweet innocence to show an ugly reality, the price she paid for a mistake she'd never made, the curse she had for no rhyme nor reason. Even the youngest and sweetest among them was darkened. It was a bitter reminder that in Remnant, goodness came with a steep price: no amount of justice, hope, or love could completely keep the darkness at bay. Inevitably, innocence was stripped away by violence, and naivety was educated through cruelty.

Even the most noble soul could fall into self-doubt, hatred, and fear, but the ones best steeled against the corruptive influence of despair were those surrounded by other, similar, honorable souls.

Ruby flinched as something smacked the top of her head, and she turned in surprise to face Blake. The catgirl, laying in her bed, lifted the tightly rolled magazine up, and Ruby grabbed the top of her skull to stop Blake from hitting her again.

"Are you done?" Blake asked calmly, her eyes not on Ruby's, but focusing on her scalp instead.

"B-Blake…" Ruby sniffled, barely able to look up as the guilt gnawed at her. "I-I'm sorry, I-" _Smack._ Ruby squeaked, and Blake sighed thickly.

"C'mere." Blake ordered. With a surprising amount of difficulty, Blake managed to shift herself to the side, then pull the hospital sheet in offering. Ruby stared, uncomprehending, until Blake patted the spot by her side. "C'mon, Kitten. You're tired. Come get some rest."

"I-" Ruby swallowed thickly, staring at the open spot. It would be a tight fit, tighter than the Beacon beds would have offered. "I-I'm sorry, I-I sh-shouldn't. You need r-rest…"

"' _Can it be called rest if my sweet Buso is not by my side?'"_ Blake asked airily, drawing an even louder gulp from Ruby.

"' _... My t-teeth w-would fi-find you i-in your d-dreams, an-and when you've a-awoken, i-in your b-bed as w-well."_ Ruby quoted back, staring away from Blake until the black-haired beauty slapped the bedside with a growl.

"Get in the fucking bed, Ruby." She ordered.

"B-but-"

" _Now."_

Ruby complied. She slid out of her shoes, and the gathering of friends watched in quiet confusion as the young girl slid in next to Blake, the sheet soon covering them both. Ruby lay still, tense as a spring, as Blake, pressed shoulder to shoulder with her, picked up the container Ruby had brought in. Inside were two perfectly preserved, baseball-sized spheres covered in fried dough, smelling heavily of sugar and dairy, both topped with whipped cream and cherries.

"What's this?" Blake asked, taking a plastic fork to prod at the two spheres. "Fried ox testicles?" She asked, smirking at the way Ruby paled.

"N-no!" Ruby whimpered.

"Is this really the time to be making jokes?" Weiss asked dryly, drawing a playful raspberry from the bedridden Faunus.

"I'm alive, confined to a bed, and took a harpoon to the gut last night. I will make as many jokes as I please. Okay Kitten, tell me about your big balls." Blake looked Ruby's way, the girl growing increasingly more embarrassed and flustered.

"It-it's fried ice c-cream!" Ruby said quickly, turning a little red, though the quiet depression in her voice was slipping away. "I-I thought- I wanted to… Kitten…?" Ruby's lips thinned, her expression screwing up in confusion.

Blake scooped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and tasted it with a contemplative hum, smiling to herself as the sweetness filled her mouth, leaving her sighing in delight. "That's really good. I really need to get stabbed more, I've gotten fish and chips, a new scroll, ice cream…" Blake took another spoonful, and held it to Ruby's lips. "Say 'aah.'"

"I-I had a sundae…" Ruby tried to excuse herself, gently pushing Blake's hand away. "I-I don't deserve it. I-it's yours."

Blake quietly contemplated the spoonful of ice cream, then looked at Ruby with a flat expression. "Bitch, if you keep harshing my mellow, I will tear your carotid artery out with this spoon." Ruby paled at the threat, leaning further away from the spoon as it chased her mouth. "And don't think I don't know how to do it!"

"B-Blake… s-stop…"

"No. _Eat,"_ Blake ordered. Ruby's eyes flickered from the sweet cream to Blake, and though meeting her eyes would have been dangerous, Blake refused to show weakness. Ruby leaned in to eat the spoonful of ice cream, drawing a smile of satisfaction from her teammate. "Good girl." Blake ate the next spoonful, then offered Ruby another, back and forth. The rest of the teens watched curiously, or looked away to give them a moment of space, until Blake motioned for their attention. "Could everyone not on team RWBY bail for a bit? We have a team matter to discuss."

Jaune immediately made a gathering motion with his hand, pointing to Sun and Penny as well. "C'mon folks, hospital cafeteria food time! Let's leave the ladies to eat."

"Eat and make fun of each other." Nora snickered, allowing herself to be steered out by Ren's hand.

"We'll tease them later. Come." Ren guided the way, while Pyrrha offered the four girls a trusting smile.

"Yeah, sure, things were getting melodramatic anyways. I'm awkward around those kindsa things." Sun shrugged, while Penny bobbed her head. She gave Ruby one last curious look, looking like she had something to say, then followed them out on a second thought.

With that, the door clicked shut, and team RWBY was left alone. Ruby lay silently next to Blake, allowing herself to be fed, but not really tasting the ice cream. She still knew, deep down, she was being judged from far away.

She just wanted it to be over with, either being sent home, or stuck in a lab, or taken out back Old Yelper style... At least then she knew what would happen to her… and her friends.

Blake took one final bite of the dessert, then set it aside. She took the remote and turned the television back on as Weiss and Yang stood nearby, watching in wonder as Blake channel-surfed, eventually settling on the Mistral Central News channel, which had already moved past Vale's breach of Grimm security to discuss preparations for an upcoming festival.

Blake sighed, yawned, and crossed her arms behind her head to watch, not looking at her team as one of her feet idly bounced under the sheet. She blinked slowly, totally relaxed, and earning the growing agitation of her pack.

Weiss finally spoke up, "What did you want to talk about, Blake?" She asked, a serious frown on her face as Blake offered her a brief look before going back to the TV.

"Nothing." Blake answered, deepening Weiss's frown. "It was just getting crowded, thought I'd buy us some downtime. Pull up a seat, let's chill." Blake offered, and Yang let out a sigh.

"As much as I'd love to–and I'd _really_ love to–shouldn't we talk?" Yang asked, squeezing Ruby's hand as the younger girl stewed in her loathing and confusion.

"Probably." Blake mumbled, her expression briefly turning to doubt, but then her ears shot up, as did her mood. "But, the thing is, we don't know how much time we have together right now. We can talk forever once a decision has been made, but right now, team RWBY is still team RWBY. Can we just _enjoy_ that? For like, an hour or something?" Blake asked, turning her head to face them.

They were quiet, unsure, and afraid… but Weiss silently rubbed her temples, moved around the bed to bring a chair to Blake's side, and sat down to watch the news. "... I heard they were getting rid of Toppy this year, and wanted to bring a new mascot to the Liberation Festival."

"Ugh, good." Blake answered. "Toppy was creepy. I could never tell if it had a moustache or a messed-up mouth."

"I don't think the creators knew either. To be honest, the whole festival was a mess of bad organization at conception. It's supposed to celebrate the conclusion of the Color Wars, but it took them a full decade to add more than the Mistral royal colors to the decorations." Weiss grumbled, making Blake laugh once, then cringe at the pain in her belly.

"Old habits die hard, I guess." Blake muttered.

"You'd think that, but look at us." Weiss's lips briefly turned up in a tiny smile.

"Oh yeah." Blake hid a chuckle. "Oppress any innocents lately, Schnee?" Blake teased.

"I don't know. Burn down any Dust shops lately, Faunus?" Weiss quirked an eyebrow.

The two shared a mutually playful glare, then turned away with grins.

Ruby and Yang watched them silently, and Ruby squeezed Yang's hand more tightly, pulling her older sister closer. "Yang…" Ruby whispered, "n-no matter what happens… I-I'll try and write, and call, and-"

"I love you." Yang interrupted, sitting down by Ruby's side to rest her head on her little sister's shoulder. "No matter what anyone says, you're still my little sister. I love you."

"... said that already…" Ruby blushed, their fingers interlocking.

"And I'll say it again, you little pain in my butt." Yang smiled playfully, making Ruby squirm.

"Yang…" Ruby began sorrowfully, only for Yang to butt in.

"If you say 'I'm sorry' one more time, I will kick you."

"... sor-... 'kay…" Ruby swallowed thickly.

"Ahem…" Weiss's self-important throat clearing called for their attention, and she looked at Ruby's ear. Ruby's eyes unnerved her deeply, but she had vowed to not be afraid. However, she found herself staring up at the ceiling to ensure those eyes were outside her field of vision, she did not have Yang's ability to blot them out… yet. "Ruby, a moment of your time?"

Ruby looked in Blake's direction and earned an approving nod. She slid out of bed to go sit next to Weiss, while Yang pulled Blake closer to her side of the bed.

"Ruby, have they brought you in for a face-to-face review?" Weiss asked with a serious tone, and got a small shake of Ruby's head.

"N-no. They got m-my side of the events last night and h-had me sleep in a locked b-bedroom. Then I was with P-Professor Peach all day as an aide. I haven't even talked to d-dad since I was locked away…" Ruby said sadly, but Weiss touched her partner's chin.

"Let's not dwell on that. Ruby, they're going to call you in at _some_ point to talk to you, I imagine you'll be expected to talk back." Weiss folded her hands over her lap, and spoke with that educator's tone, "First, we need an end goal: if team RWBY is going to continue on in the future, we need to convince them that, despite what we've seen last night, you can be stable and controlled."

"B-... but you saw me last night…" Ruby winced, pulled her knees to her chest. "Everybody did, I w-was un-uncontrollable. I hurt everyone and-"

 _Smack!_ Ruby squeaked and pulled her assaulted leg away from Weiss, who pushed a finger to Ruby's nose. "You were under immense distress. In an atypical Grimm scenario, such as the one we experienced in the Emerald Forest, you showed control despite your emotional state."

"Th-... thanks?"

"That was _meant_ to be an example you would use in your interview! You are welcome, however." Weiss cleared her throat again, to signal a clearing of her thoughts and a return to the topic at hand. "While it is true that, in the future, you may be put to the test once more, our collective efforts may yet yield an even tighter grip on your power, as well as a well-planned group effort that will allow us to contain you, if necessary."

"I guess that makes s-sense…" Ruby murmured in thought, wondering what attempting to make a case for herself would yield, if anything. A niggling little thought made her side-eye Weiss in gentle curiosity. "Y-you still want me on your t-team?..."

Weiss shot her an almost offended half-look. "I agreed to be your friend and your teammate, Ruby. I have come to the conclusion that you will be a beneficial aid to my education and my training, and you have shown a capacity for growth that put you at our grade's second. Not only is our collective grade an excellent indicator of our future potential, but…" Weiss tapered off, her cheeks turning a little rosy. "But I find myself more confident and more challenged with you around. I feel comfortable speaking my mind. I like you." With that, she tried to cross her arms and present herself as a tough woman, even with her gentle words.

Ruby made a tiny giggle, the first of the day, and Weiss sighed.

"Continuing on, inform them that you will work with your team to help prevent future occurrences as we saw last night. Now repeat after me: I,"

"I…"

"Your name…"

"Your name…"

 _Smack!_

"Ow!"

"Take this seriously, you little brat! I am _trying_ to help you!"

"I'm sorry!"

Blake and Yang watched the two girls squabble with matching grins, though Blake quickly turned to Yang when a hand settled on top of hers. "You're serious about staying with us?" Yang whispered, rubbing Blake's knuckles comfortingly.

"Not... one-hundred percent sure." Blake admitted calmly, turning her hand over to feel Yang's palm. The blonde briefly frowned, but Blake reached up to tap her lips. "But it's close. A part of me is still afraid and scared, still wanting to take care of the White Fang, but I know I can't do it alone. Besides, it's appealing to try and be a normal girl again."

"Has it been a while?" Yang's frown twitched, her eyes on Blake's.

Blake looked up at the ceiling with a small hum. "I ran when I was either eleven or twelve. My mom and dad left the White Fang to live on Menagerie peacefully, but the fight wasn't over. They were tired, beaten down by years of pushing and fighting, but I was only ever part of the activities. I didn't deal with the oppression face-to-face, I didn't deal with the politics, I accused them of being cowards, of turning their backs on their own people, and I fled to Vale to continue the fight." Blake's chest rose then fell at the uncomfortable memories. "I spent nearly half my life training, fighting, policing… I feel like a lifetime has passed by. I had a big, screwed-up family, plenty of newbies to raise, adults I had to appeal to and impress, a boyfriend that I thought was the most amazing person… and the last year and a half, it all kinda fell apart. I never got the chance to be a teenage girl. I used to think that the carefree girls who'd go shopping every afternoon and waste time gossiping were aimless and foolish. Now, after getting the chance to just go to school, go have tea, lay down and read whenever I want, I _want_ to go buy good clothes and nice shoes. I _want_ to gossip about, like, I dunno, Jaune's butt."

"It _is_ a nice butt."

"Like, holy crap, it is a _perfect_ bubble."

"You heard the way Nora smacks it? It's _muscular."_

"Dude could crack a walnut with his cheeks."

"Better than mine?"

"Hell no, yours has this nice width to it that makes- _no."_ Blake's eyes widened as Yang's smile drew back to show _teeth,_ and the catgirl shook her head. "Shut up. _Shut up._ It was the _wind."_

" _Eeeeee-"_

"Goddamnit, Yang!"

"Gonna be struttin' around with that in my head all week!"

"I hate you…"

"Only the front half~!"

" _Ugh!_ Egotist."

"Love you too, Blake."

A short while had passed since Blake managed to get her pack some privacy. Blake's ears twitched deliberately, a small smile crossing her face at the way Ruby gasped happily when they fled from her fingertips. "I never got to play with a Faunus b-before…" Ruby noted out loud.

"That's not true." Yang piped up. She had a nail file in hand, and was carefully working on Blake's left hand. Blake had admitted to chewing her fingernails for most of her life, and Yang took it upon herself to remove the miniscule imperfections. Blake did not argue. "What about Anajado? You two spent, like, an hour in some co-op game."

"It's not like she let me touch her tail." Ruby pointed out, squeaking when Blake's ear tickled her palm. "I don't think we really talked all that m-much…"

"That's kinda how she is. You probably could have opened her up more if you hadn't ran up to your room right after." Yang mused, while Ruby paled.

"You two had a p-pr-project… didn't wanna in'erupt…" Ruby's voice fell.

"Like we cared. But that's old news." Yang waved her hand, going back to Blake's nails.

Blake looked between the two sisters. Yang, lovely as ever, and Ruby, even without her goggles, seemed more at ease, and Blake was right there with them. The only person who wasn't invading her personal space sat in front of Ruby, and was watching the Vale news as an investigatory team was invited alongside the city officials to explore the inner workings of the cargo ship. There was no information or footage regarding Ruby, other than that she was a victim of the White Fang. Whoever was in charge of clean-up last night did a spectacular job.

"What're you gonna do with your ears now that we know?" Yang asked, admiring her handiwork with a satisfied hum.

"Dunno." Blake idly smacked Ruby's hands, making her stop. She squeezed Ruby's wrist, and sighed softly. She was disappointed that she couldn't meet her teammate's eyes now that she knew the truth, now that the goggles were off, but there was a certain… calmness that came with it. She understood full well what Ruby's intentions were, it wasn't malicious or cruel… Blake still wished she had known from the beginning, but that was a mistake they couldn't take back, and had more than readily made up for. "I hid my ears because I didn't want anyone to know the truth… I guess I don't have to in the room now, at least."

"You don't really _ever_ have to, y'know?" Yang glanced up to her teammate. "Why not just show your ears? You think Beacon cares?"

" _Some_ people will." Blake glanced to Yang idly, but then refocused on the ceiling, her thoughts uncomfortable and murky. "Your ex, for instance." Blake quirked an eyebrow, grinning at the way Yang bristled and smacked her arm.

"He's, like, the exception!"

"Even still, he'd be a problem. There'd be enough people, that…" Blake frowned. "As is, chances are, word will spread about me from the White Fang into Vale. From there, it's only a matter of time until Beacon students hear about it… Until then, I'd like to live somewhat normally."

"By hiding your true self and showing everyone a fake." Weiss added, not looking away from the television.

"Well… _yes…"_ Blake's brow knit together, "But they'd learn about me without my history being present, or anything racial coming up." She lifted her head to look at the back of Weiss's head, the heiress looking back to meet her eyes.

"Blake, speaking as your friend _and_ teammate, I will not carry on the charade for you should you choose to do so. We have to live with our mistakes, and ourselves especially. You are Blake Belladonna, a Faunus, a former White Fang." Weiss's hand grasped Blake's foot through the blanket comfortingly, and the girl's ears dipped in quiet terror. "I've accepted you. Don't hide yourself, it'll only hurt you more in the future."

"... Weiss, this'll sound strange, but there's a big difference between you and actual racists." Blake's toes stretched and wiggled in Weiss's hand. "Believe me, I have dealt with some cruddy people. It took me a whole week to decide that you're safe."

"Then by showing yourself willingly, you are making friends with the right people." Weiss said calmly. "I would certainly have more respect for you if you were true to yourself."

"... Same." Yang nodded.

Blake, looked up to Ruby, who had her eyes closed. Those tainted veins around her eyes, marring her pretty face, made Blake's stomach crawl, but she forced herself to look. This was her leader… somebody she trusted. "They're twisting my arm, Kitten, what do you think?"

"Um…" Ruby swallowed thickly, turning to look out the window, at the trees lining the building to find her focus. "... If I had been m-more ho-honest with you, we could have a-avoided this whole… th-this." Ruby gestured to Blake's belly, drawing a tired sigh. "B-but, I know how it feels to be s-scared to show y-yourself… I-I know how people can be when they're s-scared or angry…"

"And you also know that we'll beat down _anyone_ who tries to start shit." Yang promised with a consoling tone of voice, watching her sister carefully. Ruby gave a tiny smile, but it went away just as quickly.

"We sh-shouldn't fight for no reason, but… I also d-don't want to e-encourage people with a racist attitude… I just-... if we could just t-trust people to not lash out… t-to not be cruel… B-but we can't. Hiding from them m-means they win, they get what they w-want, which is less F-Faunus." Ruby's face tightened in quiet anger. "For the Faunus… f-for the White Fang you want to represent, m-maybe… maybe you should lose the ribbon?..." Blake sighed again. She'd picked this girl for a reason.

"Yeah…" The Faunus girl's ear quirked, pointed towards the door, and she quietly shushed her teammates… _Step step tap… Step step tap… step step tap…_ "I think I hear Professor Ozpin."

Ruby immediately made a small, unhappy noise. She curled up into a little ball, her expression pinching up in distress. Without warning, Weiss sprinted to the window and threw it open. "Ruby, if you move quickly, you can possibly catch the airbus back to Vale! Claim you were in the bathroom, whatever you have to do!" Weiss advised rapidly, in a heated whisper.

Blake and Yang both stared at the heiress with their jaws dropped, Ruby simply looking dumbfounded. "I- uh." Yang blinked. "That's a little-... y'know what? I dig it. Ruby, c'mon, let's get you outta here."

"... No." Ruby responded, her lips stretched tightly as she thought to herself.

"No?! Ruby, if he finds out you were snuck in here…" Weiss said in open worry, and Ruby twitched, stretched her legs out, and stood.

Ruby was shivering, her hands clutching the jacket of her student uniform. She swallowed loudly, methodically walked to her goggles and slid them on, then let out a terrified little breath. "I-I'm not going to lie to him. I-I'm gonna be honest. I d-don't think i-it'll eff-effect his deci-cision anyway." Ruby breathed deeply, and found Yang cuddling her to help.

"I- I _ran_ for you!" Weiss squeaked, her face red. "And I opened the _window!_ Like some kind of _servant!_ Making me waste my time and energy…" She slowly made her way over to the girl, and oddly embraced her arm. "Do your best, okay? Remember what we talked about, you're not _just_ some… _Grimm-_ summoner, you're a person, and our leader."

"I will…" Ruby sniffled softly, pulling Weiss closer. "I-I do-don't want to l-leave. So I-I won't… I won't s-screw this up…"

Yang leaned her head down, pressing her lips to the top of Ruby's head. Ruby blushed, flustered by the brazen affection, and her older sister murmured. "I'm proud of you, Ruby. Whatever they decide, you're staying where I can keep an eye on you."

"Just… don't leave us." Blake said weakly from where she rest, her ears flat on her head. Ruby silently pulled herself from her sister and her teammate to lean over Blake, the two embracing for just a moment. "We're a team. I made my choice on who I could trust yesterday… I'll find a way to bring you back, even if I have to leave Beacon to do it."

The words did worse than comfort Ruby, they started the waterworks again. The little thing tried to keep her whimperings quiet, but it was useless, and they were soon joined by Weiss and Yang. It was only with the greatest of efforts did Ruby manage to quietly shrug off the embrace, stand tall, and head for the door. She opened it up expecting the stern glare of her headmaster…

… and found Jaune with his fist awkwardly raised to knock instead.

"J-Jaune?" Ruby froze in surprise, then whipped her head left and right, staring down the hallway to try and find the headmaster. Had Blake been deceived?...

"Ruby! Hey!" Jaune said in equal shock. He cleared his throat and began to pat himself down, trying to focus as Ruby sagged in both relief and dismay. She'd gotten all worked up over nothing… "Hey… um… look…" There was a notable delay between each word as the blonde scratched the back of his head and swallowed a lump in his throat. "I know this is a bad time…" He glanced at the door over her shoulder. "A _real_ bad time, but… I could use some advice."

"Oh." Ruby could see he was serious. Something was eating at him, and even with her whole career, her life, her _freedom_ on the line… Ruby couldn't stand to be selfish. "O-okay. Sure. Um, what is it?" She frowned when he took a long, uncomfortable sigh.

"Mind if we sit?" He asked. Unbeknownst to the two, they were quietly followed down the hall, just out of sight until they came across a waiting bench. They shared a cold drink from a water cooler, and the moment Jaune sat down, he seemed to melt. His tension and strength slumped as he held his forehead in one hand. "... Are you doing okay?" He asked with forced casualness.

Ruby sipped her water, avoiding the answer for a moment. "Sorta. I'll be better or- I-I'll have a better answer once I kn-know what they're going to d-do with me." She sipped again, looking to Jaune, her goggles forcing her to turn her head a little further just to side-eye him. She bit her inner cheek in annoyance. She _hated_ her goggles. "A-are _you_ okay? I-is that…?"

"No." Jaune answered honestly, lifting his head to stare into his water cup. "Just, like, I felt bad for interrupting you. I know you have a lot going on, you and your team, but…" Jaune ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "I'm not sure who else to ask."

"N-not your team?" Ruby swallowed thickly, wondering what, exactly, he could ask her and _only_ her.

"They might have answers, heck, I'd probably like them fine, but…" Jaune glanced up to Ruby with a sad smile, and clutched his knee. "You're all philosophical and stuff about, like, morals, and being a hunter. I guess Pyrrha might know something, Ren probably has some zen stuff, Nora… eh?" He shrugged, making Ruby chuckle in her anxiousness.

"Okay, s-so, what's up?"

"So, last night, while we were raiding the dock, I ran into a kid." Jaune held a hand out, around five feet above the ground, and he stared with saddened eyes. "He had a gun, but I have my aura, right? Probably, like, thirteen or something. He was locked in the security room to keep it safe, probably ' _cuz_ he was a kid. I don't think the White Fang would stoop low enough to toss a kid out into that mess we made…" He lowered his hand, and examined the floor to avoid Ruby's look. "I tried to get him to go, but he attacked. I was surprised, it's not like he wounded me or anything, but I don't know if I haven't trained enough or _what…_ I swung my sword at him and took off two of his fingers, and he disappeared. He wasn't with the rest of the White Fang that had been rounded up, he didn't take his fingers, like…" He trailed off, his tongue feeling swollen in his mouth. "I cut up a _kid,_ Ruby. He might be dead." Jaune's expression sank, and he squeezed his fingers tightly.

He silently waited for her response. He found it strange that he instinctively sought out Ruby on the matter, but he'd found her advice, as well as her methods, equally sound and successful. Jaune had dug deep to try and dredge up answers, but whether it was a lack of experience, or his own emotional blindness, it still haunted him deeply, and no amount of optimism alleviated his stress.

"W-were you angry?" Ruby asked softly.

Jaune thought back to that moment, and shuddered as he nodded. "A little, yeah. I mean, the kid tried to _stab_ me, I was _trying_ to be reasonable, he kept coming at me but-" Jaune paused, frowned, and groaned, "but I'm a hunter, he didn't have aura. He couldn't deal all that much damage to me. My grandpa, and his grandpa, and every other Jaune Arc in my family was a knight: sworn against the Grimm, protect the people against all threats, defend the _weak…_ the kid was weak, and I took his fingers, and he's who-knows-where now…"

Ruby looked down at her hands, silent, but thinking. By her side, Jaune was wrestling with himself over his actions, and Ruby nodded in understanding. "M-my Uncle Qrow t-told me a story once. I-I'd asked him if he'd ever k-killed a bad person, and he just kinda… _looked_ at me. He kinda l-laughed too, but didn't answer me. I s-spied on him and my dad later, and dad asked him the same question…" Ruby stretched her fingers out, sitting back, closing her eyes, and recalling his words. "He t-told dad he'd been hired to h-hunt down bandits attacking a t-town, and he'd t-tracked them into the woods late at night. H-he bumped into a guard w-while sneaking around the peri-per-perimeter, and had to kill them b-before they woke everyone up. H-he said it was over in one s-stroke." Ruby made a chopping motion with her hand, and Jaune followed her movements and lips with an intrigued look. "H-he took out the bandits, s-said they were all scum, murderers, th-thieves, rapists, h-he said it was like… it was different f-from Grimm. He said he s-spent the next day wondering wh-where they came from, why they became b-bandits, i-if they even had a choice… b-but they threw their lots into hurting people, s-so he made peace with it. U-until…" Ruby worked her jaw slowly, thoughtfully. "The v-villagers who hired him said a boy had gone missing. G-guy about your age. They'd found his b-body in the woods, cut in t-two by a single stroke. They thought the bandits had d-done it… Uncle Qrow knew, though."

Jaune's lips parted, but no words escaped them. Ruby seemed somewhat distressed sharing the story, and he couldn't blame her, considering its contents, and that it was close to the heart of her relative. "So, what had happened? Like-"

"The boy had g-gone to get revenge of his own. The bandits had w-wounded his brother and father, and he wanted to get back at the bandits. He and Uncle Qrow had run into each other by a-accident, and it was at night…"

"So no lights."

"Yeah…" Ruby brushed some hair behind her ear, and thought harder. "He s-said he still thinks about it. He said he wants to go back in time and stop himself, b-but that's impossible. He never told th-them the truth, he was afraid, and guilty… b-but my dad told him something, an-an old Mistral hunter's proverb: 'When a blind man feels a snake underfoot, he does not ask it if it will bite.' W-we make mistakes, some we can n-never take back. Wh-when you f-feel you're in danger, you only have s-so long to look at the clues. Y-you don't always know how dangerous everything actually i-is, sometimes all you can do is _act…_ and you might r-regret what you do, but if it had been dangerous…"

Jaune could only nod in response. He mulled the words over in his head, his gut still clenched tightly, his mind still boggy with what he'd done… but a small hand settled on his knee, and Ruby squeezed comfortingly.

"I-I think you did everything right. M-maybe not the best, but we have to l-learn from our mistakes. Wh-what would you do next time?" Ruby asked gently, and Jaune's jaw clenched as he forced the gears in his head to turn despite the weight.

"... Take zip-ties and subdue him before he had a chance to surprise me." Jaune answered, thinking on the old cop dramas he'd listen to with his parents. "He can't be dangerous then, and I wouldn't have to hurt him." Ruby gave him a pleased smile, and Jaune's shoulders sank as he took a deep breath. "I still feel _awful…"_

"Y-you should." Ruby nodded, squeezing his knee again. "Wh-when you stop feeling guilty, y-you're going down a bad road."

"Did your dad say that?" Jaune asked with a weak chuckle, and Ruby shook her head.

"M-Madeleine Nura, from the Winter Vale saga. F-feeling things like doubt, a-and remorse, and happiness are wh-what makes us human. With-without those, we're just computers. Intelligent, rational, b-but unmotivated, and unloving."

"Madeleine again?" Jaune asked with a smile, and Ruby blushed.

"Doctor Oobleck." Ruby pulled her hand back, and gently nudged Jaune with her shoulder. "Jaune… I-I know it hurt you, but thank you for helping last night." She let out a soft sniffle. "Y-you didn't have to, and… and I'm r-really thankful."

"Of course, Ruby." Jaune's arm rest around her shoulders, tugging her close for a friendly, brotherly hug. "Anything for a good friend."

The two leaned against each other silently, the reality of the situation quietly creeping back onto them. Ruby knew that, good friend or not, that wouldn't be looked at by her judges. Jaune knew that too, and it made their little hug all the more bittersweet as they parted. "... I'm gonna go back to my team now."

They both stood, and Jaune pulled her into a much tighter hug. "Come back to us, Ruby." He ordered gently, stroking her back fondly.

"I-I'll t-try." Ruby whimpered. They parted regretfully, and Ruby walked the other direction slowly. When she looked over her shoulder, Jaune had turned the corner to the hospital cafeteria, and Ruby finally let that heavy weight of doubt settle back into her chest. She faced forward again, and froze, trembling in sudden fright as her silver-haired headmaster stared down at her, barely a foot away. "H-headmaster-!" She gasped in surprise.

"Hello Ruby." His voice was as calm as ever, though there was a notable sharpness to his eyes that left Ruby feeling weak. "Quite the pep talk you gave Mr. Arc. He seems to be in a much better mood. It's commendable for leaders to lean on each other in times of need. We can't be pillars of strength at _all_ hours."

His cane gently tapped against the tile between them, and Ruby bowed her head low, weighed heavily by guilt and fear. She nodded through her shaking, and balled her fists in front of her chest. "Th-thank y-you s-s-s-sir…" She whispered through pale lips.

Ozpin evaluated her quietly for a moment. He lifted a hand from his cane, silently reached for her shoulder, then paused, reconsidered, and let it rest on her head. "Did you have fun with your team?" His eyes softened, not that Ruby saw.

"Y-yes…"

"Are they okay?"

"I-I think s-so…"

"Are _you_ okay?"

Ruby shivered in place, her shoulders hunching as her heart hammered in her chest. "N-n-no…"

Professor Ozpin dipped his chin towards the ground. He so hated his position sometimes. An action as simple as embracing a student was taken from him, as 'professionalism' and 'authority' took the place empathy and comfort during such a difficult trial. "Ruby…" He found himself at a loss for words, but he'd come with a mission, and he couldn't justify any further dilly-dallying. "We're ready for you. Think of it… think of it like ripping off a band-aid." He tried to explain thoughtfully, but Ruby seemed disinterested. "We won't force you to go through the the full routine. We have ideas, we have plans, but we won't enact anything without you present. We'll make this quick."

"O-okay…" Ruby didn't dare to look up as Ozpin guided her down the hallway, towards the elevator, and as chance would have it, it opened up to reveal the errant professor.

Ozpin's eyes met Peach's, and the Dust professor's expression immediately went plastic. "Professor Peach."

"H-heeeeyyy, Headmaster. Hoo, so glad you caught her, I-" Peach bowed her head, "I snuck her out for ice cream because she was having such a bad time, and she begged me to come see her teammate, and I couldn't say 'no', please don't be too hard on her. Or me." She pleaded under her breath.

Ozpin's eyebrow twitched in thought, and he checked Ruby to ensure that she was too engrossed with her thoughts to notice any conspiring. Peach blinked as the Headmaster leaned towards her, whispered an order into her ear. With that done, he stood up straight and spoke normally, "Peridot, please be sure that your class is ready by tomorrow. We can't halt progress this early in the school year, or at any time, really, we have to keep up."

"Yes- _yes sir."_ Peach nodded, staring at him with big, curious eyes, an uncertain frown crossing her face as the headmaster lead Ruby into the elevator.

Their eyes met, and Ozpin gave a small, but hopeful smile. "See you soon, Peridot." And the doors closed.

* * *

The trip back to Beacon had been exhausting. Quiet, peaceful, with Ozpin's charge being perfectly compliant, but they rode with a sense of finality. Ozpin was torn. On one hand, he sympathized with the young woman who had shown so much promise, and he wanted to give her a second chance, but on the other, he was responsible for any potential dangers she could pose. The arguments had gone back and forth, and Ozpin found himself stuck.

Silently, he evaluated Ruby by his side as they walked through the throngs of students milling around the commons of Beacon, giving their headmaster a wide berth as his hand guided the girl by the shoulder. How should he judge her? To him, she was his student, a young lady to cultivate into a hero of greatness, as was his intention with every student that caught his eye…

But Ruby was different. She had the best possible childhood she could have asked for in her situation, she was given a loving family, a house with a satisfactory income, people who supported her drive… Ozpin tried to imagine how Ruby would have turned out if she'd grown up hated and destitute, and it made him inwardly shudder. She had been given a reason to hope for the best, to _believe_ that humanity was worth protecting, and her condition, heinous as it was, only sharpened that belief. She had a strong sense of responsibility, just like her mother. Ozpin sadly noted that, were Summer still alive, she would have been proud.

However, there was the other aspect Ozpin had to consider, the one that made her such a delicate subject. He briefly banished his empathy towards humanity to think logically: Ruby was a potential danger, a major incursion waiting to happen in the blink of an eye should her mood drop to disastrous levels. Ruby was an emotional creature, it was what made her such an excellent candidate for an accelerated education: she had the talent, the will, and more than either of those, an understanding of what it _meant_ to be a hero. She knew what self-sacrifice was, and it almost devoured the city.

So how did he think of her? Was she Ruby Rose, the huntress-to-be, or a catastrophe in the waiting?

He so hated being authority sometimes.

The elevator rumbled to a stop and the doors slid open to let Ozpin and Ruby step out. The headmaster's office was more disorderly than normal thanks to the day's ongoing discussion, and only Glynda remained present. Her green eyes met Ozpin's for a moment, then she looked down at Ruby. If the school's combat instructor felt anything towards the girl, it was hidden behind a well-disciplined frown, and the teacher went back to reading the statements they'd made.

Ozpin made the call, and in short order, Professors Port, Oobleck, and Taiyang arrived, each watching Ruby carefully, with Taiyang having to resist every fatherly instinct to snap his baby girl up and tell her she would be okay. He was one sad whimper away from breaking his neutrality, but Ruby sat quietly in her chair, head hung low.

"Where's the General?" Tai asked in obvious annoyance. At the sound of his voice, Ruby looked up, and even with her goggles on he could tell she was utterly heartbroken. The coach's nostrils flared, and he wordlessly moved to her side. His eyes went from face to face, expecting to be chastised, but even Glynda remained silent.

"General Ironwood has been contacted, he'll be available shortly." Ozpin answered, his fingers bridged in front of his closed eyes.

Port and Oobleck found themselves in an interesting position. Both of them thought back to when they had first met Ruby, the young special case student whose existence confounded the very conflict that hunters had partaken in since the dawn of humanity. Both had faith in their organization, as well as their headmaster, but this was a problem their books and experience couldn't help them with.

"Ahem," Oobleck cleared his throat, and Ruby quietly looked up at him. He walked towards her with a deliberate slowness, trying to act as unthreatening as possible, but she continued to frown. "Ruby, I know this all seems scary, but we aren't going to hurt you. This isn't a trial _or_ an execution."

"Indeed!" Port raised a finger, jovial as ever, "We've been discussing how to keep you on the righteous and noble path! One of the greatest gifts the hunters of old passed on to the new generation is _knowledge,_ an understanding of our foes!"

Oobleck cut in with an energetic grin, " _Correct!_ Because we know the Grimm better than ever, we have mitigated the Grimm threat in various parts of the world, creating major safe spaces for humanity and Faunus-kind to develop and grow into the powerhouses we are today. Your unique abilities could further accelerate our understanding of the Grimm!"

Ruby simply listened, her head lowering a bit as the two prattled on.

"We have an excellent path laid out for you; you could continue to benefit our efforts."

"Why, it'd even be easy! A couple of experiments a day, surrounded by friendly scientists who also want to help! No big tests, or quizzes, no studying every night."

"You wouldn't have to travel constantly, away from friends and family to risk your life. I'm sure compensation could be worked out, and think of all the interesting people you'd meet! Many of our world's top minds would be frothing at the mouth to meet you!"

"Your abilities could be turned to the world's benefit, Ruby. Think about the possibilities!"

"It would afford you a life away from danger, and give back to the world with-"

"Just shoot me." Ruby stopped them bitterly, her voice a low, mollified growl.

The two men paused, and even Taiyang shot his daughter a surprised look. The headmaster's eyes shot open, and Glynda looked up from the papers she'd been distracting herself with. "Err, come again?" Port asked, his boisterousness faltering.

"I-I know wh-what you're s-saying…" Ruby squeezed her knees tightly, her eyes narrowing. "I'd just be th-thrown into a lab somewhere. Given a n-nice room with a big h-heavy door and cameras everywh-where. A-and they'd t-take samples, and tell me to s-s-summon, and put things a-all over me…"

Port's smile had turned sour, and he crossed both arms in front of his rotund stomach, while Oobleck tilted his head with a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's a decision we did not make lightly, nor do we want to make light of it. We don't want you to be ostracized, or hurt, but we can't take risks."

"We'd wanted to wait for things to smooth over in your schoolwork, for you to finish your remedial courses." Goodwitch said with uncertainty, her expression not as rock-solid as it normally was. "It was always in our intentions to test and train your abilities, but the incident you started last night-"

"Wasn't _her fault."_ Taiyang snapped, forcing Glynda back a step to reconsider.

"The… incident that was _provoked_ from you last night by outside forces is forcing us to play an early hand. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"C-can't I stay?..." Ruby whimpered, her shoulders buckling. "I-I can take the tests here, a-after my re-reme-re- my make-up classes. I d-don't mind, I-I can s-still study a-and f-fight and t-train a-an-and b-be a h-hunter, I-I _can…_ I _can…"_ She begged, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Your emotional state is tied directly to your summoning control." A new voice spoke through a veil of electrical crackling, and Ruby turned her head to stare at the semi-transparent, light-blue hologram of a man she'd seen only on TV; his black hair was perfectly combed, his masculine, square jawline drawing the eye, his eyes more piercing and judgemental than Ruby thought a hologram could manage. "You are at a vulnerable stage in your life, Ms. Rose. The stress of a school as demanding as Beacon, combined with your growth into an adult, will create greater and greater duress as time goes on. Projecting further into the future, hunters have a high fatality rate, and an even higher rate of trauma. Being a hunter is not just fame and fortune, being a hunter is about self-sacrifice, and not just your own. Many die, despite our constant vigilance, and you are asking to be at the forefront of this duty. I have discharged many soldiers whose minds were clouded by emotions, whether it be extreme anger or extraordinary empathy, as they became liabilities. Nothing I have seen nor heard have convinced me you are anything less than a future liability."

Ironwood's frankness left most of the room in a state of shock. He was not a man who minced words, nor lessened their impact, a very well-known trait of his. However, considering the subject of his speech, who had already been emotionally grated by the night before, a majority of them couldn't help but feel offended on Ruby's behalf.

Ruby, on the contrary, quietly rose to walk towards his hovering, blue figure. She swallowed thickly, his watchful gaze only interrupted with a blink. Ruby stood before him, and he remained calm. "G-General I-Ironw-wood." She tried to enunciate through the tightness in her chest. "I- I al-always- e-ever since I w-was a little g-girl I-" She paused, her mind backpedalling quickly, and she shuffled her feet in embarrassment as she offered him a small bow. "I-I mean, i-it's nice to m-meet you."

"I wish I could return the sentiment, Ruby Rose." He offered a respectful inclination of his head. Despite neither of their home countries practicing bowing, a handshake was simply impossible when one of them was made of light. "However, our current circumstances make our meeting anything but pleasant. I will say, however, you take after your mother in many ways."

"You-" Ruby's face fell, "you knew my mom?"

Behind her, Taiyang and Ozpin's eyes met, but they remained silent as Ironwood answered. "She was a valuable woman to know in her prime. The headmaster and I are often in communication, and send our best hunters in tandem to participate in high-risk missions. You will understand that I think strictly in 'mission risks' where hunters are involved."

"I-I do." Ruby answered through a clenched jaw.

"Then let us waste no more breath: you are an intelligent girl, you are highly aware of the danger your powers pose to yourself and the people around you, you surely understand why we've proposed placing you in a lab. As your professors have said, the intelligence it will provide us will be valuable."

"... An-and I'll j-just be a labrat. A…" Ruby frowned, trying to not let her head hang. She was afraid to break eye-contact with the man, whose expression never changed, "a Grimm _th-thing_ to be p-poked and o-ordered around."

"With the alternative potentially leading to an incident as we had seen last night, I do not see a better alternative."

"B-But…" Ruby cringed, frustrated. General Ironwood was not wrong, even as much as she wanted him to be. She had not asked for these powers, she had never wanted them, they were born with her, they haunted her every thought and step, they were as much a part of her as the beat of her heart, and more than anything, she wanted to be rid of them… they endangered everyone, she was one meltdown away from being another catastrophe… her eyes felt hot and wet, and she shivered in place. "I-I d-don't w-want to…"

"Miss Rose," Ironwood spoke clinically, his eyes hardening briefly, "you wish to be a huntress, you know that means self-sacrifice. You know that means 'I want' is a poison to your profession."

"I-I kn-know… I… I d-don't care…" Ruby struggled to speak as her emotions welled up in her, fighting against the cold rational and grudging acceptance in her mind. "I-I ne-never a-asked f-for m-m-much, j-just… th-this. I-I don't w-want to b-b-be-be a l-labr-rat-"

" _You_ wanted to be a student at Beacon, and you got your wish." Ironwood stated plainly, stopping Ruby in her tracks. "You wanted to try and become a huntress, and you were given a chance. You wanted a chance to prove you were more than your powers, and you failed."

" _I-I di-did not!"_ Ruby snapped, froze, and reeled back. Ironwood did not look fazed by the outburst. "I-I hadn't- I d-didn't- I-I kept th-them in ch-check for s-so l-long. M-my friends s-said they would h-help, they-they want to h-help me, a-and keep me, a-and-"

"And they _want."_ Ironwood reminded her, the inflection of his voice going back to normal as he remained stoic. "We all want a great many things, but we are bound by duty. You, somebody who wants to help others, are bound by a greater duty. You safeguard a dangerous power that could very well disrupt our delicate peace over the Grimm, and we have no intelligence on it. You want to become a hunter, but you are so much more than a mere human. For the good of our world, and for our safety, it is for the best that you are studied. It…" Ironwood's gaze travelled downwards, and he seemed to briefly, but only briefly question himself, before he looked back up with a small frown, "It is not a decision we make lightly. Condemning a young woman such as yourself to a life of study _has_ to be done. I understand if you hate us for it, I understand how difficult it is to accept, but with everything that has happened, it is a decision we make on behalf of the world."

"General?" Taiyang's voice grabbed their attention, and slowly he strode forward, his large, wide frame dwarfing Ruby as he rest his hands on her shoulders. The brickhouse of a man gave the hologram a pleading look, and his fingers possessively dug into Ruby's shoulders. "If you're gonna make a decision for the world, I'd like to speak on the world's behalf: I never asked for this." Taiyang tugged Ruby closer, carefully embracing the younger girl as his jaw trembled. "I wanna be safe, I wanna be happy, but I don't wanna force anyone else to be unhappy for me. Y-you're asking me to give up my d-daughter. She's the most important thing my l-late wife gave to me, I raised her, I watched her grow stronger and smarter, this-" Taiyang waved towards Beacon down below, "-this is all she ever wanted. She wants to _help_ people."

"And she will be by-"

"No." Glynda interrupted with a weighty sigh, her shoulders lowering as she finally drew up the will to speak. "There's different kinds of help, General. We can't call what we're asking of Miss Rose 'help' if it's against her wishes. I would like to make it clear, _I do not disagree with your stance,_ but as you said before, we need to start addressing this for what it really is: we are imprisoning Miss Rose. We are asking her to give up her hopes, dreams, family, and friends, and to live a life surrounded by machines and men in white suits."

"Our scientists are not bad people, Glynda." Ironwood's cheek twitched. "They would ensure her safety and well-being-"

"There's a difference between feeding her and _loving_ her, James." Glynda's face fell gently, her posture stiff as a board. "I cannot provide that love as an educator, how can you claim that your scientists can?"

Taiyang quickly spoke, before Ironwood could. "All she'll be is an experiment, something to jump through hoops and crawl through a maze. She's a human, no matter what you say, she'll _know_ she's just an experiment."

"So it comes down to the question," Ozpin spoke up, his voice low, flat, and unhappy, "do the needs of one triumph over the needs of the many?"

"The answer is very simple." Ironwood closed his eyes, avoiding the many pleading looks on him. "I do not know Miss Rose personally, I understand how a relationship can misconstrue your feelings, but we have to keep Remnant, no, _Vale_ in mind. She is dangerous."

"Is she any less dangerous in a laboratory?" Professor Port queried out loud. "She destroyed a Grimm containment cage single-handed. Any measures strong enough to kill an entire horde of Grimm would have her in the firing line as well, and humans are _far_ more fragile than Grimm."

"If-" Ironwood hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "if it comes to that, we would keep her safety in mind. However, our labs are much stronger than a single cage."

"Our headmaster made a point earlier: removing her from Beacon may cause more strain and a relapse." Oobleck murmured, staring at nothing in particular as he thought and considered. "It's not as if we're lacking in facilities here…"

"She _did_ say she would put in the extra work." Taiyang looked down at his daughter with a hope glinting in his eye, while Ruby looked at her professors in quiet surprise.

"But," Ozpin held his chin in thought, and he let out a cooling breath through his nostrils, "in the event Ruby does lose control, and creates another incident, however small it may be, are _we_ ready to accept the responsibility of any damages that may cause?" The surrounding professors quieted down, their expressions sinking as the headmaster continued. "While we may be able to provide an emotional cushion for Ruby, even _one_ Grimm being summoned on school grounds could lead to irreparable damages. Beacon is a place where we train hunters, true, but we also provide a safe place where they may lower their auras. Even a single, unexpected Creep can harm our students."

"P-Professor Ozpin?" Ruby's small voice drew his eye, "M-my team said th-they wanted to help. They w-want to make sure it never happens a-again, a-and if it does, s-stop me."

" _Nine_ hunters were barely enough to stop you, Ruby." Ozpin stated, leaving her twitching in discomfort. "Are you confident that, should you fall prey to your emotions, to your _power,_ you can be stopped by your team?"

Ruby hesitated to answer, her expression pale and weak, but she lifted her chin and enunciated, "Yes. I am. I believe they c-can."

"And how can you be sure, miss Rose?" Ironwood asked.

Again, Ruby took a moment to settle her nerves, to relax her tongue, and gather her thoughts. "My team is _really_ s-strong." She answered, squeezing her hands behind her back. "And-and they mean so m-much to me. E-even if th-there's a side of me that's- that is _dangerous,_ I-I'm still there. I-..." Ruby swallowed her anxiousness, and tried to hold herself straight. "I d-don't want to h-hurt them."

"Then it would be in your best interest to-"

Ozpin quickly interjected, "That is a _lofty_ request for your team. You are essentially asking them to be ready to lay down their lives at any moment, and not just as hunters. There are numerous hunters with berserking semblances who had hands in the demise of their teams, you _sincerely_ believe your team is prepared to be your handlers in case of an emergency?"

Ruby's head dipped as she tried to create some justification, a _reason_ team RWBY was different from any other team… As much as she adored them, they were just girls. _Her_ girls, yes, but they were still just students against hundreds of Grimm should she fall once more.

Before she could answer, the office's elevator _dinged,_ and seven occupants turned to see who came to interrupt. It was not a single person, but a near _crowd_ of them. As soon as the doors opened, a familiar young blonde burst out, the tightly-packed teens behind spilling after her.

The professors, coach, and headmaster blinked in surprise, while Ruby shrieked as her face was tugged into the safety of Yang's cleavage. "If any of you even _think_ about taking Ruby away, you're going to have to go through me!" She snapped, leaving the older professors to blink owlishly.

"And me!" Weiss appeared by Ruby's and Yang's side, red-faced and out of breath. "As long as it doesn't impact my student record, of course." She added, then squeaked in pain when Yang elbowed her. "I have my future to think about! Assaulting a teacher is a serious offense!"

"You-" Glynda drew herself up, staring at the students that had invited themselves in without so much as a warning, "that elevator has _weight limits!"_

"Now's not the time, Yang." Taiyang said in a forcibly calm voice, his eyes narrowing coldly at his daughter. "This is an extremely serious matter, you can't just break into our discussion, you could be seriously affecting your sister's future!"

Yang's face turned a furious shade of red, but it was Jaune who answered, "Err, no offense, coach, but it's gonna be seriously affected no matter what we do, so…"

"So we're here to make sure you treat her _right."_ Nora piped up, standing by her team leader with an over exaggerated glare, Pyrrha and Ren standing behind them and looking on with serious expressions.

If General Ironwood had a response to the sudden intrusion of their meeting, it was gutted by his look of surprise when Penny stood by Ruby and Yang, looking chipper as ever, "I would also like the best for Ruby!"

"Penny," General Ironwood said her name slowly and testingly, looking more flustered than he'd had the entire day, "why are you here?"

The red-headed girl turned towards the General stiffy, and snapped into a quick, textbook salute to show her respect, falling at ease immediately after with her hands behind her back, her smile turning neutral. "General Ironwood, as per my report that I sent you at 0930 this morning, I was heavily involved in last night's raid on the White Fang's-"

Ironwood cleared his throat, and Penny stopped instantly. "What I mean is why are you here, right now, defending miss Rose?"

Penny's head swivelled from her general to Ruby, then took Ruby's hand. "Yang, may I borrow Ruby for a short time?" She asked politely. Yang wearily let her sister go, watching intently as Ruby was swung around Penny to stand before Ironwood with a surprised expression. "General, Ruby Rose is my friend."

"Your…" Ironwood evaluated the two with a look of pure disbelief, "Your friend?"

"That is correct." Penny's smile grew, leaving the general wondering _how…_ "We met yesterday during her search for her missing teammate, Blake Belladonna. She treated me with kindness, then offered her friendship after letting me take pictures of her dog!" Penny dug her scroll out of her pocket and raced past Ruby to shove the screen in front of Ironwood's widened eyes. "Behold! I have nearly thirty likes and _two comments!"_ Penny was bouncing in place, while Ironwood's mouth opened, then snapped shut. It simultaneously explained Penny's joy in having a media presence, and why she was involved at the harbor at _all._

Ironwood took a calming breath, then spoke gently. "Penny, you understand the risks involved. You saw firsthand what your friend is capable of, why do you stand by her?" His question wasn't demanding, but merely seeking an answer, though it was often hard to tell with the general.

Penny cleared her throat, an unnecessary bit of vocal filler, and answered with a soft smile. "My goal is to protect mankind, _all_ of mankind. Through my studies, I have determined that I alone am unable to do so, but there are those whose qualities make them suited to reaching my goal. Ruby has taught me to be passionate about my loved ones, loyal to my teammates, sympathetic to their causes, loving to all that I meet-"

"P- _Penny…"_ Ruby whispered, making her stop once more, her arm raised into a high, triumphant fist and her eyes closed in passion to her words, "We met _yesterday._ We barely know each other." Ruby reminded her. Penny reset her stance, and grinned at Ruby playfully.

"You are a _very_ good teacher, and I am an excellent student." Penny bobbed her head. Neither Ruby nor Ironwood knew how to respond. "My point being: what positive traits I have seen in Ruby are beneficial to our cause, I do not believe she should be terminated for her unfortunate Grimm parentage!"

The surrounding audience stared at the confident young lady in utter confusion. "We are _not_ going to execute miss Rose, Penny, we are deciding when and where her powers shall be tested, and her tenure at Beacon." Ironwood said tiredly, "Nor are either of her birth parents Grimm."

Penny pouted. "Well then I see no reason for her to not do-" Penny paused, swiftly glancing at Ruby, "-whatever she wants!" She nodded, as if her answer was more than satisfactory, and again, was met with confusion and curiosity.

Ruby reached up to stroke Penny's head fondly. "You're a s-strange person, Penny. Thank you." Ruby smiled, and Penny's smile grew toothy.

Yang glanced down as Weiss grabbed her wrist and lead the way forward. The both of them stood shoulder to shoulder with Ruby, Yang giving the menacing air of a professional bodyguard, while Weiss stood at attention before the general. "General Ironwood, may I speak candidly?" She asked.

Ironwood regarded her with the same steely stare, but his tone was much more polite. "Of course, Lady Schnee." Despite his polite words, there was a hint of annoyance at the continuous interruptions.

"I am a member of Ruby's team, as well as her partner." Weiss spoke thoughtfully, ensuring each word was enunciated loudly and clearly. "The first time I saw her powers in the Emerald Forest, I was afraid. I was convinced she was going to attack me, but in hindsight, even as terrifying as she was, she was not a danger to me. She defended me, and may have been rough, but spared me any pain. For her powers to manifest as chaotically as they did last night, she had to be in an extremely dire scenario: captive to a criminal lunatic."

"If I may interject, Lady Schnee," Ironwood piped in with a flare of his nostrils, "said criminal lunatic is still on the loose. He may have further schemes to capture Miss Rose."

"And we will do everything in our power to stop him _and_ rescue Ruby." Ren spoke adamantly, his pink eyes sharpened by his distaste.

"Correct." Pyrrha added on, along with a round of nods from JNPR.

Ironwood took a breath to speak, but paused, staring at team JNPR in a mystified manner. After taking a moment to think, his eyes met Ren's. "Young man, miss Rose is not on your team. Before I attempt to guess your relationship with her, what stake do you have in this?"

Jaune made a motion to present himself on his teammate's behalf, but Ren's gentle touch paused him. Lie Ren strode forward to stand by Yang's side, his expression as flat as the general's, his eyes just as piercing. "My reasoning is threefold: first and foremost, I am a hunter, our code dictates that we fight for the freedoms and lives of humanity. Second, Ruby Rose is my friend. I have personal investment in her livelihood. Third, and most importantly, Ruby has several qualities I believe will strengthen us collectively as hunters: hope, generosity, studiousness, and innocence."

"And…" Ironwood's brow knit noticeably, a frown crossing his face. "Her abilities do not _concern_ you? Even after experiencing them firsthand?"

"I will not blame her for circumstances beyond her control. She is _dangerous,_ that goes without saying, but I stand before you not twenty-four hours after her attack, mostly undamaged. Had Ruby intended to kill me, I would be dead."

"Hey, yeah…" Sun hesitantly strode forward, fully aware he was in the presence of some extraordinarily important authority figures. "She could have left me to the Grimm after fading me." He tapped his neck brace. "They had me surrounded, but she killed them all and stopped summoning on me. Like, I could be a closed-casket funeral right now, but I'm not."

"She…" Weiss swallowed thickly, "She didn't attack me when I lost my nerve."

"She only attacked us when we got in her way." Nora pointed out. "Yeah, she was like, a hundred percent laser focused on killing the dude who kidnapped her, but the only reason _we_ were in danger is 'cuz we were trying to stop her."

"Her Grimm, however, showed no such restraint." Ironwood refuted, silently wondering how he'd come to debating with teenagers. "And _that_ is where the danger lies. Ruby herself may be controlled, but the creatures of Grimm are _not._ She summoned an excessive amount last night, she-"

"Was locked in a Grimm cage-"

"- had no control of the Grimm after their summoning-"

"- she'd lost her friend, watched her get _tortured-"_

" _And what if it happens again?!"_ Ironwood shouted in a sudden fury, taking even his closest allies aback with the rise of his voice. "You are all _missing the point!_ I acknowledge that Ruby Rose is a perfectly fine person, student, and _huntress,_ but her powers allow her to summon a portal she has imperfect control of, and _Grimm she has no control over at all."_ Ironwood's expression was sharpened by a sudden anger, and the lot of them shut up. "It was _luck,_ luck that all of you were there to impede her summoning! Had none of you shown up that dock would have been a _graveyard,_ _your city would fall to a massacre!_ I am not arguing that Ruby doesn't deserve _Beacon,_ I am arguing that keeping her in an uncontrolled environment is inviting _Vale's downfall_ whenever miss Rose has a breakdown!"

The ten teenagers were quiet, as were their professors. The headmaster had gone notably stiff, but he was quiet, eyes closed, staring at his desk with his fingers bridged in front of his face. They each took shallow breaths as Ironwood composed himself, while Ruby's face dipped towards the floor.

"Your contributions towards last night's events are admirable." Ironwood began after a few moments. "Your care for your teammate, friend, and sister is each admirable, but put aside your feelings for just a moment, consider the _danger_ you were in, and imagine the worst case scenario. If we bring her to Atlas and research her, it will be _safer._ We may even find the answers to the thousands of questions we have about the Grimm. _She will not come to harm._ Her freedoms and her dreams may be impeded, but _she_ will be safe, as will the rest of the world."

None of them had an argument against him. They each wanted to rail against the injustices of Ruby's captivity, but they were haunted by the implications. It was Weiss, who in gentle thought, came to an answer. "General, around forty years ago, a Schnee Dust Company employee by the name of Laius Claywood was the leader of an SDC mine in Vacuo, which had gotten large enough they'd established a town surrounding it."

"The Claywood Mining Community." Ironwood recited with a small nod.

"Correct. It was a fine town, with its own markets, but it had one major fault to it thanks to Claywood's bigotry: as the mining community's population was composed primarily of Faunus, they were still subject to the harsh racism of the time. Claywood created a currency, 'Claysien' which could only be spent in the mining town. He did so with the explanation that it 'prevented Faunus from pursuing illicit desires', such as drugs and prostitution. This was, because, as Faunus were beginning to make living wages, he _assumed_ that they were possessed by beastial instincts and would wantonly spend their Lien like children in a candy store. Until the Fair Labors Commission forced him to rescind, he never gave them the opportunity to prove him otherwise."

General Ironwood sighed heavily, briefly losing his perfect composure, but he gathered himself up quickly. "As I had addressed early, miss Rose had her opportunity. She was given the chance upon entering Beacon."

"It wasn't Beacon that drove her to summon, General." Weiss answered a little more confidently. "It was extreme circumstances. It wasn't even the loss of our teammate, or the lack of sleep. Surely they compounded on her condition, but it took her kidnapping, her _imprisonment_ to draw out the worst case scenario. Could you honestly blame her? Wouldn't the rest of us have expended our abilities to the extreme to escape the predicament she was in?" Weiss looked to her friends, as well as her teachers, and though they did not speak, there was a slow round of nods. Heartened, Weiss put on a small smile as Ironwood watched the floor. "General, I made a promise to myself and Ruby that I would support her, and it's a promise I intend to keep. Whether it be training her powers or stopping her from using them, she has my pledge that I will fight for her _and_ Vale."

"Mine too." Yang brushed shoulders with Weiss, thumping her own chest in a show of solidarity. Her tone was calm as she smiled softly at her teammate. "A hundred, two hundred, or a thousand Grimm, I'd rather fight them than send my sister away."

"Same." Jaune approached, followed by his nodding teammates. "You're not wrong sir, not really, but weighing the options against each other, I think we have a pretty good chance of keeping her chilled out."

"In the future we'll work together, General." Penny stepped forward again. "Ruby Rose will never be alone. Hunters work in groups, that is why we win."

"And speaking from experience, _nothing_ is worse than having a decision made for you 'because it's for the good of everyone else.'" Sun spoke up from behind them.

Behind the eight of them, Ruby was barely able to see. She didn't dare remove her goggles, she watched and bit back her whimpering so as to not disturb the proceedings. Who the heck were these people? _She_ cared for them a ton, _she'd_ lay down her life for _them,_ why were they going to do the same? She didn't deserve it, not after what she'd done, definitely not because of what she _was…_ She held a hand over her mouth as the hiccups began, and she tensed up as her father's large hand squeezed her shoulder tightly.

She listened in as best she could, but she couldn't hear anything. Was the General whispering…? Or… or was he speechless?

She lifted her chin and sniffled, staring at the backs of her friends' heads as they awaited judgement on their words. She barely knew them. She knew their names, she knew how they fought, she knew they were good people… she couldn't believe they were trying so hard for her. They had nothing to gain, they were being stupid...

Ruby lowered her head and shivered, fighting every impulse to cry in happiness. She wanted to hear them speak, to see to the end of these proceedings, but the headmaster put a stop to that.

"Students," Ozpin's eyes opened, and he spoke from under the bridge of his hands, "I believe this issue has become too complicated for us to decide so quickly. Before we begin to talk in circles, what ifs, and could bes, let us take a recess. Students, go to your dorms. Professors, let's get some water and dinner. General Ironwood, will you be available in, say, an hour?"

The General checked his watch, and shook his head. "Make it two. However, I agree, a break will do us good."

"Good. Now, to your dorms, go get food, do what you need to." Ozpin stood, picking up his empty coffee mug in the process. "Students, you will _not_ return here unless called. However, I do thank you for your insights." The eight of them slowly nodded, while Ruby, frowning, looked around in confusion as to what to do. "Go with them, Ruby. Until a final decision has been made, you are still a student of Beacon and have access to its facilities. _Do_ be ready to return at a moment's notice, however."

Ruby blinked, and bobbed her head quickly, her hands curled into a tight ball as she looked to her teammates. Hands rested on her shoulders, and she found her girls' smiles an immense comfort.

"Penny," Ironwood spoke up, finger on the button to end the conference, "report to your guardian as soon as possible. I will need a thorough update on your mission, promptly."

"Yes sir." Penny saluted, and Ironwood's hologram disappeared. The redhead instantly whirled to face Ruby, bowing her head low to hide her frown. "I wish we could hang out a little longer, but orders are orders. Each of you, thank you for your friendship, I will be sure to return it when I return!"

"... We still have an elevator ride to share, y'know?" Sun pointed out, drawing a small round of chuckles as Penny shot up, blinking.

"That is correct!" She bobbed her head. "I shall save my farewells until then!"

Ruby smiled tearfully, and slid from her teammates to hug the odd girl. Penny stood rigid, her expression one of pure surprise as, slowly, she rested her arms around Ruby. They held each other for a moment, and Ruby let go. As she tried to step back, however, Penny's arms remained clasped. Tightly, at that. "Um… Penny?" Ruby whispered, glancing up.

"Please." Penny sniffled, her eyes visibly wavy as her jaw quivered. "Just five more seconds." Ruby chuckled sadly, and allowed it.

The nine teens went to the elevator, Taiyang joining his daughters to rub their shoulders and offer his parental comfort. They each wore thin, hopeful smiles, but sunken shoulders. It was only Goodwitch's harsh order that separated them, forcing them to go down in two batches.

The teachers muttered small promises and goodbyes to each other while rubbing their stomachs and stretching. Glynda offered a quiet look towards Ozpin and Ironwood. The hologram hadn't flickered out, meaning the two leaders were seeking a moment of privacy, and the deputy headmistress had to hold her tongue. She'd said her piece, there was nothing more to say at the moment. She shook her head and left with a huff of frustration.

The two remaining men took notice.

"I must admit, I was not expecting Glynda to side with the girl." Ironwood almost sounded disheartened, his modulated voice breaking the rhythmic 'tock' of the office's massive clock. "She's normally so level-headed and pragmatic."

"Glynda is, and always has been, that, true," Ozpin answered, having yet to move, his eyes closing. "But she cares more deeply for her student's welfare than she'd care to admit. I hired her for her heart _in addition_ to her brains." He slid back into his chair with a heavy sigh, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Indeed." Ironwood closed his eyes, and turned to peer at Ozpin with a slight frown. "Ozpin, may we speak frankly?"

Ozpin didn't move from his exhausted pose, but he spoke loud enough to be clear, "Of course, James. I'd assumed you stuck around to do so anyway."

"Mm." Ironwood's military stance softened, and he allowed his hands to hang by his side, rather than being clasped behind him. He began to pace, which was replicated on Ozpin's desk. "Oleander, you've been quiet on your opinions regarding Miss Rose. This strikes me as… abnormal."

"This entire situation is abnormal, James." Ozpin looked at his associate, adjusting his glasses as they fell askew with the sudden motion. "As Glynda said, you're not _wrong._ Nobody here is _._ Ruby Rose, the individual, _deserves_ her freedom, and based on her actions last night, the loyalty and love she's gained from her team, her friends, and complete strangers, and how resolute she is in helping people, I believe fully and totally she deserves a second chance… _but…"_ The qualifying word hung in the air, creating a pregnant pause. "She is every bit as dangerous as you make her. Even if she had to be brought to the utter extremes to summon, there is no denying the consequences. In a moment of weakness, she is not just a danger to herself and a burden to her team…"

"So, you wish to…?" Ironwood frowned at the headmaster, who discarded his glasses and buried his face into his hands. "I didn't mean to cause you such distress, Olly."

"It's not you, James." Ozpin's shoulders shook for a moment, then he lifted his head to show a deep frown, and a lost, longing gaze. "In many cases, I could justify one side over the other. Ruby is significantly more dangerous than anybody or anything we've met aside from Salem herself. However, she has also all the best qualities of any potential hunter I've ever met, aside from her immaturity and naivety." He held up a fist, looking angrily at the ceiling. "She should be a huntress, and protect our lands!" Then he slapped his hands down on the desk, and growled, "But she should be kept locked away, where she won't potentially destroy us."

Ironwood was silent. The both of them fell into an unease as they paced and considered, their expressions crestfallen. With a heavy sigh, Ironwood looked to his associate with a more stern expression. "While I know fully this will more than likely work against me, you told me something when I first stepped up as the general of Atlas: ' _when your mind and your heart are at war, allow your heart to win.'"_

"Mhmm…" Ozpin glanced up, watching Ironwood slowly walk across his desk in thought.

"It was advice I mostly disregarded; as many times as I wished to rush to the aid of the hunters I sent out, Atlas needs its general more than it needs any one hunter. However, in times of personal travesty, I took your advice to heart. I have lived mostly without regrets." The general turned to face the headmaster, and he politely bowed his head. "I know that this will more than likely lead to my decisions being disregarded once again, but action must be taken, and soon."

The two regarded each other briefly, and Ozpin silently nodded. "James, I _do_ appreciate your input. While we may not always come to the same conclusions, your perspective is undeniably useful."

"I could only hope so." Ironwood retook his soldier's posture and resumed his unreadable expression. "We'll come to a conclusion in two hours. Stay safe-"

"- and stay vigilant." Ozpin recited. Ironwood's form flickered out, and Ozpin was left to his lonesome. Silently, he restarted the video of Ruby's rampage, watching the girl on the screen to compare to the young lady pepping up her friend an hour ago.

* * *

"Yang!" Taiyang's jaw jut in frustration. "Yang, c'mere and help your pop!"

"Can't." Yang answered dryly, barely looking up from her pillow. "Lap's occupied." She rest a hand on Ruby's forehead, tenderly playing with her sister's hair as the youngest Xiao Long used her sister's thighs as a pillow.

"Well tell me how to do a fireball!" Taiyang ordered, staring at the holoscreen set up in team RWBY's room. On it, his chosen character was ineffectually jabbing at the air, far away from Nora's grappler.

" _No fancy magic in THIS arena, Coach!"_ Nora cackled as her beefy bruiser lumbered towards the retreating boxer. " _I'ma stick your head in the dirt and use your balls as a speed bag!"_ She squealed as she hammered buttons randomly, drawing an amused cough from the older man.

"Watch your mouth around my daughter, Valkyrie. Yang! Fireball!" Taiyang ordered while feebly mashing the tiny buttons on the dwarfed controller in his hands.

"Jeez dad, it's quarter-circle forward and light punch!" Yang's fingers ran down Ruby's cheeks to squish and squeeze her puffy face. "It's the easiest move in the game."

"Quarter-circle- on the right stick?"

"No, the left! Same one you move with!"

"That's stupid! What's light punch? That's a kick…"

"A, dad! Quarter-circle forward on the left stick and hit A!"

"It's not- wait there it- _goddamnit Valkyrie I haven't played this game in years!"_

" _And I haven't touched a videogame ever, old man! THE FUTURE IS MINE! EAT DIRT!"_

Taiyang flopped onto his back in defeat, and Jaune quickly grabbed the controller off his stomach to go into the next game. "I always wanted one of these things!" Jaune said in boyish excitement.

Ruby gave a weak smile at her scroll screen, and Blake smiled back with pain in her expression. "Sounds like you guys are having a good time." She said weakly, her eyes more sallow and sunken in than before.

"Reminds me of home." Ruby answered in a low voice. "Just… with more people." Ruby scanned her dorm room, a little place she was already willing to call her own, and stared at all her friends. Though Penny was missing, having gone to her guardians, and Sun had gone to check in with his team.

Sitting behind the video game players, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ren sat back with a stack of law books procured from the library. "- and Atlas does not define 'persons of interest held for scientific purposes' under unlawful human research." Weiss explained, loud enough for Ruby to hear with an unhappy squirm. "However, they are still protected under the human research morality laws. General Ironwood is an intense stickler for rules, he wouldn't _dare_ allow his researchers to do anything immoral to Ruby."

"I am not afraid of how the general will treat Ruby, I fear that, should his attention stray from her, the less than noble will take advantage." Ren stated, disgruntled.

" _However,"_ Pyrrha spoke up, a book open in front of her, "according to the Vytal Peace Commission, should illegal or immoral activity be discovered in accordance to the Union Humanity Rules, the person will be discharged of their crimes and put under review by a legal team composed of members of the law from all four kingdoms."

"Mm, but the Vytal Peace Commission is notoriously slow to act, even with insurmountable evidence."

" _Any_ action is better than none."

"All of that aside, exposing Ruby to a greater audience is exactly what we _don't_ want. Remember, there are more simple folk who will see an opportunity for revenge than educated folk who want to help her."

"Not to mention it would place her back in the hands of a _different_ research team. We're trying to convince the world to let her be a huntress."

"The further we travel down the slope, the more factors that are present, the less likely she'll be allowed…"

"Right then." Ren nodded. "We go with plan: Gift Horse?"

"Ruby will _not_ survive that long inside of a box…"

"That is why I keep insisting we go grab as many ration packs and water bottles as we can before a decision is reached."

"I get the feeling she'll still be found…"

Blake closed her eyes and just smiled, a small cringe making Ruby frown. "A-are you okay, Blake?" The little leader asked, drawing an uncomfortable nod.

"Kinda drugged to hell. Can't feel my stomach. They redid my bandages and they're tight. Good news though." She raised her hand up to her scroll's camera, and Ruby made a happy little sound as a black flash ran up and down Blake's fingers.

"Y-your aura's back!" Ruby gasped in delight.

"Nice, Blake!" Yang smiled.

"Hard to call up, but I can already feel it doing its work."

"I'm g-glad. Really." Ruby's smile was sincere, and Blake couldn't help but smile tiredly.

"I am too, Kitten."

Yang paused in playing with Ruby's face, which seemed to cause Ruby no distress, even as her nose and cheeks were pinched. "What's with this 'Kitten' stuff, all of a sudden?" She asked, and Blake stuck her tongue out.

"None of your business, Tiger."

Yang raised an eyebrow, pursed her lips in consideration, hummed in thought… "Okay. I approve."

"Knew you would."

A loud buzz made the teens look up in curiosity, and Taiyang checked his scroll tiredly. They were quiet as he laid on his back and stared at his messages, a frown crossing his face, and he wordlessly stood. He straightened his shirt, pat down his pants, took a deep breath, and pulled Ruby into a crushing, comforting hug.

"D-d-dad?" Ruby whimpered, and her father reluctantly let her go, putting a hand on her head.

"Time for me to head back. Recess is up." He stretched, rolling his shoulders as the surrounding teens hesitantly stood, watching his every move as he let out a strained sigh. "The rest of you aren't allowed at this meeting. We're going to come up with an answer, just the adults, so _no barging in this time."_ He looked at Yang accusingly.

"Hey, _Peach_ was the one who told us that the headmaster was available for conference." The eldest daughter pouted, and Taiyang shook his head.

"Yeah, well, not this time. All of you, don't do anything drastic." He looked at his family with a heavy expression, and he squeezed Ruby's fingers. "They're not taking you away from me, Ruby. Do you understand that?"

Ruby shivered, but nodded, holding her scroll close while Blake remained quiet and listened.

Taiyang forced his feet to carry him away from his girls, out their dormroom, and down the hall. The room fell into a depressing silence, the video game's intense, blood-pumping music horribly out of place. Weiss walked away from her chair to sit down next to Ruby, and both of them were snagged by Yang. They collapsed in a solemn heap on Yang's bed, sharing in exhaustion and fear for the future. Blake was there in spirit, at least, though her view through Ruby's scroll was awful.

With the passing of the hour, the sun had descended beneath the horizon, turning the sky from a glamorous splash of orange and red into an overarching dark blue that swallowed all things in its lightlessness, leaving the lights of man to guide the way. The day's end was fast approaching, and they still weren't a full twenty-four hours past last night's catastrophe.

Beacon bore no scars and had no qualms, as it had slept peacefully, and awoken to a normal day. Hundreds of students had attended their classes, ate with their friends, and practiced in the fields without noticing anything had happened until word had spread. None of them lay awake last night, trapped in an unending cycle of 'what ifs?' concerning their mortality. Most were more afraid of the homework they needed to rush to complete before curfew hit.

What horrors the eight friends had experienced the night before were mere talking points for the rest of the students, either worry over the near incursion, or lamenting they hadn't been there to glorify themselves with a horde of kills. It was not their faults they weren't terrorized by the night before, it had come and passed without far-reaching consequences.

Those that were affected by it, however, sat in quiet contemplation. A brush with death was more than enough to engage their imaginations and turn them philosophical as they questioned what they had and hadn't done.

Beacon had fallen silent, other than some footsteps overhead and chatter in the halls, and night invited many of them to their sleep.

Nora and Ren leaned against each other, sitting against the wall on a linen sheet, eyes closed, bodies still. Ren's hand wrapped around Nora's torso to settle on her hip, the typically controlled boy looking remarkably at peace, his mouth even open the slightest bit. Nora rest her head heavily against Ren's shoulder, a line of drool running down her lip to her chin, her arm around Ren's shoulder to give her support and him a pillow.

Jaune and Pyrrha sat on the floor in front of the coach's holo-telescreen set-up, playing one of the games the Xiao Longs had brought with them. Jaune's face was slack, blinking heavily from time to time as a weight settled on his eyelids, mulling how much more simple it was to pull a trigger on the controller to turn a Grimm into dust, his mind at ease and not racing to come up with a strategy or tactic. Pyrrha's expression was sharp, but her shoulders were hunched, and she silently checked the clock before returning to the game, finding a wonderful frustration in not understanding the mechanics well enough to utterly dominate; it was a pleasant experience to lean on her partner at crucial moments.

Ruby had drifted off, her goggles on the ground by Yang's bedside, her body draped over her older sister's side. "Yang…" She murmured, her eyes closed.

"Mhmm?" Yang hummed, not changing her expression as she silently flipped through a sports magazine.

"Th-... dere's… flour in tha kishen…" Ruby whispered, her limbs twitching.

"Cool. Gonna make cookie dough?" Yang asked without really needing an answer and turned a page.

"Bread…" The little sister mumbled. "Fer dinner…"

"Bread sounds good. How 'bout rye?" Yang smirked a little, feeling Ruby tense up in frustration.

"Nooooo… rye's dumb… meadbread…"

"Bread for the meat?"

"Nuh… lige… _bagon…"_

"Bacon sounds good, Ruby."

"Hee…"

"I- I don't even know where to begin." Weiss admitted with a small frown, laying in her bed with her scroll open on her chest, Blake's groggy face filling the screen.

"Want me to start?" Blake asked, drawing a hesitant, but quick nod from the debutante. "So, the White Fang's been a part of my life since I could remember. I mean, there's a picture of four year-old me with a bandana and big ol' rain boots holding an 'Ears Up for Equality' sign."

"I remember, when I was around the same age, my father firing a servant for making one of those signs on her break. She wasn't even a Faunus, security tore it up and threw her out." Weiss gave a steep frown. "Father, and even mother, used to tell me that I shouldn't believe the White Fang. They told me you were opportunists trying to steal from humans."

"Thing is, they weren't totally wrong." Blake's ears flattened on her head. "I knew plenty of guys, even before coming to Vale, who joined the White Fang to 'stick it to the humans.' There were guys who would join the riots just to break human shops and fight with the police."

"Not all of them though." Weiss said, as if to remind _Blake_ of her cause.

"Of course not all of them." Blake snickered. "But guys like that Kramer person? They didn't just show up. The White Fang was an outlet for their aggression and anger, and their numbers grew. There were plenty more of us who had the best intentions; I remember some of the better guys running between cops and Faunus and pushing them apart, trying to talk everyone down, but words are a shitty weapon when everyone's angry."

"Which is ironic, considering many of my family's more effective speeches used anger. I said plenty of them." Weiss's eyes fell, and she swallowed thickly.

"Hey Weiss, look." Weiss glanced up, and rather than Blake, there was a piece of white paper, with a rather lovely sketch of Weiss in her idol/hunter's outfit, but with the addition of big, pointed rabbit ears, and a rather adorable pair of buck teeth. "Eh?" Blake's eyes poked over the paper. "Eh? Like it? I'd add a cotton-ball tail but I'd need to see more of your butt to do that."

Weiss's expression went from pale and blank to reddened and annoyed in an instant, a thin smile crossing her face as she stared at the picture. "You know, the Mistral chapter of the Fang uses Faunusization as a protest tool. I've been a mouse, a cat, a snake…"

"Yeah, but you're a rabbit now." Blake bounced the picture. "Hop hop~!" She giggled, and Weiss gave her a more honest smirk.

"How did I get such nuisances for teammates?" She rolled her eyes, and drew a little laugh from Blake.

"Let's call it karma, Weiss."

There was a short, gentle knock at the door, not loud enough to awaken Nora and Ruby, but Ren's eyes opened with a bleary blink, while the wakened teens watched the door tensely. "Door's unlocked!" Yang called, as loudly as she could manage without disturbing Ruby.

The door opened, and Doctor Oobleck walked in, taking stock of the seven students lazing about and goofing off. The green-haired mouth pushed his glasses up his nose, and cleared his throat. "A decision has very nearly been reached, and I've been asked to bring all of you to the headmaster's office so that we can finish this meeting."

Weiss and Yang shot each other a look while Ren roused Nora, much to the hammer maiden's annoyance. Jaune stood alongside Pyrrha, the two wearing a similar frown. "All of us?" He asked, and Oobleck nodded.

"All of you." The professor elaborated, "Being involved in last night's events, as well as having such close ties to miss Rose, we would like each of you present for the final decision." His tone was strained, a tad grim, but it could have been excused as tiredness. He himself had a long night, and a very strenuous meeting.

Ruby sat up, rubbing her frightening eyes, forcing the man to look away until she gathered her goggles, stood up, and tensely approached him. She was not alone, as Yang slid a hand onto her sister's shoulder and sternly awaited the rest of them.

"And this will be the absolute final decision?" Weiss asked weakly, clutching her scroll, with Blake silently watching the professor through the screen.

"Correct. There will be no more musings or elaborate speeches to sway things. There is just one last piece of the puzzle that needs to be fit in." He sighed heavily, opening the door wide for them to file out, one by one, Nora nearly being carried out as she grumbled and griped.

* * *

Few words were shared on the short, uneventful journey back to the headmaster's office. A legion of seasoned Grimm could have suddenly barreled down the hallway, and they would have only brought a relief to the band of students following their professor to the elevator.

They stood at the ready for the worst, yet hoped for the best, some of them mulling over plans in case their fears came to pass, others taking the time to pray for the best from whatever deities held council over them.

While there was a sense of finality to it, Ruby felt light. She had shaken off her sleep, and though she and her friends were wound with uncertainty, she couldn't help but but feel ready to face her destiny. The only thing keeping her bouncing in place on the elevator up was Yang's hand on her shoulder. Weiss stood by her side, eerily silent as Blake join them through her scroll.

Doctor Oobleck lead them out of the lift to stand before Professors Port, Peach, Goodwitch, Xiao Long, the Headmaster, and the General's pale blue image. The very first thing Ruby noticed was that her father immediately looked up at her with a small smile, and the tight grip on her chest released all at once. She said nothing, and Yang's fingers dug into her shoulder.

With team JNPR behind them, the students stood at attention, and Ozpin silently watched them. Each of the adults looked tired, as if the continuous meetings and ethical and logical debates had taken a toll as harsh as last night's ordeal, but they did their best to not show it other than Port, who Taiyang nudged awake with a sputter and a quick bounce of his bushy moustache.

"Students," the headmaster began in a low voice, his expression serious, but calm, "this will be the last meeting we have on this subject, and unfortunately, we are placing a tremendous burden upon you." He let the words hang in the air, leaving the eight teens to grow nervous before he continued, "Ruby, please come stand before us, the rest of you stay where you are."

Ruby looked back at her sister and her gathered friends in a sudden fright, but Yang's strong eyes steeled her. A simple nod ordered Ruby forward, while Weiss held Blake up so they could wordlessly give Ruby their backing. Jaune moved to Yang's side to give Ruby an almost playful thumbs up, Pyrrha moving to his side to face down her teachers as if they might attack, and Nora and Ren squeezed each other's hands and watched their young friend carefully.

With a feeling like the weight of the world had suddenly perched on her shoulders, Ruby slowly left her companions to stand before Ozpin and Ironwood. The general regarded her with the same, unflinching stare of neutrality he always defaulted to, but there was no hostility emanating from his posture. Peach smiled a friendly smile when Ruby glanced her way, and Ruby let her shoulders collapse.

She didn't feel endangered, even with the pressing question ready to leave headmaster's lips.

"Blake Belladonna." Ozpin spoke up, his eyes focusing on the little rectangle the Faunus watched through, "I'm pleased to see you could join us. Are you well?"

"I will be, headmaster." Blake had to raise her voice a good bit to be heard, but other than the constant 'tock' overhead, the room was more than quiet enough.

"Excellent. My apologies I couldn't come visit you today, though the hospital staff has done a remarkable job keeping me up-to-date on your condition." Ozpin nodded, touching a portion of his desk to bring up a screen full of medical information. "You know better than to put your kidney at risk, yes? I'm sure we can find you some pamphlets on proper portioning-"

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat, making Ozpin stop, take a breath, and refocus. Blake… chuckled. "I'm aware, headmaster. I'll take one of those pamphlets, if you find them." She smirked, and Ozpin nodded his head.

"Excellent. Onto business then." The headmaster lifted his gaze to meet the rest of the student's eyes, and he took but a moment to gather his thoughts. "Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren, each of you has a connection to miss Rose. For most of you, you have only known miss Rose for a short time, and yet, you each came rushing to her defense when the opportunity presented itself; _twice,_ at that. I wish to ask a question, then make a proposal towards each of you as individuals, partners, and teammates. Knowing what miss Rose is capable of, are you each comfortable standing by her against the Grimm?"

Weiss's hand shot into the air, and her face was nearly red as she announced, "I am!" The suddenness of her response drew curious looks, especially from the professors who had seen the two interact. Despite her nervousness, Ruby couldn't help but manage a flattered smile.

"Same." Yang disobeyed orders to move up to Ruby's side, and grab her in a possessive hug. She kept an even expression, but there was a readiness to her gaze, and Ozpin did not doubt that the young lady would fight her professors then and there if she needed to. "I've spent all my life by her side, I'm not afraid."

Blake had to announce her answer loudly, "I took a _harpoon_ for her, once I can stand, it'll be with her." She was already putting up with a lot just to be with her team. She honestly should have been asleep and gathering her strength, but she wasn't about to leave her team high and dry.

JNPR quickly formed a small huddle. The onlookers could only watch, mystified, as words were quickly traded between them in heated whispers for a full twenty seconds. They split apart with similar looks of determination, and Jaune raised his hand for attention. "Team JNPR has agreed that we will stand by Ruby's side."

"As both friends _and_ allies." Pyrrha clarified.

"For we are hunters…" Ren began.

"But also besties!" Nora nodded, smiling firmly.

The professors were respectably silent as they mulled this over, the only sounds being Ruby's soft hiccups and whimpers. Taiyang ran a hand down his face and turned towards a window as his face pinched up, and Ozpin lifted his head. "Then I will ask you one more thing: in the future, should miss Rose lose control once more, would you each be willing to assist in keeping both her and others safe? To potentially lay your lives on the line for her?"

The seven students looked between each other, and Nora raised her hand. "Isn't that what we're already doing?"

"In a sense, yes, but if miss Rose is the cause-"

"Oh _bullshit!"_ Yang snapped, shutting Ozpin up immediately. The surrounding professors wore expressions ranging from shock and horror to offense on the headmaster's behalf at the interruption, but that didn't stop Yang. "It's not Ruby's _fault_ she's like this." Yang's face tightened up, and her voice lowered. "If she was a normal girl, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. She'd be the same kickass hunter, guts and all."

"And it is precisely because of who she is _trying_ to be that we are not afraid of what she can do." Weiss added, Blake and JNPR nodding their heads collectively. "Like Yang said, take away the Grimm and she would still be Ruby. Maybe… maybe she'd be a different Ruby, but she'd have the same core values, the same family, the same training."

"I am afraid of the Grimm, and that she can summon Grimm," Pyrrha spoke up, hands crossed in front of her, "but I am more afraid for the girl cursed by them. Should she slip again, I will not hesitate to lift my blade, but only in her defense."

They nodded as a group, humming in affirmation, and watching their headmaster with serious, if anxious expressions.

Ozpin, once again, took his time to answer, examining their faces, watching how they gathered around Ruby in a show of support, their eyes on him and him alone, as _he_ was the threat here. He lowered his hands to his desk and let out a small, relieved sigh. "Then the ayes have it." Ozpin's eyes drifted around the room, meeting the surrounding professors, and one by one, they untensed in relief and smiled at Ruby. "Ruby Rose will remain a student at Beacon Academy."

The stillness of the room collapsed as suddenly as a poorly built lean-to. The adults had to bare shrieks of delight, happy sobbing, and excited cheering as team RWBY and JNPR gathered into one large, indistinct ball of joy. It briefly struck Ozpin as he watched them: teams RWBY and JNPR were separate entities, true, but what were they separated by? Rooms? Team names? Because, before him, there was almost no way to tell who was on which team except that he'd already known.

Jaune and Yang both hugged Ruby, the boy already acting like a member of the family, even getting his hair ruffled by the older sister. Weiss and Pyrrha leaned in from the sides, their hands on shoulders and trying to get words in as Ruby wailed loudly in relief, her goggles once again filling up with tears. Only Nora and Ren seemed like outliers, being a romantic pair, but even still they huddled close, with Nora trying to squeeze into the group hug, and Ren leaning over Weiss's shoulder without so much as setting her off, holding the heiress's scroll so Blake could join in.

Ozpin had determined Beacon would have teams for a variety of reasons, be they learning to cope with abnormal teammates, or ensuring they each had a connection once they left the school, but it could divide them. Each team was their own entity, with other teams seen as friendly–though sometimes antagonistic–competition. These eight were indistinct. Disregarding what he knew… Ozpin looked at them and saw what he treasured in humanity.

"There is, however, a catch." A modulated voice interrupted the brief festivities. The group of eight turned to face General Ironwood as he watched them with his normal sternness, though there may have been a hint of frustration in his tensed brow.

"A c-catch?" Ruby asked, feeling her heart throbbing in her chest, her brain an utter mess of incoherent thoughts and feelings that made it impossible to think straight. All she wanted to do was jump into open arms, whoop, cheer, and maybe go back to that nap she'd been enjoying.

"While you may remain a student at Beacon Academy, Atlas Academy will be sending some of its best researchers here to study your abilities." The general explained.

Professor Goodwitch strode forward, adjusting her glasses with one hand, not allowing her face to betray any emotion. "You stated earlier you were willing to put in extra hours if it meant your continued enrollment. We had originally intended to wait for you to finish your remedial work, but we will be moving ahead of schedule. That means longer hours for you, and you will be required to cooperate with the Atlesian research team."

"... And if _they_ try anything?" Yang asked distastefully, drawing Ironwood's eye.

"If they attempt anything untoward, dangerous, or unethical towards miss Rose, they will suffer a full reprimand as well as additional consequences. Protecting miss Rose is a priority for us, but an even greater priority is ensuring there are no more breaches in security and safety. Our researches will undergo a heavy vetting process before we choose who will be part of the research team." He explained.

"And of course, there will be Beacon administrators present to ensure cooperation, gather research, and keep Ruby safe." The headmaster continued with a small, if tired smile. "As I said, she is, and will continue to be, a student here, we will _not_ allow her to come to harm."

"Good." Blake's voice piped up. "We didn't all go through the ringer just to be lied to."

"You _absolutely_ did not." Port spoke this time, grunting in exertion as he pushed himself to his feet out of the chair he'd been slumped in. "Your efforts last night were incredible, each of you is clearly capable of comprehending the danger you were in and slaying it."

"We brought you here specifically because, after consideration, we believe you can be trusted in helping Ruby." Oobleck wore a lopsided smile by Port's side. "We want to train her, but also learn from her. She could grant us an unimaginable amount of insight into the Grimm!"

"Not to mention you're all good kids." Peach continued, smiling at the bunched up group. "Putting you all in a twist by getting rid of one of ya would just be cruel."

Ironwood's hologram politely nodded. "And though I have expressed my feelings on the matter, the decision was one made as a group. I trust that Beacon will return great results. Miss Rose, that means I expect hard work and doing as you're told."

"I-I p-promise I w-will!" Ruby answered in a nervouscited squeak.

"Don't worry General," Taiyang parted the students to drag Ruby and Yang into a hug, his eyes firmly on Ironwood, "you won't have to worry about her following orders."

"I sincerely hope that I do not, Xiao Long." Ironwood's eyes closed, then he let out a soft breath. "With this decision concluded, I shall begin making arrangements immediately. I bid you each a good night. Stay safe, and stay vigilant."

Only the headmaster offered him a farewell, and his hologram was gone. With it, he took the day's tension, as well as the unknown repercussions of team RWBY's future. Ruby was limp in her father's arms, leaning against his bulk in a happy lethargy, while the rest of the teens let out a collective sigh of relief.

It was cause for celebration, and with the way Nora was vibrating, she was a hair's breadth away from suggesting it. That was until Ruby realized something, "W-wait… I'm a s-student still…" She murmured, her brow scrunching as her finger dug underneath her goggles to try and dry her eyes. "... And tonight's a _school night!"_ She gasped, quickly glancing at the headmaster's clock. " _W-WE'RE PAST CURFEW!"_ She screeched, drawing an amused giggle from Yang, then a terrified yelp when Ruby tried to drag her to the lift. "I-I d-didn't get n-notes today!"

"Ruby, _relax."_ Weiss ordered, trying to make Ruby stop. "I have all of yesterday's notes, we're _fine."_

" _I don't know what we're going over tomorrow!"_ Ruby howled in terror, and Weiss gave a shriek as she and Yang were both pushed into the elevator. "We don't have time to go over it tonight! W-Weiss, we need to get up e-extra early! We'll exercise, e-eat, shower, _and then r-review."_

"Ruby-

"Adorable little worry wart." Blake could be heard grumbling in amusement.

"We're going over the Battle at Ziegland tomorrow, miss Rose!" Oobleck called after her.

"I'm teaching everyone how to put together generator packs for the lightning dust y'all gave me last Friday!" Professor Peach had to bite back a laugh.

Port, back in his chair, let out a snore.

Ruby whirled around as the elevator arrived and opened up, and gave her peers and her teachers a deep bow, trembling as she did. "Th-thank you e-everyone. I-I-I won't let this opport-tunity go to w-waste!" She glanced up, her goggled-covered eyes meeting Jaune's.

JNPR watched her with nothing but smiles, and, like her, they were tired, but excited. "We'll be down once the elevator comes back up." Jaune assured her.

"... Thank you." Ruby whispered, but loudly enough that he could hear her.

Jaune scrubbed his blonde hair with an embarrassed smile. "No worries, Ruby. Anytime."

With that, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were on their way to their dorm.

* * *

When the clocks struck midnight, a storm hit Vale's warehouse district suddenly, and furiously. Many of the warehouse inhabitants, be they the dock workers or the displaced, were familiar enough with the city's criminal element to know when to keep their heads down and their mouths shut, and when to run with both their dignity and their lives.

Like rats, they squirmed through doorways, down alleyways, and into dark corners to avoid being seen, but the storm did not care for the simple folk; in the long run, they were negligible, consequences and statistics to be put on paper for later, though the ones that stumbled in the way were given glares of such righteous indignation that they quickly found their place up against a wall until the storm passed.

The warehouse was no different. The employee door was thrown open, and what little activity there was came to a grinding halt.

She entered her stolen domain, leaking white hot lethality that sent the masked Faunus scampering for cover. Cinder Falls was not in a good mood. She hardly ever was since the discovery of that girl, but _this,_ this wasn't just an unchecked bonfire threatening to spill over onto the dry grass, her presence burned with a heat so malicious that even her subordinates were wary.

"Two-hundred lien says he's dead before he gets his first stupid joke out." Mercury murmured to Emerald, walking behind Cinder as the animals fled from their sight.

Emerald noted how _few_ Faunus there were. She'd heard they'd taken a hit with Roman's ill-advised blunder, but with how destitute and shiftless they were acting when not in immediate danger… "Yeah, I'm not taking that bet." Emerald muttered, too low for Cinder to hear. All the Dust containers that had lined the warehouse only a few days ago were gone, only a few sparse, unused crates left behind. They had lost literal _tons_ of Dust.

The plan had been good to go in Mt. Glenn, they just needed that one last shipment. There was simply no way it would be executed in the spring; and getting enough Dust to do it all again, especially now that the law was on high-alert, summer didn't look too good either. Emerald was less worried about the plan, however, and more worried about Cinder's open and near-volcanic fury.

She was practically shimmering with an uncontained aura. It was beautiful, a gorgeous sunset orange encompassing her body, but it threatened to scorch the world and all within it for ruining her destiny. The back room door blew open with a roiling smoke, and Cinder stormed in, while Mercury and Emerald remained at the door for safety.

Laying on the couch in an utterly pathetic state, Roman Torchwick looked up to the woman who had so easily conquered his loyalty, and he tried to sit up. Considering the number of bandages he was wrapped in, and the one arm completely bound to his chest, just _that_ was an accomplishment. "Cinder-"

"Shut _up."_ A hand closed around his throat, the heat immediately turning his flesh red and raw as he convulsed and choked under her cruel grip. The woman in red bared her little white teeth like an angered Grimm, that perfect, ivory face marred by angry wrinkles to show Roman the face of undiluted _rage._ "I gave you an _order."_

" _I-was-ghhk-"_ Roman wheezed, the air and moisture in his throat drying under the heat of her palm, leaving him gasping for breath without her having to crush.

Her other hand almost relaxed on top of the other, heat _pouring_ off her, while the man's own aura tried to flicker in. "Do. Not. Pursue. The Girl. Without me." Cinder recited with a click of her teeth, her rage alleviating as she held the failure of a man beneath her, allowing her fire to do the work for her. "You have set me back _months._ Because you were _impatient._ Because you're an _idiot."_ She lifted him up, his one good hand feebly grasping at her wrists as his face contorted in pain. "I was going to let you live." She said _almost_ in regret. " _Was."_

Cinder was blown back, her hands untangling from Roman's throat so that he could flop onto the seat and gasp for air, his good hand stroking his raw, inflamed throat. Cinder's furious gaze fixed itself on the clownish mute, who stood at the opposite doorway. Their eyes met, both wearing an equal amount of anger. Roman gasped as he looked between the two girls. While Cinder was at the edge of anger, Neo was sweating nervously, her face white as a sheet as she held her umbrella out like it might protect her, her other arm trembling as she carried a rag and a bucket of cool water.

Cinder's eyes flickered from Roman to Neo, and an angry smirk crossed her face. "Her first." Cinder said near gleefully.

" _No!"_ Roman awkwardly threw his legs over the edge of the couch and tried to stand, but immediately stumbled back onto his ass as pain shot through his body. "Don't you _touch her!"_ Roman ordered with a pathetic gasp, and wordlessly, the sound of crinkling glass filled the air, a jet black spear appearing in Cinder's hand.

"Consider this the price of your failure, Roman." Cinder said, significantly calmer now that she had a piece of leverage. She raised a hand, a fiery blast forming in her palm, and Roman once again tried to lunge to his feet, only to awkwardly stumble into Mercury's grip.

"Now let's chill out, my dude." Mercury's smile was colder than Cinder's as the gangster squirmed in his grip. "At least it's not you! You just gotta live with the fact that your little lady over there is gonna be a pile of smoking ashes because of you for the rest of your–admittedly short–life. So, y'know, there's that."

"I'll _kill you…"_ Roman growled painfully, trying to break Mercury's empowered grip. "Kill _all of you!_ I fucking swear it, you lay one hand on her-"

Neo's trembling increased as she tried to figure out how she could get both herself and Roman out with her semblance, but Cinder's form, wreathed in flame, began to warp before her eyes. Her umbrella fell out of her hand as Roman, healthy, smiling pleasantly, and moving to press the black spear against her throat, took Cinder's place.

Emerald smirked in a cold triumph as the little girl went completely still, unable to comprehend what she was seeing as the heat surrounded her, the spear digging into her bubblegum-pink aura.

"Die." Cinder ordered, a second away from plunging the fire down the tip of her spear and blowing the teen girl's head off.

"No."

Cinder froze in place. Mercury and Emerald both glanced around cautiously at the new voice, Emerald's concentration broken, but Roman too weak to fight off the distracted Mercury.

"The punishment for failure should be great, but formative if they still provide use." The voice was calm and feminine, a distinct, womanly timber in it, but there was a strange… _ethereal_ warble to it, an indeterminable echo that set them each at the edge of their seats.

Cinder backed away immediately, her expression one of both wonder and terror, the glass spear disintegrating in her grip, her burning aura dissipating. Neo could only look on in confusion, then mute terror as something appeared behind Emerald.

"Oh- _oh my god-"_ Emerald lept back into Cinder's arms, and was quickly tossed aside as Cinder stepped forwards, her expression full of shock.

"That is fucking creepy." Was all Mercury could say on the matter, Roman in silent agreement as the two men watched it float inside.

It had the appearance of a black glass globe sitting on top of a fanged base, a sickly yellow light glowing from the depths of the creature's 'head.' Long, red, wire-like tendrils hung beneath it, each capped with a tooth-like protrusion, each of them gently waving as the odd Grimm floated inside. Boney plates swirled around the orb-like head, until settling around the base of the sphere in a manner like a regal collar, until, like some sort of half-intelligent animal, its tendrils grabbed the open door behind it and slammed it shut.

Then, it spoke, using that strange, lady-like voice that had interrupted the near-murder. "Cinder, failure comes in a great many forms, yet where you see that this man you have hired has failed, I, instead, see success."

"What…?" Mercury murmured, drawing Emerald's blank, uncomprehending stare.

"Mistress," Cinder said in calm distress, leaving the rest of them to blankly look at her, "We have been put _months_ behind. Beacon would have fallen by the end of the week, but his _haste,_ his lack of _judgement-"_

" _Revealed your lies to me,_ Cinder." The woman sounded disappointed, and the floating Grimm made an agitated warble, its tentacles slapping at the ground angrily.

"I-I did not lie, mistress, I was hoping to surprise you. We don't _need_ that _thing_ here, she will simply complicate things. I will have the girl sent to you within the year, that is a promise, and Beacon will fall not soon after." Cinder put on an air of confidence, even as she stared the strange Grimm down, but a light, almost sweet titter made her flinch.

"Oh, Cinder, you were rebellious from the day I first brought you in, and you continue to show such admirable independence. However," The voice's levity fell into a cold, disappointed tone, "I gave you very specific instructions on what to do if you encountered Ruby Rose."

"I thought-"

"You _thought._ That is where you _failed,_ Cinder." The Grimm's voice snarled, drawing confused looks from all in attendance. "I gave you a command that I'd intended for you to obey without hesitation. This matter is, currently, more important than the fall of Beacon. The sooner we have Ruby, the more quickly we may act."

"That wretched little girl is not more important than what _you promised me!"_ Cinder shouted in a flash of anger. It was not what the Grimm said that made Cinder quiver, it was the pregnant silence that preceded it.

"Do _not_ speak ill of your siblings, Cinder." The Grimm advised coldly.

"She-" Cinder calmed her voice, leaving her looking almost afraid, "She is _not_ my sibling. I _have no family."_

"Learn to appreciate metaphors and similes, Cinder, it will make my lessons much easier." The Grimm seemed to sigh. "More to the point: this man's failure gave me cause to investigate. Hundreds upon hundreds of Grimm suddenly tearing into the world in the midst of a peaceful city with little provocation, following the kidnapping of a familiarly named student? That is not coincidence, that is proof of fate. And do disregard my eavesdropping, Cinder, but I could not help but interpret your threats as to mean you _knew_ she has been here."

"I-"

"Disobeyed me, yes, we've been over that." The Grimm snapped, leaving Cinder to pale and tremble in place. "I have no intention of stopping your operation, or forcing you elsewhere, Cinder, you clearly have this–whatever 'this' is–thought out to completion. However, Ruby Rose takes priority, and I will be sending help to assist in her procurement."

"That _thing_ will only complicate my plans!" Cinder insisted desperately, all her fire and anger replaced by terror that seemed… unbecoming on the steadfast, powerful woman. "We've drawn more than enough attention with thefts and kidnapping, _they_ will only make this harder on _all of us._ We can _come back_ from this failure, we can capture the girl and bring Beacon to its knees without it!"

"I'm sure you _think_ you can." The voice said in bemusement, making Cinder grit her teeth. "However, my mind has been made; you've disobeyed orders, have yet to take down Beacon, nor have you even found Amber. I want Ruby Rose before the end of the Summer. If you cannot fell Beacon by then, then _she_ will once she's brought to me. Need I repeat myself?"

Cinder had fallen silent. Furious, cold, and silent, looking defeated in more than just body, but spirit as well. She made fists, her aura flared, then winked out. The sound of crackling glass filled the air, then fell, and she finally hung her head in resignation. "As you wish, Salem."

"Then be prepared to receive company in the coming weeks." The Grimm began to drift away, but paused long enough for one final command, "Keep the failure-" a tentacle gestured towards Roman, "-alive, if petty Dust theft is so crucial to your plans. You have the strength to command, but not the charisma to _lead,_ Cinder. It would do you well to keep him."

Cinder answered threw her teeth, " _Yes. Ma'am."_

With that, the floating Grimm drifted out the door, leaving the criminals to stew on what they had seen and heard.

Cinder, silently, turned to Mercury and made a gesture. Mercury tossed Roman back onto the couch he'd been resting on, watching his leader in unspoken trepidation. Emerald, however, ran to Cinder's side to touch her arm. "Are you okay?" She asked, but Cinder shrugged her off with a growl.

"No. Nor will I be until this is done." Cinder shot Roman a lethal glare, and Neo put herself between the two of them. "Restock our Dust. Immediately. Beacon will fall no matter what. If you need resources, consider them expanded, but _you will not make any more mistakes."_

"... Loud 'n clear, Cinder." Roman answered through a throat swollen by disgust and fear.

Cinder trudged out, Emerald and Mercury following.

* * *

Two weeks went by shakily.

Some mornings, Ruby woke up, stared at her surroundings, and had to bury her face into her pillow to keep herself from crying in relief. Cloying nightmares slipped into her dreams and dragged her back to that dark place of pure fear, rage, and ignorance. Too many times did she find herself trapped in a dank, wet cell, needles puncturing her skin and pumping a burning, sickly acid into her.

Too many times did she find herself with her hands wrapped around the throat of a friend, their faces changing until she was convinced she had strangled them all.

Each time she woke up to an alarm, Yang dragging her into a hug, while Weiss recounted what they would need to do for the day. She was safe. She was in control. She had her friends and her family, and she had classes to look forward to.

After years away from public schools, Ruby found she enjoyed going to class. The eccentric, knowledgeable teachers, the projects that she, Weiss, and Yang slaved over, the constant practice with her peers, she felt normal. She was not normal, of course–there was the constant, looming countdown to the day she'd be an after-school guinea pig to some scientists–but until then, she was a student. She'd slipped into fifth place during their second week of tests, with Pyrrha taking second and Ren taking fourth, but Ruby edged Ren out on their third week. Weiss never lost first place, and Yang peaked at third.

On the weekends, she avoided going too far from the Beacon airbus terminals. Easy dinners at nice restaurants with Weiss and Yang, exploring book shops that didn't carry anything particularly rare or interesting, and Weiss and Yang both trying to force her into weird clothes.

She did _not_ rock a tube top, no matter _what_ they said.

The shadows seemed deeper, however. Ruby felt awful for it, but she watched the Faunus at the White Fang stalls suspiciously, and even felt tense when there was one present at the street corners, waiting for the green light to cross the crosswalk. Weiss and Yang were never far, nor was her father on the one day he'd accompanied them to try out a new pizza place.

Ruby didn't fear the Faunus, she was afraid of the White Fang. What they had done to her and her friends, what she'd very nearly done to them, but most of all, what they had done to Blake.

The Fang's activities seemed to stop. Of course they had, they'd lost nearly seventy of their number that night, they still had to regroup, rehire, retrain, and retaliate, but that would require time, and Ruby kept a finger on the subconscious button to activate her Aura if she sensed danger. But, the city seemed safer.

Pops remarked as much when Weiss had convinced the sisters to go further from the terminal. The old man greeted them like good friends, and he'd offered Weiss an order of onion rings on the house. Not that they were wholly accepted–most of the Faunus in the restaurant kept their distance–but the jolly owner and his wife cooked good food and seemed much more comfortable now that the city's crime spree had come to a sudden halt.

Weiss Schnee's reputation was all over the place. She drew public sympathy with her continuing advance despite the White Fang's attacks, but criticism as well, since more than one picture had been taken of her at Pops'. She didn't seem to care as much as she said she did, she didn't disguise herself anymore, and though her words were carefully chosen, short interviews she gave indicated a more pro-Faunus attitude. Nobody in the media could guess why she had suddenly thrown the brakes on the Schnee propaganda machine, but her friends knew why.

Every day after school, Blake had company. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang often came together, though some obligations had them come at different times. Ruby brought books for Blake to read, and they discussed philosophy. Weiss brought schoolwork, and she and Blake talked about the Schnees and the Fang, carefully cultivating an understanding between the two of them. Yang often stayed later than the other two, reviewing notes with Blake, doing homework with her, making sure her partner stayed caught up, but when that was done and over with, Yang gave Blake a much needed reprieve from the dull stay at the hospital.

Yang never missed a day with Blake, and some days, she came back to the dorm after the sun had gone down. She didn't seem to mind losing time to go socialize and flirt with strangers.

JNPR also visited frequently, at least on the weekends. When Yang needed a partner, Jaune and Pyrrha often filled in the role, though Nora and Ren joined in just as often. Ruby and Weiss both insisted it would be fine if Yang joined them as their third partner, but Yang liked to tease them that their constant cat-fighting was too 'distracting.'

Yang didn't say as much for Nora and Ren's constant flirting.

Their sister team joined them for lunch and dinner plenty, and study sessions were packed with people. If homework was sparse, and Blake went to bed early, they often occupied a training room until curfew, and then, while they waited off the adrenaline and energy, took over their floor's common room to watch movies, play games, and take turns cooking.

Yang and Ren made an… interesting pair in the kitchen, blending more down-home dishes with a healthy Mistral flair. It often resulted in dishes that slugged your mouth with cheesy, fatty flavor, followed by dainty vegetable bites that 'cleansed toxins' or somesuch.

Taiyang, when he had the time, sometimes came and hung out with the girls, mostly to catch up and make sure everyone was doing well. He brought snacks, and sometimes brought a new game for them, insisting they shouldn't overwork themselves. He still woke them up early on the weekend mornings to go exercise, and not only had Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha joined them, but Ren dragged Nora along. As a result, Monday and Wednesday PE was easier for each of them, if only marginally.

While Ruby spent a vast majority of her time with Weiss and Yang, she found herself comfortably colluding with team JNPR in practice, homework, and activities. One Friday ended memorably with just Ruby and Nora rolling down the hill over and over again, shrieking a discussion on Nora's improving grades and Ren. Afterwards, it had taken Ruby forty minutes to chase Nora down in the woods and get her sports bra back. It was strange, she had never known what having friends was like, but it felt far easier than she'd thought.

Some nights they sat on the couch, not saying a word as they watched a movie, other nights they were having heated discussions about why the third book in the Midnight Echoes quintilogy was either the best or the worst in the series. It lacked expectations to it, they just sat around together and hours just slipped away until the bell for curfew went off.

Then, they had a choice: be responsible and go to bed, or get chased back to their dorms by the midnight staff. The latter happened more often than Weiss would have liked.

However, there was a constant missing element.

They were three weeks in, and the first week had set a standard the second and third had failed to live up to.

Even though they were around it often, even if they discussed it regularly, the fact of the matter was that it was still missing.

Ruby mulled this over as she opened the room to her dormroom after her remedial classes. Weiss and Yang both followed her inside, discussing what to bring with them once they'd left for the hospital.

"She _has_ to be sick of fish by this point. We get seafood for her like, four times a week, I think a bigass steak would hit the spot by now." Yang insisted, setting Ember Celica on her desk to be cleaned later.

"She said she doesn't like red meat though, fish is the safest option!" Weiss insisted hotly, shelving her notebooks and purse swiftly.

" _Pyrrha_ doesn't like red meat, Blake doesn't like chicken." Yang corrected. Weiss paused in place, her brow scrunching together as she tossed Yang an unsure look.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn…" Weiss scratched her scalp.

"Blake likes burgers." Ruby reminded her, and Weiss's gaze fell.

"... Huh." Weiss harrumphed, arms crossed over her chest as she tried to recall.

"Toldja. I know a bitchin' steak place too!" Yang grinned, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Of course you do." The heiress smiled, and Yang grabbed her purse from behind her pillow.

"I'll front it." Yang checked her wallet with a pleased smile. "How ya think she likes it? Medium's the go-to but-"

"Medium-rare!" Ruby piped up, turning to face her sister, rubbing lotion into the skin around her eyes, her goggles sitting on the nightstand by Weiss's bed.

"You think?" Yang asked in surprise.

"Well yeah, doesn't she seem like the sort who likes a little b-blood in her meat?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head, and Weiss made a retching face.

"I don't know how _anybody_ can, it seems so unclean." Weiss faced Ruby. Her eyes still weren't trained enough to stick to Ruby's face and ignore those heart-pounding eyes, so she often admired Ruby's shoulders or breasts. _Why_ the shy, stuttering thing had a corset as a part of her costume was confusing, but it _did_ shape her in interesting ways.

"Ever tried it, Weiss Cream?" Yang asked with a little grin, and Weiss furiously shook her head.

"Never have, never will! Medium-well for me, thank you." Weiss went to the bathroom door and tried the knob, only for it to resist. Weiss paused, thinking, tried again, found it locked still, and looked back to her teammates curiously.

"Occupied!" A voice called from within, muffled by the door.

"Oh!" Weiss's hand pulled from the knob instantly. "I'm so sorry, I'll wait." Weiss assured the voice. She turned back to her desk to organize some things, taking a few seconds to freeze up and whirl towards the door as they heard a flush.

The sink ran, there was a moment of flesh slapping flesh, and the rustle of a towel, and the door opened.

She looked… well. Her black hair was lustrous and full, having finally gotten the shower and care it needed after weeks of simplistic cleaning, and her yellow eyes were bold, alert, and curious. She filled out her black belly top spectacularly, her large breasts giving her a fetching, girlish shape, while her pale stomach, marked with a red line of distorted flesh, was exposed proudly. Those seemingly endless legs were in a pair of nice jeans, though they were wrinkled from spending a long time folded up in once place.

Her cat ears flicked from girl to girl, and Blake's hand subconciously rest on her hip, carefully hiding her scar in sudden humility. "So…" Blake's voice sounded stronger than when she was stuck in a bed, and she chanced a pleasant smile. "Steak sounds really good, actually. I gotta take some medicine every morning for the next week or so that's leaving me nauseous, so I'm a little starved right now."

"... Blake!" Ruby whimpered. Those black, damnable eyes filled with tears, and Blake stared at the top of her team leader's head, where she could picture a pair of cute ears.

"Hey Kitten." The cat girl smiled sweetly, arms opened.

She was _so_ glad that Yang was as strong as she was, because it was the blonde alone that kept the four of them from toppling to the floor and crushing Blake underneath them. Weiss held onto her right side, Ruby on her left, Yang bear-hugging the three of them with barely restrained power and love.

"Omigod you're back you're back _you're back!"_ Weiss squeaked, looking up to Blake with deep, gasps for air, while Blake just snickered.

"They said two weeks if I got my aura back. Let's just say I tried _real_ hard while I was feeling lonely." She beamed, then gasped as she was lifted, along with Ruby and Weiss, by an overly emotional Yang.

"Blake you look so good!" Yang gasped, staring up at her with a bright, sunny smile. "You're on your feet! And your scar is so _sexy!_ And those jeans look so good on you!" Yang shook the three of them in her arms, drawing tiny yelps of surprise.

"Missed you too, Tiger. So, steak?" She asked hopefully, punctuated by a loud, obnoxious growl from her stomach. They each stared at her, giggling, and the Faunus girl squirmed.

She'd promised herself she wouldn't get emotional. They were her pack, yes, but she was new here. It wasn't like they deserved the amount of affection they gave each other, even if Blake often thought about pleading for one of them to stay with her overnight as the hospital.

They were friends. Teammates. A pack. She was finally back, it was no reason to start crying, no reason to let her heart jump into her throat.

Even still, she pushed through it all as her face pinched up, as she looked into their hopeful, happy expressions, seeing the way they felt about her, how they talked about her, how they all but refused to let her go…

"... I'm so, _so_ happy to be back." She finally admitted, her voice cracking as, all at once, it hit her.

"It's been a pain in the ass without you, Blake." Yang admitted, letting the three of them go so she could hold Blake's cheeks. Their eyes met, and Yang gave her the biggest, most sincere smile of pure joy she'd ever seen. She didn't even mind it when the blonde stroked her ears in that comforting way that made her want to purr. "We missed you."

"I missed you too!" Blake hiccuped, throwing her arms around Ruby and Weiss's shoulders, leaning into the ear rub. "I _hated_ that room. It _sucked._ Stupid _bed._ Just… I just wanted to be back here." She sniffled loudly, her eyes slowly moving to Ruby, who stood by her side in silent guilt. "But… but I'd do it again. For any of you. I promise."

"If the situation arises again, _don't."_ Weiss ordered in a low voice, barely able to keep her face straight as she squeezed the catgirl's hand. "Your safety is important to us too! So remember that next time one of us is about to get impaled." Weiss tried to sound stern, but she was visibly relaxed with relief, her eyes trembling with excitement at the unexpected appearance of her friend.

"No promises… but yes ma'am." Blake said with an amused grin. Weiss sniffled loudly, loud enough to draw a little giggle from Ruby, and the heiress stomped her foot.

"Stop laughing! I'm serious, don't go sacrificing yourselves! I'll hate you forever!" Weiss's face turned bright red, and she was immediately pulled into a big hug by the three of them. "You're all the worst!" The girl wailed.

They laughed, only letting Weiss go once she'd procured a dozen or so more promises from Blake ensuring her health and safety.

Weiss had gone to wash her face, while Yang babbled endlessly about all the things they were going to do now that they were whole again. Blake sat on Weiss's bunk, taking in the scents she'd grown to love so much, staring around at her place of comfort, considering hopping into bed and napping in this warm, cozy place…

And she paused to stare at the hand in front of her, holding a familiar black Ribbon. Blake glanced up at Ruby, now wearing her goggles again, and back down at the ribbon. "I-it's yours. I kept it." Ruby insisted with a small shake of the cloth.

Blake stared at the ribbon thoughtfully. It was like a friend of hers, though it was, in equal parts, her jailer. It hid her from the world, but it did so to protect her from its cruelty and bigotry. It had the best intentions, but it was not perfect. Blake took the ribbon and stood to address Ruby.

A minute later, Ruby stared up at her in quiet wonder as Blake tugged the two, big black loops on Ruby's head, the rest of the ribbon dipping under Ruby's dark hair. The ribbon gave Ruby two prominent, adorable ears on top of her head, making her look so much like a cat. "There. It makes you look so cute, Kitten!" Blake playfully flicked a loop, and Ruby sniffled.

"D-don't you want it? So… s-so people won't…?" Ruby trailed off as Blake held her shoulders and smiled.

"I know who I can trust, and who I'll run to if somebody tries to hurt me. I don't need it, not while I have you, Weiss, and Yang." Blake whispered. Ruby's nose scrunched up, she sniffled, and she threatened another big, ugly cry as Blake pulled her into a hug.

She wasn't lying, not totally. Blake was still afraid, deeply so, of what could happen to her with her ears exposed, but she wouldn't run away. Not while she had her pack.

"I-I m-missed you." Ruby wheezed, struggling to contain her emotions. The younger girl hugged her teammate, her friend, and Blake returned it with glassy eyes.

"I missed you too."

Team RWBY took an extra hour to leave their dorm room, much to Blake's stomach's chagrin, but it didn't bother her as much as she'd thought. However, in that hour, Blake managed to tease Weiss red and frustrated, show off her scar to team JNPR when they sensed something amiss in the RWBY room, and reassure her partner that she was sticking to them like glue.

On the airbus ride from Beacon, she and Ruby discussed the books she'd read in the hospital, and Ruby's sincere, childish glee at having a book buddy made Blake grin. They stopped–only briefly–in front of a mirror left in front of a store to pose and take pictures together, and moved on to a restaurant Yang raved about.

At the end of the day, it was the best steak Blake had ever eaten, in the best company she'd ever had.


	18. (Author's Note)

Hello everyone, as you may be aware, I am Peroth, and I would like to thank each and every single one of you for taking the time to read this far. I have read each of your reviews and have enjoyed the praise, worked with the criticisms, and have even had the pleasure of speaking with some of you on our opinions on RWBY and THE. I'm happy to have such an appreciative audience, and I'm happy to say that Volume 1 of THE has concluded.

It's been a long journey for me, lasting a year and a half, but significant if only for one reason: it's the very first story I've ever finished. Short stories are not my forte–as many of you have seen I tend to be verbose, even if my vocabulary feels lacking at times. Exploring fantastical worlds has always been an immense pleasure to me, whether it was My Little Pony some six or seven years ago, or RWBY now. I've really felt myself improving, but also noticing how long these chapters can get. I feel as though cutting them short in any way would be a disservice; each of them encapsulates a specific arc, and two-parters have always been an annoyance to me, so I hope it's no big struggle for you!

Finishing this story... It's odd. It hasn't hit me just yet, but it does feel like something specific and rather nasty: like pulling out an ingrown toenail. It was a weight on me, not a terrible one though, and an utter relief to have finished. It kept me moving forward, I didn't want to abandon yet _another_ story and fall to apathy once more, and there were parts of the fic that were an honest struggle to get through. Challenging, but ultimately rewarding once overcome, though I imagine it gave my editor a good bit of annoyance watching pages of work disappear and get replaced overnight!

It's been fun, and I'd like to do it again with Volume 2. However, Volume 2 is going to be a ways off; I need a break, since I've spent nearly every day writing on this fic–if only a little, but sometimes a lot–so I'm going to let Volume 2 take a backseat to let me relax. In the meantime, I plan to work with my editor and pre-readers to go back on Volume 1.

From beginning to end, I would like to remaster THE V1. There is _plenty_ that can be improved upon, shortened up, and clarified, so for now, we're probably going to spend a few months improving upon old work. I'll replace each chapter once the whole story is done, and release a new chapter letting everyone know the remaster is finished.

Until then, thank you all for reading, I hope it was fun for you, and I hope you stick around with me in the future! Tata!

~Peroth.


	19. Remaster News

Hello everyone!

Due to a request, I will be uploading the Remastering as an individual story for comparison and contrast. Chapter 1 is up now for the remaster, please enjoy!


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